Yoruba Orthography - A case for a new Yoruba alphabet based on Odù Ifá - an opinion.

How did we end up with the current alphabet? 

According to Rev. Samuel Johnson (the author of “The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate”)...

“After several fruitless efforts had been made either to invent new characters, or adapt the Arabic, which was already known to Moslem Yorubas, the Roman character was naturally adopted, not only because it is the one best acquainted with, but also because it would obviate the difficulties that must necessarily arise if missionaries were first to learn strange characters before they could undertake scholastic and evangelistic work. With this as basis, special adaptation had to be made for pronouncing some words not to be found in the English or any other European language.”

There you have it! We ended up with the Latin script because it would be easy for the Europeans to learn!
Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther will forever be remembered for his great service to the Yoruba Nation by creating the alphabet. Nevertheless, with today's technology and new knowledge in Orthography, we can create a better alphabet based on Odù Ifá that will best reflect the tonal nature of the language.

A new alphabet will allow us to do away with the diacritics (àmìn òkè, àmìn ìsàlẹ̀). The current alphabet has only 25 characters, with Odù Ifá, we have 256 to choose from! Better still, we can ditch alphabets altogether and go for logograph just like the Chinese and Japanese.

Over to Yoruba linguists and orthographers to take this forward. Check the following links for inspiration…

http://m.wikihow.com/Create-a-Language

http://makealang.blogspot.co.uk/…/orthography-making-your-o…

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-your-own-Language/

http://www.omniglot.com/

Graphics sourced from Wikipedia.

Cryptography Cont. Ìtọ́wò (Taster) - Simple encryption/decryption

Let's assume that during the Ibadan-Ijaye war of 1861-1862, Kurumi - the Àrẹ Ọ̀nàkakanfò (Generalissimo) of the Yoruba army wanted to communicate securely with his Balógun (General) at the frontline, how would he do it?

He could of course send an Àrokò to the General detailing the line of action he should take. To make it more interesting, let's assume he chose to send a short note saying: 
Ẹ ṢIGUN NI AFẸMỌJU (Strike at dawn)

To avoid the content of the note being read and comprehended by the adversaries he could use a variant of the Caesar cipher customised for the Yoruba alphabet to mangle the text.

The Caesar cipher (named after Julius Caesar) is a substitution cipher where each letter in the original message (called the plaintext) is replaced with a letter corresponding to a certain number of letters up or down in the alphabet to create the ciphertext (mangled text).

Below is the Yoruba alphabet (Upper case):
A B D E Ẹ F G GB H I J K L M N O Ọ P R S Ṣ T U W Y

If we shift the alphabet by 6 character to the right, we end up with:
S Ṣ T U W Y A B D E Ẹ F G GB H I J K L M N O Ọ P R

Now, A is S, B is Ṣ, D is T etc

So the original message “Ẹ ṢIGUN NI AFẸMỌJU” becomes:
W NEAỌH NE SYWGBJẸỌ

For this to work though, the Generals (Balogun) must have been told beforehand to shift the alphabet by 6 characters.

This is a very simple encryption that can be broken easily but it does suffice as an example here.
Next time we will use Odù Ifá to create a more secure encryption.

Cryptography Cont. - Matrix, Ifa’s perspective - it is all about rows and columns! Ayò game is a matrix.

Before we get into the practical applications of the things we have learned over the past few posts, we must examine one major Mathematical concept called “Matrix” (not the sci-fi film).

A matrix (plural matrices) is simply a rectangular array of numbers, symbols, or expressions, arranged in rows and columns. 
If you have ever used a spreadsheet software (e.g Microsoft Excel) before, then you have seen a matrix in action. The application of matrices in computing - especially in cryptography is widespread. We shall delve more into the inner workings of this amazing mathematical concept at a later date.

For example, the dimensions of the matrix below are 2 × 3 (read "two by three"), because there are two rows and three columns.
[5 7 9]
[3 2 6]

The Ayò game is a very good example of a matrix (2 × 6 matrix or 4 x 8 matrix). If you have never played Ayò game, you should try it. Don't wait before the Europeans or Americans repackage it and sell it to you!

Odù Ifá is a 16 x 16 (16 rows by 16 columns) matrix of binary numbers.

As usual, Ifá knows about mathematics and has something to say about matrix....

