Myths: Aesthetic, Sonic, and Transmedia Reconfigurations in Nigerian Music through the Bongo Paradigm

This study investigates how myth functions as a creative and adaptive element in contemporary Nigerian music, with a specific focus on the Owerri Bongo genre. It examines the aesthetic, formal, and transmedia aspects of African cultural production, emphasizing how Bongo music features percussion-driven sounds, vernacular language, and community-based storytelling. The research also considers how Bongo acts as a system of symbolic meaning across audiovisual and digital media, connecting indigenous cosmology with modern artistic practices. Using a qualitative, interdisciplinary approach, the study combines musicological analysis, lyrical and symbolic interpretation, and review of audiovisual media. These methods are rooted in theories of African aesthetics, sound studies, and transmedia storytelling. Data sources include recorded music, music videos, and performance practices, complemented by relevant scholarly literature. Findings show that Bongo music encodes myth not only through narratives and language but also through rhythmic patterns, repetition, and performative elements that evoke traditional rituals. Moreover, audiovisual and digital platforms expand these mythic stories beyond sound, creating hybrid transmedia experiences. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that Bongo music is a vibrant site of cultural continuity and innovation that negotiates identity, community, and modernity in a globalized context.