OLOGBON: WISDOM, BRILLIANCE, INTELLIGENCE
Wisdom is Ọgbọ́n in Yoruba.Brilliance is Orí pípé. Intelligence is làákàyè. You could be wise, but…
Wisdom is Ọgbọ́n in Yoruba.Brilliance is Orí pípé. Intelligence is làákàyè. You could be wise, but…
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YES YOU CAN FLY
Butterflies and birds have no airports
Yet they take off and fly with
no navigation maps.
Fireflies rise and glide around
without pilot gears
WHO IS GUILTY?
Iya Oyo was smiling. That was frightening. I knew I was in great trouble.
Iya Oyo never smiled. When she looked like she was smiling, trouble was brewing, and the only one that trouble could brew for that quiet evening was me.
The only way I knew she was smiling was because I turned and looked at her as she tapped her pipe on the arms of the seat on which she reclined with my grandfather, who was still quietly smoking his pipe.
Would Olabisi Silva still be alive if she did not choose to live and die for Nigeria?
I asked the same question when my friend, Moyo Ogundipe, died of a cardiac arrest two years ago.
Nigeria lacks basic healthcare facilities for talented, boundary-pushing professionals.
The roads are deathtraps.
Stage One
I have divided the canvas into 256 rectangles.
Next stage? To insert the alphabets of Ifa in each of the rectangles.
Another painting that I just extracted from my garage is this dark work.
There is an interesting story behind it.
In the year 2000 or 2001, the British Museum invited me to give a lecture as part of the ceremonies held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and also to mark the completion of the Great Court built as an extension of the main museum building. They wanted me to address the body as my topic.
ÈNÌYÀN—We Have the Power to Choose
Ènìyàn in Yoruba means a person.
Ènìyàn is from the verb yàn (to choose).
Ènìyàn means ẹni tí ó yàn—the one who chose.