In and Out
It may be real hard
to get in
to get out
it is typically easier
to get in
It is typically never easy
to get out
think about it before getting in
once you are in
you may never leave
not because you want to stay in
but because some entrances
have no visible exit
Àkòdì Òrìṣà artists painting the outside fence at Ile Ife, Nigeria.
We are erupting, we are the ones born to fly to open wide the feathers of our wingsand like a kite without a careto soar far above the fence
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
Back to class. School has changed.I now teach remotely from home,talking to my laptop,addressing cyberspace from my house,as if it was real life. Where does life end and fantasy begin?Nobody knows, nobody cares.
Olodumare laughed when the Nigerian contingents
Stood up to present their case
before the throne of the Most High.
Olodumare said, “Active and passive
are equal and opposite
to effect the law of balance.
In the beginning
I created the most talented people
In a landscape mischievously named Nigeria.
Artist: Moyo Okediji
Title: Wither Wakanda?
Installation
2016 to present.