Èjì-Ogbè says...
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ni o di ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ mu ẹsẹ̀;
Mo ni o di ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ mu ẹsẹ̀;
O ni ogún mu ẹsẹ̀ tirẹ̀ ko bá já.
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ni o di ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ mu ẹsẹ̀;
Mo ni o di ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ mu ẹsẹ̀;
O ni ọgbọ̀n mu ẹsẹ̀ tirẹ̀ ko bá já.
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ni o di ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ mu ẹsẹ̀;
Mo ni o di ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ mu ẹsẹ̀;
Mo ni ogójì mu ẹsẹ̀ tirẹ̀ ko bá já.
Mo ni njẹ baba mi Àgbọ̀nníregùn ta ni i ba ti rẹ já?
O ni ẹẹwadọta ni kan ni o bá ẹsẹ̀ ti rẹ já.
Nitori ti a ki ka owó ka owó ki a gbàgbé ẹẹwadọta.
Ifá ni òun ko ni jẹ́ ki a gbàgbé ẹni ti o ba da Ifa yi.
Oluwarẹ si nfẹ ṣe ohun kan yio ba ẹsẹ̀ já ni ohun ti o nfẹ ṣe na yi.

Translation...
Orunmila says each should take his own row;
I say each should take his own row;
He says that Twenty Cowries takes his own row but cannot finish it.
Orunmila says each should take his own row;
I say each should take his own row;
He says that Thirty Cowries takes his own row but cannot finish it.
Orunmila says each should take his own row;
I say each should take his own row;
He says that Forty Cowries takes his own row but cannot finish it.
I say, "Well then, my father Agbonniregun, who can complete his row?"
He says Fifty Cowries alone can complete his row,
Because we cannot count money and forget Fifty Cowries.
Ifa says he will not allow the person for whom this figure was cast to be forgotten.
This person wants to do something; he will "complete his row" in the thing he wants to do.

The signature of all Odu Ifa.

The signature of all Odu Ifa.
- Credit to: Prof Adélékè Adéẹ̀kọ́

Cryptography cont.- ASCII Codes and Odu Ifa, What is the uniqueness of 256? Coincidence?

In the last few posts, we have seen how to map Odu Ifa to binary digits and from binary digits to decimal.

Since we humans mostly write in words (letters, emails, text messages etc), how do we convert these numbers to alphabetic characters?

In the early days of computing, computers could only crunch numbers. When people got fed up with just crunching numbers, they started looking for ways of representing alphabetic chraracters with numbers.

In 1960 the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character encoding standard was developed by the Americans to map the English alphabetic characters to numbers. The current ASCII standards map all the printable and non-printable characters on your keyboard to numbers (since computers only understand "1" and "0").

This is where it gets interesting...

The ASCII uses 256 binary digits just like Odu Ifa! Probably the Americans got their inspiration from Orunmila... Who knows?

What this mean is that every Odu Ifa sign maps to every key on your keyboard and more!
See the attached graphic for ASCII codes that map decimals to symbols.

Below are few examples (Note: Odus are read from right to left)...
(Symbol == Decimal == Binary == Odu Ifa)

Lowercase characters:
a == 97 == 01100001 == Ògúndá-Èdí
b == 98 == 01100010 == Ìrẹtẹ̀-Èdi
c == 99 == 01100011 == Ìrosùn-Èdí
d == 100 == 01100100 == Òtúra-Èdí
e == 101 == 01100101 == Ọ̀̀sẹ́-Èdí

Uppercase characters:
A == 65 == 01000001 == Ògúndá-Òtúra
B == 66 == 01000010 == Ìrẹtẹ̀-Òtúra
C == 67 == 01000011 == Ìrosùn-Òtúra
D == 68 == 01000100 == Òtúrá Méjì
E == 69 == 01000101 == Ọ̀̀sẹ́-Òtúra

Numerals:
0 == 48 == 00110000 == Ogbè-Ìrosùn
1 == 49 == 00110001 == Ògúndá-Ìrosùn
2 == 50 == 00110010 == Ìrẹtẹ̀-Ìrosùn
3 == 51 == 00110011 == Ìrosùn Méjì
4 == 52 == 00110100 == Òtúra-Ìrosùn
5 == 53 == 00110101 == Ọ̀̀sẹ́-Ìrosùn

For all the ASCII codes (decimal, octal, hexadecimal, binary and symbol) see: http://www.ascii-code.com

Cryptography - From Odu Signs to Numbers (Binary and Decimal)...

