Excavations from Wankanda
Moyo Okediji
Excavations from Wankanda I
Medium: Archaeology
2018
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Moyo Okediji
Excavations from Wankanda I
Medium: Archaeology
2018
Don’t pick an orange
for its enormous size.
The fatness of the citrus
is not a sign of its sweetness.
I’ve seen large oranges
that are firm and juiceless
And I’ve eaten tiny ones
so sweet and sumptuous
Egungun Festival Day in Austin TX, this afternoon.
I’m dressed for it.
We are celebrating the rituals of our ancestors.
Àwa ó ṣorò ilé wa ò
Àwa ó ṣorò ilé wa ò
Ìgbàgbọ́ ò pé, mo róye
Ìmọ̀le ò pé káwa má sorò
Àwa ó ṣorò ilé wa ò.
Stage One
I have divided the canvas into 256 rectangles.
Next stage? To insert the alphabets of Ifa in each of the rectangles.
Could Black life matter,
without Black thoughts
and values mattering?
The indigenous African traditions
cannot breathe:
invasive viral forces
have placed their morbid knees
on the throats of indigenous African philosophy,
science, pedagogy, technology,
I woke up during the night and went to the bathroom.
There was no water to wash my hands.
No hot water. No cold water.
What was going on?
I went downstairs.
No running water.
I’m on sabbatical leave this spring semester.
Forward to my origin
I will go for the next year
to learn Ifa computation,
in which my ancestors
have hidden the secrets of life
knowing that one day my eyes would open
and see the truth hidden in plain sight.