Abstract:
The influence of alien culture in the society has been on the increase and has greatly affected the
growth of traditional musical practices. This influence is not only applicable to Ibibio an ethnic
group in Akwa Ibom State, but is equally a universal phenomenon which has affected many
traditional societies. Some of the factors responsible for this could be attributed to the
development in information technology, cross-cultural fertilization and other factors. Other
issues like, religious, political and educational changes have crept into the fabric of traditional
musical practices, thus, resulting in weak and scanty cultural behaviour.The area for this work is
the Ibibio - speaking communities which are loosely located in the mainland area of Akwa Ibom
State, Nigeria. The study examined various changes that are affecting the traditional musical
genres of the people using descriptive method. Relevant works were reviewed on the roles of
music and societal change in the cultural tradition of Ibibio and other ethnic groups. It sought
the opinions of other authors concerning the place of music in the society and the influence of
societal change on indigenous music. It is realized that no society is static and changes are
inevitable in any given society, it is recommended that changes in musical ideas should not be a
threat to indigenous musical practices but should develop alongside in the society to reflect the
mood of the changing world.
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International Journal of Arts and Humanities