Now that we know how to generate random Odus with Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀, how do we translate these Odus to numbers?

Odus are marked with “|” and “||”. Where “|” is the binary number “0” and “||” is “1”.

For example Ogbè has the following signature:

|
|
|
|

And Ọ̀̀ṣá is represented as:

| |
|
|
|

Òtúrá is marked as:

|
| |
|
|

We can therefore summarise the representation of the first sixteen Odus as follows:

Decimal == Binary == Yoruba
00 == 0000 == Ogbè
01 == 0001 == Ògúndá
02 == 0010 == Ìrẹtẹ̀
03 == 0011 == Ìrosùn
04 == 0100 == Òtúra
05 == 0101 == Ọ̀̀sẹ́
06 == 0110 == Èdí
07 == 0111 == Ọ̀̀bàrà
08 == 1000 == Ọ̀̀ṣá
09 == 1001 == Ìwòrì
10 == 1010 == Ọ̀̀fún
11 == 1011 == Ìká
12 == 1100 == Ọ̀̀wọ́nrín
13 == 1101 == Òtúrúpọ̀n
14 == 1110 == Ọ̀̀kànràn
15 == 1111 == Òyèkú
́
Since Ifá speaks only in binary (Odu Èjì Ogbè says… Èjèèji ni mo gbè, n ò gbe ọ̀kan ṣoṣo mọ́ i.e “I will only support two, I will not support one”), each Odu must be paired.

For example, after pairing the main Odus, we get the following (see graphic for the main Odus signature)…

Èjì Ogbè (also called Ògbè Méjì): 00000000
Ògúndá Méjì : 00010001
Ìrẹtẹ̀ Méjì : 00100010
Ìrosùn Méjì : 00110011
Òtúrá Méjì : 01000100
Ọ̀̀sẹ́ Méjì : 01010101
Èdí Méjì : 01100110
Ọ̀̀bàrà Méjì : 01110111
Ọ̀̀ṣá Meji: 10001000
Ìwòrì Méjì : 10011001
Ọ̀̀fún Méjì : 10101010
Ìká Méjì :10111011
Ọ̀̀wọ́nrín Méjì :11001100
Òtúrúpọ̀n Méjì :11011101
Ọ̀̀kànràn Méjì :11101110
Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì : 11111111

The other 240 minor Odus are derived from the main 16 Odus.
For example (note: the binary notation and the marks are read from right to left)

Ogbè-Ògúndá : 0001-0000
|   |
|   |
|   |
||  |

Ọ̀yẹ̀kú-Ìrẹtẹ̀ : 0010-1111
|   ||
|   ||
||  ||
|   ||

Computers also speak in binary and binary numbers can be converted to decimal, hexadecimal, octal etc.
Without getting into too much maths, below are the decimal values of the 16 main Odus…

00000000 = 00
00010001 = 17
00100010 = 34
00110011 = 51
01000100 = 68
01010101 = 85
01100110 = 102
01110111 = 119
10001000 = 136
10011001 = 153
10101010 = 170
10111011 = 187
11001100 = 204
11011101 = 221
11101110 = 238
11111111 = 255

Next time we will look into matrix and how to put these numbers into use.

Cryptography - Inspiration from Odu Ifa (Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ Chain)

The cornerstone of all modern encryption systems is the generation of random numbers. If you want to encrypt any data, you must use cryptographic keys and a key is nothing but a random number that can encrypt or decrypt your data.

A strong key is a key that is very difficult to predict due to the random nature of the number chosen out of endless number series.
Believe it or not, the Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ chain (see graphic) is a random number generator. Out of the box, this ingenious device can generate 256 random Odus! These 256 Odus can be combined multiple times ad infinitum to generate pseudorandom numbers.
Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ is a simple but practical device that embodies Number Theory and Probability Theory.
Each toss of the Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ chain produces a random binary code. Mapping these binary codes to decimal and hexadecimal numbers will be explained in the next post.
Below is a quick and dirty computer code (in Javascript) that simulates the tossing of the Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ chain to generate random binary codes. You can run it in your browser by saving it on your computer (e.g as opele.html). Each time the browser is refreshed (by pressing F5 or the refresh button), a new random code is displayed.

