Farewell
Because I am now always home, I went into my garage and discovered a body of about ten large paintings dating to 1993.
This is one of them.
I just painted and rolled up the canvases, and forgot about them.
Now that all galleries, museums and cultural centers are closed.
Now that all galleries, museums and cultural centers are closed, the only option left to see…
Exactly one year ago today.
Exactly one year ago today, my father, the venerated Yoruba writer, Oladejo Okediji, joined the ancestors. His transition proved to me the truth in the saying that death is an illusion.
One does not die.
I still see him in the house,
discuss with him in my studio,
drink with him in my parlor,
dance with him at my parties,
just as I used to.
Like a bird
Like a bird, I mostly live on seeds and fruits these days.
The seeds last long, and I can easily store them in my self-isolated den.
But the fruits, I prefer them “fresh.” I, therefore, buy only enough to last for about a week whenever I visit the grocery store near my house.
So, I put on my Koro hijab and went to the grocery store.
We are home alone
We are home alone dying to be alive at this silent hour when the trees are…
2084
When scientists speak about global warming, they often imagine that water levels would rise to threaten the land, perhaps even cover up some islands.
But is it possible that global warming could generate the growth of monstrous bacteria and viruses the like of which we have never seen before, microbiological growths that could threaten civilization and life on earth?
A bunch of French neocolons
Why would a bunch of French neocolons sit in broad daylight and discuss strategies to come to Africa to experiment with the Coronavirus vaccines on African bodies? (Many of you have seen the viral video, I believe, of these two French humanists dialoguing about going to Africa to experiment with the Coronavirus vaccine on Africans). They can do that dialogue on television with such unimaginable confidence because they know fully well that Africans and especially their leaders have lost the necessary spiritual rigor to resist invasion and abuse.
Becoming an Olorisa is no longer an option for the African: it is the most effective form of intellectual and spiritual resistance against neocolonial aggression.
My anti-coronavirus Esu.
My anti-coronavirus Esu.
I produced this Esu object and hung it in front of my door.
My house is marked safe.
When their Agent of Death is passing by, it sees the Esu object.
Esu, the gatekeeper, informs the Agent of Death that “He doesn’t live here. He lives on the other street.”
My anti-coronavirus Esu.
My anti-coronavirus Esu.I produced this Esu object and hung it in front of my door. My house is marked safe.When their Agent of Death is passing by, it sees the Esu object.Esu, the gatekeeper, informs the Agent of Death that “He doesn’t live here. He lives on the other street.”
My art class before the Coronavirus.
My art class before the Coronavirus.
I dreamed about it last night–I was teaching, and there was this really brilliant student who did everything perfectly.
As I went to take a closer look at her work, I woke up.
What really happened was that I had fallen asleep with my music playing. And what really woke me up was Peter Tosh, singing,
My new classroom is inside my laptop.
Today, I delivered the first two classes via my laptop to my students.
All my students, colleagues, friends and family also live inside my tiny laptop, where we shake hands, hug, and do just about anything we want. I didn’t know there was so much space inside my tiny laptop.
I went on a walk this morning
I went on a walk this morning, and it felt really good.
As I walked, something occurred to me: The world is an incredible garden in which we were meant to simply hang out, enjoy, party, make love and multiply.
But what do we really do?
We bitch, hate, steal, cheat, lie, cry and even kill.
The Corona prophet, therefore, came to warn us.