WHY ARE YOUR KNEES SO BADLY BRUISED?
What happens among the Yoruba and the Chinese on the night of the wedding?
BODILESS HEAD
Iya Oyo!” I hailed. “Baba Oyo told me this story about Orí, and it doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.”“What story?” she asked. “Is it from his Bible? There are lots of incredulous stories in that book of his.”“No, it’s not from grandpa’s Bible,” I assured her. “He said it’s a story his mother told him.”
WHY AYO EATS GARI FOR KERESI
“You already know that I personally like to make Gari on Xmas,” he said. “But if you want rice and chicken, Biodun will make them for you. Whatever you want, we will prepare for you and your guests.”
WE ARE ERUPTING
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
AN ELEPHANT OR ANT
Look to your weakness, because therein lies your strength.
Where you are strongest is where you are weakness.
Focus not on your achievements
Closely embrace your failures.
ỌLỌ́PǍ
The Fear of Cops Is the Beginning of Wisdom when I was a child of about four years old, my father attended a one-month residential workshop in Ibadan.
DAYS OF YORE
DAYS OF YORE Those days when I was much younger, I explored photography. Here are some shots of Jummai, then a great model from Northern Nigeria, now a rising woman activist and politician. The Yoruba say, “Àgbà wá búra….” It means, “You, the elderly one, swear you once were not full of youthful exuberances.”
DAILY DEVOTION: ÌWÚRE
DAILY DEVOTION: ÌWÚRE Gbogbo igi kọ́ lejò ń gùn (Not all trees can be scaled by the snake) Gbogbo omi kọ́ lẹdun ń mu (The colobus monkey doesn’t drink all types of water) Àyàfi wèrè, àyàfi dìgbòlugi (Only the insane, only the raving lunatic) Ló lè kẹ́bọ oríta mì (Devours the sacrifice placed at the crossroads) A kì í ṣí ọwọ́ lu imí (No one punches human feces) A kì í bu ìtọ̀ sebẹ̀ (None cooks the soup with urination) Ojú tí ó ń ka ìwé yì í kò ní í fọ̀ (The eyes reading these lines will not go blind) Ahọ́n tí ó ń …
Iya Oyo
Iya Oyo took a slow and long drag on her pipe, and released the smoke in short puffing sounds. The moon was orange bright, a perfect golden disk floating on the clouds. Some insects, hiding behind the darkness, sang in harmony with the frogs serenading the stars from the pond next to the Orisa house. It was the perfect time for me to ask my question: nobody was saying anything. “Iya Oyo,” I said, “what about Adam and Eve?” She inhaled again, waited for a moment, “What about them? If you want to talk about them, ask the pastor, your grandfather sitting here. My parents …
African Logic of Love
African Logic of Love This message is for young people. And those young at heart. Do Africans have original ideas about love and romance? Is it Cupid with the bow shooting an arrow to pierce a heart? Is there an African logic of love? If so, how is this original idea of love expressed? The answer to the first question is a resounding “Yes!” “Love” in Yoruba is “Ìfẹ́.” And to understand how this logic is expressed as an original concept in Yoruba, you could look closely at the word “Ìfẹ́.” Ìfẹ́ is from fẹ́. Say Ìfẹ́ and fẹ́ loud, and watch the way your …
