a picture showing moyo okediji standing next to a summer hut

Disappointments can be a blessing.

ByMoyo Okediji

Disappointments can be a blessing.

If Nigeria had not disappointed me, I would not be in Ghana now.

But because the political situation in Nigeria has dampened my spirit with the killing of thousands of people, the daily abduction of ordinary citizens, the lawlessness and lack of judicial repercussion for those who plunder the coffer of the country, I have started shifting my gaze away from Nigeria, and started looking at other African countries for a place to vacation, invest and create.

a picture showing moyo okediji poised for the camera and behind him is an art piece

MEANINGLESS WORD

ByMoyo Okediji

MEANINGLESS WORD

“Food is not ready,” Iya Oyo informed me. “This is just a snack. I know you are hungry” In Yoruba she said “Fi eléyìí panu. Mo mọ̀ pé ebi ti ń pa ẹ́.”

She left me a bowl full of boiled groundnuts. I loved boiled groundnuts. It was still in the shell. “You can throw the shells here after cracking them.” In Yoruba , she said, “Pa èèpo ẹ̀pà ná à sínú abọ́ yìí.

a post showing Moyo OKediji art piece

TEETHING TROUBLES

ByMoyo Okediji

“Come here and swear, you this adult, that you never were a troubled youth,” Iya Oyo said, when I told her the story of my friend, Gift Krani-Rijal. Her comment is a Yoruba proverb that says, “Àgbà wá búra péwe ò ṣe ọ́ rí.”

Being young is probably the most dangerous thing anybody could experience.

a picture showing moyo okediji sitting next to his artwork

Ẹyẹ: Bird

ByMoyo Okediji

Ẹyẹ: Bird I told Iya Oyo that I was scared when a couple of birds perched on top of the large tree in front of the house and were making loud sounds, one calling and the other responding.“You are afraid of birds?” Iya Oyo asked me.“Yes,” I said. “My playmates told me they are witches, àjẹ́.”