On June 1, 2020, the sad news filtered in that one of the greatest
\nmusical exponents Nigeria has ever produced, Majekodunmi Fasheke, well
\nknown around the world as Majek Fashek has died. It was Williams
\nShakespeare who wrote that when paupers die, no comets are seen, but
\nheavens themselves blast forth the death of princes. Since that news
\nitem filtered in, tributes have been pouring in for the rainmaker from
\nNigerians from all walks of life. Both the high and the low are
\nreminiscing on his life and time. It is always so when immortal souls
\npass on to heavenly glory.\u00a0 \u00a0Majekodunmi Fasheke was one of those who
\nwrote their names on the sand of time. They don\u2019t really pass on,
\nbecause, in death, they keep on touching many lives. He was a legend who
\nthrough his music inspired many to greatness. It was Williams
\nShakespeare who wrote that death is a necessary end that will come when
\nit will come. The Holy Book enjoins us not to fret about death because
\nwe are not the first or the last to experience it. So when last year it
\nwas rumored that the _mama dede_ crooner was dead, his management
\nquickly dispersed it as fake news. So when on June 1, 2020, death
\nfinally
\ncame knocking on the door for Majek Fashek, he did not fret but
\nsojourned to Zion because his work is done on earth. Bob Marley, another
\nmusical legend was he who said that one bright summer morning when man’s
\nwork is done man will go to Zion. So Majekodunmi Fasheke is now in Zion,
\nthe final resting place for all beautiful souls. It will be right to say
\nthat he has passed on from earthly glory to heavily glory. He was
\nNigeria\u2019s musical export and his larger than life image looms beyond
\nNigeria. Both the young and the old agree that his songs are timeless
\nwhich they easily assimilate with. He held a mirror to society. A
\ncultural exponent of great magnitude, who preached the superiority of
\nthe African culture and against neo-colonialism being suffered by
\nAfricans. Born Majekodunmi Fasheke from Benin, Edo State, his songs took
\nthe airwaves by storm in the late 80\u2019s and early 90\u2019s. Those of us
\nwho were still growing up then was greatly impacted positively. His
\nsongs brought out the humanity in us which is indelible till date. He
\ntried to correct the wrongs in the society through his songs. In death,
\nhe has simply passed into Nigeria\u2019s folklore. So death, that thief
\nthat came in the middle of the night did not succeed in stealing Majek
\nFashek, because his soul lives on and his memory will remain evergreen.
\nThe messages in his songs will continue to prick consciences.<\/p>\n
Majek Fashek was a great preacher. He preached about love, motherhood,
\nkindness, unity in diversity, and above all, Jesus Christ and the
\nkingdom of God. He preached against racism, corruption, and religious
\ndisharmony. In one of his last songs, he sang that religion is politics.
\nHe was a very religious person. He once revealed that before the hit
\nsong, send down the rain, was produced, he fasted seven days to get the
\ninspiration for the song. He professed his love for Jesus Christ both in
\nhis songs and in personal interviews. He was a man of God who preached
\nthrough his songs. There is no doubt that in his death, Nigeria has lost
\none of her illustrious sons. His songs were good to the ear even as they
\nheal the soul. They were food for the spirit. It was Lucky Dube who sang
\nthat Rastas never die. Majek Fashek did not die. He will continue to
\nlive in the consciousness of generation to generation. To live in the
\nconsciousness of those left behind is not to die. Above all, death
\ncannot touch the soul which is the real Majek Fashek. Like all legend,
\nhe came in the nick of time and left when the ovation was loudest. His
\nmemory will be everywhere at the same time. He was a simple man. He
\nnever discriminated against anyone. He was a man who saw ahead of his
\ntime. His death is a loss to Edo State and to Nigeria as a whole. He
\nused his music as a tool to shape society. Albert Einstein, a great
\nscientist writing the obituary of a friend noted that his friend had not
\ndied, but has simply transformed, and was still very close to him. He
\nnoted that what blurs the closeness is time. Indeed, only time separates
\nthe rainmaker from those who love him. Majekodunmi Fasheke was a man
\nwho took responsibility. He believes in the science of destiny. His
\nphilosophy of life was that we should build ourselves. There is
\ngreatness in everybody. He was a great family man.<\/p>\n
Yes, Majek Fashek, was a great family man. This was attested to by his
\nwife for many years. She attested that he was a good husband and a great
\nfather. This is not a surprise. This is because Majek Fashek preached
\nfamily values. He understood his weaknesses and made amends. He
\ntraversed the globe to preach African renaissance.\u00a0 In interviews after
\ninterviews, he kept reminding us of his family heritage. He loved his
\nfamily as much as he loved Africa. Before he finally bowed out he tried
\nto rejig his music career. He tried as much as his failing health could
\ncarry him. It was Dennis Brutus who once said that the memory of me will
\nbe a process of conscious and unconscious exorcism. Indeed, Majek Fashek
\nsongs will continue to be a conscious study in humanitarian and cultural
\nexorcism and his memory indeed will continue to be a process of both
\nconscious and unconscious exorcism. Rest in Peace, the rainmaker!<\/p>\n
Chimezie Elemuo is a public affairs analyst<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On June 1, 2020, the sad news filtered in that one of the greatest musical exponents Nigeria has ever produced, Majekodunmi Fasheke, well known around the world as Majek Fashek…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n