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Interview
with Muyiwa Olanrewaju
 Muyiwa
is a recent friend of mine. I am impressed by his
forth-rightness. Which is the main reason I sought to ask
him a few questions as published below. I am blessed by the
responses he gave. I guess you will be too.
Wale: This may be a tricky question to answer because it
has to do with what really defines you? But a good place to
get this interaction going is to find out who you are. Who
is Muyiwa?
Muyiwa:
It really depends on how long you have, Muyiwa is a young
second generation Nigerian / British Lad, The first son in a
pack of four children born to a radio broadcaster the late
Sola Olarewaju and an Academician and Farmer late Kayode
Olarewaju. There are many things that make me who I am, but
some of the most important values to me are Openness,
Honesty, Transparency, Equity. I did a degree in business
studies majored in marketing and then did another degree in
music. I worked in TV for a while, then I worked in a record
company working with a roster of artist which included
Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, Maxwell.......I then
stumbled into the world of Voice Over work. Some of the TV
campaigns I've worked on are things like Western Unions,
Daily Telegraph, Air Jamaica, BBC's pan aroma, Coca Cola...
This then led to a time as an Artist on Warner Music Label
in Germany....What makes me smile at anytime of the day is
being able to help people in any way I can... I could tell
you more but I'm afraid I might bore you.
Wale: You work with United Kingdom's number one Christian
radio station. In what ways do you think the media is
affecting your society positively despite the seeming
godlessness in that same environment?
Muyiwa: Its really is a joy to be in this position as in
the middle of the darkness you can see how the light of God
and the Gospel shines through. One of the exciting things
for me is to have interaction with the listeners. I Present
4 shows here on Premier radio and one of the is called
Worship At Home which is an alternative for people who cant
go to church for any reason. About three weeks ago I got a
call asking me and the listeners to pray for a young lady,
mother of 2 who was only 34 was on life support and was
given just 1 week to live. Well we prayed and listeners
called in and prayed, and surprise surprise in the week the
experts said she would die she got better. By the next week
she had been moved out of the ICU, and the rest is history.
So even in the spiritually 'cold' UK God is Moving.
Wale: Truth is Muyiwa is extremely popular. That's because
you drive two vehicles – radio and music and both bring
fame. How do you handle this same virtue which has destroyed
other people who have just half the opportunity you have?
Muyiwa: I don't believe the hype, some others put it
this way don't read your own press' LOL!!! I truly
appreciate the opportunity God has given me, I think a lot
of us get things twisted and start to take ourselves too
seriously. We start of in the 'its all about you Jesus' camp
and end up in the 'do you know who I am' camp ; yes we know,
you're the donkey that the master decided to ride into the
city...There is this thing we practice in our home, its
based on some of the work done by Benjamin Zander the
conductor of the world famous Boston philharmonic orchestra.
When you're getting upset someone else in the house would
remind you to calm down and not take yourself so
seriously..LOL!! it works
Wale: Without an earlier discussion with you, I am sure you
are amused at the business of music in Nigeria. Standards,
pricing of resources, royalties [or lack of it] etc. I will
like to know your thoughts on this and what needs to be done
bring things up to shape.
Muyiwa:
I'm not sure that amused is what I'll say I am, saddened.
One of the biggest part of our oral culture is the arts and
if that cant be secured against piracy and other vices, it
inevitably affects our culture. Recently in the process of
doing a project I had a conversation with one of SAN's in
Nigeria with regards to copyright law, he made it clear the
same laws that were working in Europe south Africa and the
rest of the world, are the same ones in place everywhere
else in the world where its not abided by. His point was the
real issue is the willingness for enforce what's already
there, I guess its a reflection of what's happening in the
society at large. Our society is sick.
Wale: How long have been involved in worship ministry and
what are the landmark discoveries you've made along the way?
Muyiwa:
I've been leading worship for a long time possibly 18 years.
Of course at different levels, landmark discoveries....there
are so many things I can say, but I have to say that the one
thing that I have discovered again and again is God, his
grace and how big he is. Its interesting becasause there is
a saying that 'the lesson is always there when the student
is ready' and its been true of my journey in worship he was
always there and from time to time through adversity I have
discovered him again.
Wale: How actively involved are you in your local church?
Muyiwa:
Not very involved because of the work and travelling I do,
but I value the times I'm able to spend at home in church as
the teaching and fellowship has been so enriching. Its
interesting when you read the story of world evangelist like
Riehiet Bonke who when he's back in his home church isn't
even a door keeper let alone a deacon, he's just a 'regular
brother' as they might say in RCCG. For me its important to
have a base so that you are answerable to someone
somewhere.... not just God!
Wale: What's the greatest challenge you are faced with as a
worship leader
Muyiwa:
Maintaining the truth in worship and not been carried away
with the need of the church for entertainment.
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