My wife's death changed me, says Akarolo, Port Harcourt Mayor

Chimbiko Akaralo is the Mayor of Port Harcourt City in Rivers State. He is a household name in the Garden City but the 44-year-old politician, with a masters degree in Environmental Management Planning has carved a niche for himself in Rivers politics and has now set his site on conquering the music industry. 

What was your motivation to go into music?

Music is an inborn thing for me. It started way back when I was young. In those days if you dare tell your parents that you want to go into music you should be ready for strokes of the cane. It is the same thing with football; if they see you playing football you are in trouble. But now parents encourage their children, they even buy seven balls for them - one for each day so that they want them to be the Kanu Nwankwos of tomorrow.

Music is a talent in me and I think I still have something to offer to the Nigerian music industry. That is why I am into music. I started playing the keyboard at the age of eight and nobody taught me. My father came back from one of these Asian countries in the 70s with a keyboard. When I saw it, I sat on it and started playing. People don’t believe in reincarnation but I think that was something from my past life. I hadn’t seen a keyboard before but I played it. When my father came in he was surprised. As soon as I saw him I was afraid and I stopped playing. And he said, 'you were playing a song, go ahead'. I didn’t know I was even playing.

That was how it started. I played in churches I got to assistant choirmaster. I played in the secondary school, I was chapel prefect. I played in some bands with the producers of those days. As a student in the University of Calabar I was also performing. I got income from it back then and it helped. I played in shows and was able to cater for some needs. I could live like a big boy and went as far as to Awka to play for Rogers All Stars studios. I even played a show in Iganmu (National Theatre).

But after I graduated it all ceased because I knew I had to get food on the table and in Nigeria you must work hard.

Tell us about your stage name C strokes, why is it so unique?

The C is for my initial, my name (Chimbiko); the strokes, it is actually reggae, but we are coming from way back and putting what reggae is in the present and it is a stroke different from whatever kind of stroke you ever had. It is with a touch of class, it is classical. You have the R n B, Lovers Rock, conscious part of it. The C strokes you in all these ramifications.

Why did you wait this long to take this path?

I lost my wife two years ago (2011) and her death devastated me so much. Music, being my second love, provided an escape from the pains I feel. I had to fall back to what I loved most. My wife was a very important part of me and when she left I had to fill that void. Music became the filler.

I missed my wife so much. I wrote a song about her, my heartache and feeling. I went back to a man I had know over the years (producers, Sinclari (Seenclear) Konboye), who knows that I had the talent. He had always insisted that I had the talent and I should contribute. I was so busy. But trying to fill that void, the only way I could express myself was to go back into music and it is my love now.

I released my first single in August 2012. It was produced by Sinclair, a fantastic producer and a friend of many years. After that single dedicated to my wife, he said, 'men I don’t want you to stop here; if nothing more, sing for your children, tell them you have the talent and show them what you have.' That is why I am in today.

For my first single the reception was wonderful in Port Harcourt. People like it and enjoyed it. It was dedicated to my late wife and it made people realise that I could sing.

You played a couple of your songs now, and I realise that they are purely reggae.

Reggae is the only brand of music that gives you the message. All the departments of reggae affords you the opportunity to express yourself - if it is lovers rock, you are talking about love. If you don’t have the depth in lyrics, you are not grounded and sound you cannot write reggae lyrics. And it is a conscious music and not just for those who want to play with rhythm or drums and all that. You must be rooted and I think reggae gives me the platform to express my inner arts.

Yes. But beyond expressing 'inner art' your songs also sound political, talking about the oppressor...?

I grew up in a middleclass family. In those days it was easy because Nigeria had the rich, middle class and the poor and everything transcended like that so nobody felt the gap. The poor were even comfortable because if they cannot reach the rich, the middleclass was there to assist them. But today that difference is there and everybody can see it. We have eliminated the middleclass.

As a young growing boy, my parents were civil servants and I could reach out to any of the classes. I could walk up with the rich and I could spend time with the poor. With the elimination of the middleclass today there is no hope for the poor. The middleclass was the bridge in those days. I think the rich are getting too rich now to remember the poor and we must bridge gap. The society is not fair to the poor and we don’t listen to their cries.

I have a song called 'Hungry Faces'. I feel for the poor because I have been around them. I am a pure Port Harcourt boy - I won't say I have felt poverty, but I have seen it and I know how the poor feel. I feel bad and I feel threatened that one day while sleeping something could happen to me. I feel we should still reach out and tell the rich 'stop getting too rich without considering these people'. That is why I say 'leaders of the world, please we have to get it right'.

