In mid-2024, millions of people around the world were doing a quirky dance to an old Igbo song. Many had no idea the singer was in his nineties and living in Enugu.
Mike Ejeagha, often called Gentleman Mike Ejeagha and born in the early 1930s in Imezi-Owa, Enugu State, is a veteran Igbo musician known for storytelling songs. For decades, his music drew on Igbo folklore, proverbs and parables, accompanied by his guitar. He also presented stories on radio and television in eastern Nigeria.
The song
“Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo” was recorded in the 1980s. It tells a folk tale in song, with Ejeagha’s warm voice and guitar. It had been known to older Igbo listeners but had largely faded from popular memory.
The dance challenge
In 2024, the Nigerian comedian and content creator Brain Jotter, whose real name is Chukwuebuka Emmanuel Amuzie, posted a video dancing to the song with an exaggerated, playful dance. It spread rapidly on TikTok and Instagram, with celebrities, footballers and ordinary people around the world joining the challenge.
Rediscovery
As the challenge spread, fans went looking for the singer and found Ejeagha living quietly in Enugu. Videos of him watching the dance and smiling went viral too. Brain Jotter and others visited him and supported him, and the visits were shared widely online, adding to the story’s appeal.
Honours
The Enugu State government honoured Ejeagha, including unveiling a statue of him and naming a street in his honour. Musicians called for more support for older artists whose work is used on social media without benefit to them.
Streaming and royalties
The viral moment also raised questions about how veteran musicians benefit when their old songs become popular online. Efforts were made to make his catalogue available on major streaming platforms.
Igbo highlife
Ejeagha is part of a tradition of Igbo highlife and folk music that includes musicians such as Osita Osadebe and Oliver de Coque. The viral success drew younger Nigerians to explore that tradition.
Why it matters
The story showed how social media can revive forgotten music across generations, and how much joy an old song can bring when it finds a new audience.
He recorded the song four decades ago as a storyteller. In 2024, the whole world joined in the story.
