For several years, Togolese Catholic priests have been composing songs and publishing musical albums. Why so much enthusiasm and what are the challenges linked to this commitment to musical art?
Saturday September 16, a new music album will be available in Togo: “Mawu fe dodo” (God’s plan, in the local Ewe language). Particularity: the artist is a priest, Father Florentin Tokou, diocesan vicar priest at the Saint-Augustin d’Amoutivé parish in Lomé. A few weeks ago, it was one of his colleagues, Father Marius Mawuli Segla, from Kpalimé, who released his own album of Christian-inspired songs entitled “Mawunyo” (God is good).
Music and religious singing have always been part of the life of the Catholic Church. “Song is the very liturgy of God, and the liturgy is always accompanied by music,” explains Father Paul, a Togolese priest. But in Togo, this “powerful channel” – according to the priest’s expression – seems to have a very special place, given the number of priests who compose songs and produce albums.
This is for example the case of Fathers Thierry Dayou, Fabrice Degbe, Marius Mawuli Segla or even Father Florentin Tokou, one of the youngest singers, like other elders like Pierre Noagbodji or Nicodème Barrigah- Benissan, before being named bishop.
“For me, music is not an appendage to my episcopal office, a recreational activity to which I devote my leisure hours,” confides Mgr Barrigah. Rather, it is at the heart of my pastoral mission of evangelization. » This preponderant place is found during the years of training of future priests. “The programs and activities at the seminars during our training greatly contribute to the choice of becoming a musician or singer,” confirms Father Marius.
“Not every priest has to be a singer”
In the same sense, Father Florentin specifies: “we learned to sing the Psalms, we had singing classes and had times of meditation”. Clearly, priests normally have a certain sense of music, it being an integral part of the ecclesial liturgy. An illustration is that the Sunday mass is a sung mass and every priest must be able to sing the preface on Sundays and solemn days.
For Father Paul, the large number of singing priests in Togo is also explained by the charismatic wind within the Church, with for example the Emmanuel community whose members evangelize a lot through singing.
“But that does not mean that every priest must necessarily become a singer, or even a singing artist,” warns the priest. Because, “becoming a singer is very demanding and even more so for the priest who is a composer and singer,” adds another Togolese priest musician who recommends a lot of rigor and patience to his fellow singers, in order to avoid being composers or singers. mediocre. “Being a singer is a vocation, another vocation, and this commitment requires a lot of time,” he adds.
Charles Ayetan (in Lomé)
2023-09-20 00:23:37
#Togo #phenomenon #singing #priests
