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Two New African Proverbs
Two New African Proverbs:
1. The same people who place their knee on your neck will also be the first to ask “Why can’t you breathe?”
2. The same people who are causing your sadness will also be the first to ask “Why can’t you laugh?”
(Adapted from the Yoruba proverb, “Ẹ́ni tí ó bá sọ ni di olóríburúkú ni ó kọ́kọ́ má a ń fi bú ni:
THE IYEYE PALANT
To the Yoruba Nation
There is a new vision
It is from Odu Irosun
And it advocates the IYEYE plant
Now listen:
We are now near the top of the Gbadi Hill
It is the tallest hill in the universe
So tall, its head is a pointed triangle.
Now the citizens of Iperi were hungry
They cried out from hunger and unhappiness
They were in pain for homelessness
They needed a savior
Who will protect the people of Iperi
A young stranger will shelter the people of Iperi
The Butterfly Thinks Himself A Bird
Moyo Okediji
Title: The Butterfly Thinks Himself A Bird
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Date 2021
Size: 24″ x 30″
The title is an important line in playwright Ola Rotimi’s masterpiece, THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME.
Rotimi took the line from a Yoruba proverb, “Labalábá fira rẹ̀ wẹ́ye, kò le ṣìṣe ẹyẹ.” ̛It means, “The butterfly compares itself to the bird, but is unable to perform like a bird.”
Have you heard the news?
Have you heard the news?
Nigeria is rated more corrupt now than ever before.
Nigeria ranks in the bottom 40 nations in the world.
In West Africa, only Guinea is rated worse than Nigeria.
And Botswana is rated best in Africa.
ÀRÓ CIRCUMSTANCES
There is an ancient Yoruba poem about Àró, the alien.
Listen, the translation is below the Yoruba original.
Mo gbinlá mi sóko
Mo gbinkàn mi sóko
Ewúrẹ́ Àró fi jẹ;
Àgùtàn Àró fi jẹ
Èmi ò mọ ohun Àró ní mo ṣe.
I planted okra on my farmland
The Birth
The Birth
Of a New Year? New opportunities? New visions? New directions? New hopes? New tools? New thoughts? New leaf? New step? New energy? New start? New move? New song? New voice? New motive? New motif? New dance? New question? New answer? New mission? New me?
