Àkòdì Òrìṣà
Àkòdì Òrìṣà:
a dream is gradually taking shape.
Interested in some of my published works?
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Àkòdì Òrìṣà:
a dream is gradually taking shape.
There is no fear except the one we make up.
The fear we harbor is us.
On this planet, there is nothing to lose.
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.
Moyo Okediji
Title: Dem Belleful
Medium: acrylic on canvas
date: 2021
48×36″
When nobody supports you,
when everybody says no to you,
when people turn down your requests,
and you cannot get any grant
when they band together to oppose you,
and say your ideas are not practical
and they frown when they see you:
don’t despair;
these are signs that you are moving in the right direction;
keep placing one foot ahead of the other
continue to push ahead
This is one of the paintings I just discovered in my garage.
The painting celebrates Robert Hayden’s poem, “Middle Passage.”
It is a really long poem.
The painting focuses on this excerpt:
“That Crew and Captain lusted with the comeliest
of the savage girls kept naked in the cabins;
that there was one they called The Guinea Rose
and they cast lots and fought to lie with her: ”
The character across the floor of the ship being whipped to consent is the lady called Guinea Rose in the poem.
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