THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 3rd October 1932

Samuel Ekpe Akpabot, music composer, was born in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Akpabot taught himself to play the piano as a child before moving to Lagos to study at the prestigious Kings College in 1943. After graduating from Kings College, Akpabot worked as a sports journalist for the Daily Times and several other newspapers.

In 1949 he form a band, The Akpabot Players, which performed popular Nigerian dance music, whilst also serving as an organist at St Saviours Anglican church, Lagos. Both of these musical influences, African traditional with western classical, infused later compositions by Akpabot.

In 1954 he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom, also studying for external musical examinations with Trinity College of Music, London.

Akpabot returned to Nigeria in 1960 with two musical diplomas to take up a post as senior musical producer with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). The same year he composed "Scenes from Nigeria" to celebrate the country's independence from colonial rule.

After three years with the NBC Akpabot moved to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to become one of the founding members of the university's department of music. The University of Nigeria sponsored Akpabot to pursue a masters degree in musicology at the University of Chicago, which he was awarded in 1967.

Akpabot returned to lecture at the University of Nigeria during the period of civil unrest in Nigeria which transcended into the Biafran war. The horrendous impact of the war led Akpabot to compose a musical reflection in 1973 entitled "Nigeria in Conflict."

In his final years Akpabot was a lecturer at the Institute of Cultural Studies, University of Uyo. He died in his hometown of Uyo on 7th August 2000 aged 67.

Click on the following link to listen to an arrangement of "Scenes from Nigeria":

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