ÌMỌ́DÒYE
ÌMỌ́DÒYE
An Akodi Orisa Sculpture
Ile Ife, Nigeria
January 2019
Artist: Moyo Okediji
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Life Begins At 65
Life Begins At 65
I’m only just 64, but life begins at 65
I thank all my friends who sent me birthday wishes yesterday.
I can’t wait for the party to start when, finally, I get born one year from today.
But, it’s alright. Some people are only in their thirties, forties, fifties and early sixties. They have to wait a while to get born and start rocking.
At 65, you’ve done it all. Life has thrown all it has at you, and you have stood your ground. You can easily say, “Ẹran kí la ò jẹ rí? What edible flesh am I yet to chew?”
LOOKING BACK
LOOKING BACK
I
Exile, however sweet,
for home makes the heart yearn.
Àjò kìí dùn
kónílé gbàgbé ilé.
I colored the Yoruba proverb above for emphasis.
Why?
Because everybody living in Nigeria is a hero.
It is often akin to being a kamikaze pilot in WWII.
They just survived the #EndSars uprising.
Demolition
A silent demolition is going on.
When I was about 8 years old, I walked from Akarabata Line 2 to Iremo in Ile Ife, a distance of about three miles, every morning, at dawn. I was attending a private coaching class that started at 6 am, two hours before formal classes began at 8 am.
Captive No More V
Captive No More V
14
The baale of Apaara,
My great grandfather
returned on horseback
only to discover that
His favorite child was gone
swept along the rabid rapids
of the slavers’ path
into the abyss of time.
Just as a lens focuses light to the point
Just as a lens focuses light to the point
that it can generate enough heat
to set a leaf on fire:
The Òrùlé Orí uses sound and space
to focus and raise the level
of positive energy in an individual.
How? It’s the principle of electricity.
You connect the charger to the electricity socket to charge the battery of your laptop. Your laptop wakes up, ready to go.
THE SWEETNESS OF FREEDOM
The Yoruba people comprise of several tribal units, each speaking a different dialect of the Yoruba language.
There is Yoruba literature, which has developed a large body of writings including novels, poetry, critical writing and essays.
Yoruba is studied in universities all over the world, and you may get a Ph.D. in Yoruba studies, one of the very few indigenous languages in Africa in which you get a doctorate.
Yoruba music is rich, with various genres both traditional and modern.
