Lazarus Ekwueme

**Lazarus Edward Nnanyelu Ekwueme**  (an haife shi a ranar 28 ga watan Janairun shekarar 1936), wanda aka fi sani da **Laz Ekwueme**, masanine a fannin kiɗan Najeriya ne, mawaki, masani kuma ɗan wasan kwaikwayo.  Yana ɗaya daga cikin manyan malaman waka a Najeriya kuma kwararren marubuci. Malami ne wanda ya rubuta kasidu da littatafai da dama kan waka musamman irin rawar da waka ke takawa a rayuwar ‘yan Afirka da ‘yan Afirka na kasashen waje. Shi ne sarkin gargajiya na masarautar Oko. 

## Tarihin Rayuwa
An haifi Lazarus Ekwueme a Oko, Jihar Anambra. Ya halarci Kwalejin Gwamnati da ke Umuahia don karatun sakandare da kuma Royal College of Music da ke Landan, inda ya yi karatu a fannin waka kuma yana ƙarƙashin jagorancin Gordon Jacob.  A Landan, ya sami digiri 10 a fannin kiɗa, Magana da wasan kwaikwayo sannan kuma ya sami digiri na farko a Jami'ar Durham.. A cikin shekarar 1962, ya sami digiri na ƙwararrun koyarwa, Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music.

Yayin da yake karatu a Biritaniya, ya rungumi gidan wasan kwaikwayo kuma ya kasance ɗan wasa a wasu fina-finan Afirka da Sashen Afirka na Gidan Watsa Labarai na Burtaniya suka shirya. Ya bar Biritaniya a shekarar 1964, ya dawo Najeriya, inda ya sami gurbin karatu a Jami'ar Najeriya, Nsukka. A matsayinsa na malami na hada-hadar waka, ka'idar, tarihi, rera waka da gudanarwa, ya kasance muhimmin memba a sashen wakokin Najeriya na farko a Nsukka, wanda shi ne na farko da ya ba da digirin digirgir a kasar. Ya kuma ba da kulawa sosai ga kiɗan wake-wake, inda ya shirya Jami'ar Najeriya Choral Society, ƙungiyar ɗalibai na ƙasashen waje da na gida waɗanda ke yin wasan kwaikwayo akai-akai a Nsukka. 

A cikin shekarar 1966, ya tafi ƙasashen waje don samun digiri na biyu a ka'idar kiɗa daga Jami'ar Yale. Ya kuma koyar a kwalejin da wasu ƴan kwalejoji a Amurka. Yayin da yake Yale, ya kafa New Haven International Chorus. A shekarar 1974, ya dawo Najeriya, a wannan karon, Yakubu Ade Ajayi ya ba shi mukamin koyarwa a sabon sashen koyar da waka a jami’ar Legas, sannan kuma ya naɗa shi a matsayin abokin bincike a cibiyar nazarin al’adu. A lokacin da yake Legas, ya kafa kungiyar Chorale ta ƙasa ta Laz Ekwueme wadda ta kasance babbar kungiyar mawakan Afirka. Bayan lokaci tare da gogewa a gwajin kiɗan, ya zama ɗaya daga cikin mawaƙan farko na Najeriya don samar da ingantaccen kiɗan kiɗa na ayyukan mawaƙa na Afirka ta hanyar amfani da sifofin yamma da dabaru tare da haifar da jan hankali a tsakanin 'yan Afirka da ƙananan matsaloli ko murdiya wajen isar da ma'anar kalmomin kasancewa a waka.  Don kokarin da ya yi wajen haɗa wakoki da gudanar da waka, an naɗa shi mai kula da kungiyar mawakan kasar Najeriya a bikin Black Arts festival, Festac 77. 

A matsayinsa na masanin waka, ya binciko kaɗe-kaɗe da  na ’yan asalin Afirka a wasu wakoki na sabuwar duniya da kuma wakokin Amurka, jigon da ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan da ya dace na kokarin bincikensa. A matsayinsa na mai bincike, ya ɓata lokaci yana nazarin tsarin kiɗan ƴan Afirka, Caribbean da Amurka. Ya lura da kamanceceniya ta hanyoyin da Amirkawa 'yan Afirka a Louisiana da 'yan Afirka a Dahomey ke rera wakoki. Har ila yau, mahimmanci da aikin kiɗa a cikin abubuwan da suka faru a cikin rayuwar 'yan Afirka da na ƙasashen waje wani jigo ne da ya mamaye yawancin ƙoƙarin bincikensa. 

## Rayuwa ta sirri
Ekwueme ƙani ne ga marigayi tsohon mataimakin shugaban Najeriya Alex Ekwueme. 

## Ayyuka

### Littattafai da muƙaloli

* *Teasers: Wakoki, karin magana, da puns*, 1993
* *Horon mawaƙa da gudanar da waƙoƙin waƙar ga 'yan Afirka*. 1993
* *Rubuce-rubuce kan Ka'idar Waƙar Afirka*, 2004

### Ƙungiyoyin Choral

* "Missa Africana"
* "Dare a Baitalami" (1963)
* "Piano Concerts in Re" (1962)
* "Rhapsody Nigeriana"
* "Hombe" (Waƙar Jama'ar Kenya) (1968)
* "Hattara" (Negro Ruhaniya)
* "Zidata Mo Nso nke Gi"
* "Nwa n'akwa akwa" (1972)
* "Elimeli" (1979)
* "Nne n'eku nwa"
* "Obi Dimkpa" (1980)
* "Ote nkwu"

## Manazarta