Apart from singing and being the chairman (mayor) of a city ...

(cuts in) I don’t want to be known as anything in this interview other than a musician. Yes, I oversee a city, but that is not what this is about. I am talking to you as C strokes - an artiste.

I learnt you have a foundation, what does it do? How does it relate to your music and message?

The foundation also came up because of my wife's death. I realised that there are lots of people like me out there who go through pain. If you are poor and lose your loved ones or wife through childbirth I know what it feels like. With my solid foundation I was able to cater for some needs and those of my children. What about those who are not so fortunate and are not working? I saw one report in The Nation of a young man asking for help to cater for his triplet after the death of his wife.

The foundation was created to help mother and child care so we donated. Last year (after my first album) we donated. This new album, which will be launched on the 31 of this month (August), is dedicated to similar cause. A large portion of whatever is generated from sale of the album is donated to motherless babies home.

We want to buy an ambulance to help us save lives. It is not just about the ambulance, not just for emergencies but to help convey patients from private clinics to specialist hospitals. Most times we lose lives because of simple avoidable causes. The pain I went through after my wife's death has taught me a lot. So I and my friends decided that we should have a foundation. So whatever I get from these songs goes into the foundation to assist the less privilege.

What is the influence of your late wife on you and your music?

She had enormous influence on me and my music. Before she died, one day she came to me and said 'you stopped playing the keyboard. When I met you you were marvellous on the keyboard and you used to sing for me. The children don’t even know you play music. Why don’t you get a keyboard and teach them?'

After that I met my producer who also told me people don’t know my talent because I just kept it to yourself. I said I was too busy. But as soon as she transited, I got the message and when my producer came in it was like my wife was talking through my producer. So I decided to use my music for charity.

What is your assessment of the Nigerian music industry?

I am not happy because people don’t play instruments any more. The computer age is affecting instrumentalists and it is not good for our music. Those who play the instruments arrange music better than those who don’t.

Nigeria is carving a niche for itself in the industry and it is helping a lot of people who have no job. What we have in the music industry today are entertainers. The musicians are Fela, Lagbaja etc. These other ones are entertainers because the man who brings the money (executive producers) tell you what he wants you to do. They are the ones killing the industry; they kill creativity because they are only interested in the trash that will sell. To a large extent, the kind of music we hear today is a reflection of the larger society.

But as a musician, you keep going whether the money is there or not; if the album flops or not you keep doing what you want to do because there is a small crowd that likes you music and that gives you satisfaction.

Today, highlife is going, nobody sings highlife again yet it is something that was associated with Nigeria. When you listen to artistes like Flavor, you hear something of it but the typical aspect is not there and we should ensure we retain our rhythm. If I play highlife it will be pure highlife. I don’t play to please the marketers. I went back to reggae to play it as it should be because if you go back to the 90s those who made Nigeria proud were reggae musicians - Majek, Kimono, Blackie, Oritz Wilikie, Alex Zito and Evi Edna Ogholi. Those were reggae musicians and they stood there. Reggae is for those who like to contemplate and meditate.

Today people sing about sex, Hennessey and all that. We have good young musicians out there, but if you check those who write that kind of songs whether in mid-tempo people don’t appreciate them because we don’t listen (to lyrics). People are so fast so the rhythms are fast like 'oya make we go Limpopo' - to do what? But the rhythm is wonderful; as soon as it starts you want to dance. But what message does it have? None. So, if you want to dance, play Nigerian music but if you want to listen, play reggae.

What is the message in your latest work?

The album title is 'Reality' and it has conscious music, lovers' rock. Reggae is a wonderful channel to reach people, express yourself as an artiste and let people know that there are good reggae artistes out there willing to contribute to the industry. If you listen to my songs you will hear clearly; I wasn’t aided by the system. My music is evergreen and it is going to last. If a song has message, you can play it over and over again. I am not thinking about immediate reward for my music.

Do you see any of your children following in your footstep?

My third son sings all my songs. He sits on the piano vamping. I know that one will come. I am going to guide him so he doesn’t end up singing the kinds of songs we hear today. But because my children listen to my music I think it will have a great influence on them.

Who is your role model?

I have listened to reggae musicians over time and one man whose lyrics have a great impact on me is Bob Marley. His lyrics haunt me. But there are others like Dennis Brown, John Holt, Freddie Mcgregor and much recently, the Morgan Heritage Family. They have added value to music. They have messages in all their songs. They talk about the society, homes, love etc.