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The way I receive a work of art is dependent on my psychological state. Works of art, such as songs, serve different purposes for me at different times.
On a good day, when I am in a very good mood with just the intention of relaxing and entertaining myself, I listen to songs whose beats are appealing to me. I don't care what is being said in the song as long as it is not vulgar.
Some other time, I want to listen to songs that provoke some thoughts in me. Songs that pass the needed message. I have resorted to music many times when I got overwhelmed in some situations. In such an instance, I need a song that communicates to me directly. A song of motivation and hope.
Many years ago, I danced to a song popularly identified by the name of the artist, Awilo. I think that the artist is a Congolese if I am not mistaken. Till this moment, I don't understand a word in the lyrics of that song. However, it remains one of the songs that I got fixated with at a point. Everywhere you go in Nigeria those days, you would see kids singing Awilo logomba and making the characteristic dance moves.
There are other songs that I presently derive nothing but entertainment from. Whether these songs are passing messages or not is immaterial. All I want is to dance and sing along even if I don't understand what I am singing. I love the songs of Bob Marley, Lucky Dube, and Fela Anikulapo for a reason. This is because these songs reawaken my dampened spirit whenever I listen to them. In the period of disappointments, a lack of motivation to keep moving, these songs are there to help me navigate through such periods. It is for this reason that I don't expect works of art to serve a purpose for every individual all the time. While some are looking out for a message in a song, others are in search of a source of entertainment and nothing else.
I am of the conviction that a work of art mustn't always communicate an idea or represent a message. It can purely be for the purpose of entertainment. Beyond music, I love some paintings or drawings for the purpose of entertainment only.
I once bought an artwork whose style of painting attracted me. It was when I took it to the hostel - I was an undergraduate then - that my friend started telling more about what message the work was passing. All I saw was a fine combination of colors, and I bought it. Unknown to me was that what I bought was beyond just a painting.
For me, once someone derives satisfaction from a work of art, then the purpose of the existence of the artwork is achieved. While one person is looking for the message behind a song or artwork, another person is dancing to the song with satisfaction or appreciating the artwork without looking for what it represents. Whatever the work of art is, it doesn't have to be appealing to everybody at all times. Once it is appealing to a group or demography, it is good to go.