<html>
<head>
<script language="javascript">
var odu = ["|", "||"];
for (i=0; i<4; i++) {
    var odu1 = odu[Math.floor(Math.random() * odu.length)];
    var odu2 = odu[Math.floor(Math.random() * odu.length)];
    document.write("<b>" + odu1 + "&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp" + odu2 + "</b>" + "<br>");
}
</script>
</head>
</html>

A similar logic with the Python programming language is as follows...

import random

odu = ['|', '||']

def difa():
for x in range(4)
    print "%2s %2s" %(random.choice(odu), random.choice(odu))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    difa()

Cryptography (Àrokò) Yoruba style… Second base jàre...

Before getting into encryption and ciphers, let's examine how humans communicate...

According to science, Homo sapiens (Humans) started communicating verbally after they acquired the use of language about 100,000 years ago. With language, any message irrespective of its complexity can be transmited between people over a limited range - in a room, hall or across a short open space.

Conveying messages over a long distance was a great challenge for our ancestors (writing had not been invented and no mobile phones or internet then!). People relied on other people (messengers) to relay messages. But what if you want to send a secret message to a friend or colleague residing in another village or town some kilometres away? What if you want to send a message to your lover through his/her spouse?

Different cultures devised their unique methods of sending coded (encrypted) messages. For the Yoruba of old however, they used symbols in the form Àrokò (Semiotics) - precursor of hieroglyphs for one to one communication and Drums sound for general broadcast - See previous post: "Data/Information Encryption - A cue from Ilu Ganga (Yoruba Talking Drum").

In this post, the focus will be on Àrokò. The Àrokò system is symbolic and uses both animate and inanimate objects packed together to communicate.

Three actors are simultaneously at play in this system - the sender, the Àrokò and the receipient. The receipient should be able to interpret the coded message represented by the Àrokò and for this, a prior understanding of what the Àrokò symbolises between the sender and the recipient is agreed.

Generally, the Àrokò is sent through a massenger (e.g. animal - dog or a child or an adult).

Common objects used in Àrokò are: cowrie shells, stones, kolanut, calabash, gun, blood, leaves, broom, chewing stick, parrot feather, cloth etc.

Examples of Àrokò (see graphics)....

Two cowry shells tied together with black thread: Àrokò for imminent doom.

Some ‘Ọ̀dàn’ leaves placed in front of a house: Àrokò for warning against pride.

Deposited plucked feathers of fowl at the backyard of a house: Àrokò for warning against a philandering man.

Firebrand at the back of a house: Àrokò for warning against philandering man that his house will be burnt down if he does not desist.

Four cowry shells strung together back to back: Àrokò for signalling a break in trust/friendship.

Three cowry shells in a leaf: Àrokò for demanding prompt payment of debt.

Three cowry shells: Àrokò for signalling the refusal of proposal or request

A torn piece of palm frond: Àrokò for breaking family bond or kingship relationship.

A local traditional comb: Àrokò for breaking lovers relationship.

Three Agbaarin fruits: Àrokò for signalling imminent fight or quarrel.

A parrot egg in a calabash: Àrokò for telling a tyrannical King or Chief to commit suicide.

A handful of sand in a leaf: Àrokò for the recipient to go on exile for a grave offence.

A cutlass with a fresh palm front tied to it: Àrokò for notification of a looming war against the recipient community.

References:
Graphics from "Symbols of Warning, Conflict, Punishment and War and their meanings" by Ojo, Matthias Olufemi Dada

Cryptography (Àrokò), Yoruba style... An intro...

How did our ancestors communicate securely?

Believe it or not, the image below (source: British Library) is an encrypted message (constructed from cowrie shells and seeds) of peace and goodwill.

Over the coming days/weeks, I will be diving deep into how the ancient ciphers of Yorubaland work, their construction and their application in today's world.

Potent ciphers can also be built with the Odu Ifa binary system. It is after all a 16 x 16 matrix system capable of generating 256 random binary digits.

"The àrokò messaging system was used among Yoruba-speakers in Nigeria to send letters over long distances (often confidentially). These letters were made from materials such as cowrie-shells and seeds and their meaning was deduced from factors such as the position of each item in a message string, or even, as Karin Barber writes, puns in the Yoruba language. Sending a comb to someone meant a separation or break-up, because the Yoruba word for a comb is òòyà, and the verb yà means to part."[1]

References:
1. Karin Barber and Stephanie Newell, ‘Speaking out: Dissent and creativity in the colonial era and beyond’ in Gus Casely-Hayford, Janet Topp Fargion and Marion Wallace (eds), West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song (London: British Library, 2015), p. 124

Epistle of Ògbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú verse 2….

Ògbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú yẹ̀kẹ̀tẹ̀ a da fún Ọlọ́fìn tí ipò yẹ l’órí rẹ. Ifá ni ẹnìkan ní o wa lórí oyè yí tí a o pa n’ípò dà tí a o fi ẹni tí o wa ni ìkọ̀kọ̀ dípò rẹ. Ẹni ìkọ̀kọ̀ na ni gbogbo aráyé yio ma ra ọwọ́ sí tí wọn yio si ma júbà fún. 

Òrìṣà kan si ni yi tí gbogbo ilé ti ḿbọ ti wọn ko si bọ mọ́; igbó si kún bo ojúbọ rẹ; ki a tunṣe, ki a si ta màrìwò si ẹnu ọ̀nà rẹ.
Ẹni ikọkọ ti t’ọmọdé t’àgbà ti nfi ojú tinrin rẹ yio si di ẹni igbangba.
Adìẹ kan wa ni ile ẹniti o da Ifá yi, adìẹ na ni ọmọ l’ẹhin, ki a ko adìẹ na ati on ti ọmọ rẹ ki a fi ru ẹbọ.

Stout Ògbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú was the one who cast Ifá for a king who had been dethroned. Ifá says there is someone who has a title, he will be removed from office and a person who stays in the corner will be chosen to fill his position. All people will rub their hands to the person of the corner and pay homage to him.
There is also a deity that was once worshipped by all the people of a house, but they do not worship him anymore and the forest has overgrown his altar. We should renovate the altar and tie palm fronds at its entrance. The person of the corner is someone at whom young children and old alike are sneering, but will leave his corner and come out into the open.
There is a hen at the house of the person for whom this figure was cast. This hen has chicks; we should take both the hen and it's young to make the sacrifice.

Buckingham Palace exhibition...

A colourful Yoruba throne, presented to the Queen by Nigeria in 1956. The throne symbolises wealth and status through the sheer number of beads woven together, and incorporating a motif representing, in the Yoruba culture, respect for ancestors.

Mythology…

No mythology is superior or inferior. The ancients including our ancestors concocted various myths to make sense of the dangerous world they inhabited. Just imagine seeing lightning or hearing thunder for the first time! Imagine the horror of a mother seeing a wild animal devouring the baby she left to sleep in a cave! Imagine seeing a volcanic eruption for the first time! 

As humans, we tell stories to explain away the unknowns. Without these stories (myths), life would probably be unbearable.
Yoruba mythology makes more sense to me because I am a Yoruba man. I can relate to the myths even though some of them sound ridiculous. In the same vein, Igbo mythology makes more sense to an Igbo person, likewise Hausa, Efik, Nupe etc.
All mythologies are intertwined with local cultures. Hence the reason we have different creation stories. For example, it is very difficult to understand Jewish or Arab or Greek or Chinese etc mythologies if you are not a product those cultures unless you are just doing “follow follow”.
Arguably, without myths science would not have existed. Science came into being primarily to debunk myths and superstitions. Thanks to science, we now know better and we can explain things without reverting to superstitions.
Some myths are allegorical and must not be interpreted literally. Some are timeless truth. Some are just for entertainment. It is your responsibility to separate the nonsensical and the ridiculous from the logical and the rational.

Epistle of Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì...

Epistle of Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì...

Ìwọ yẹkú, emi yẹkú
Ọ̀yẹ̀kú di méjì, o d'eji
A difá fun Kowa
A bù fún Tàmẹ̀dù
Níjọ́ ti Làkáṣègbé
N fi omi ojú sogbere ọmọ
Wọ́n ní ki i ṣe ti ìgbín
Ko dùbúlẹ̀ lai ni ìkarahun
Wọ́n ní ki i ṣe ti ọká
Ko dùbúlẹ̀ lai lóró inú
Wọ́n ní ki i ṣe ti ìrẹ̀
Ko dùbúlẹ̀ lai han gaaraga.
Wọ́n ni iran ọgà
Ki i rin lai ni igba aṣọ.
Wọ́n ni ko rúbọ
Ko ru eku méjì oluwere
Wọ́n ni ko ru ẹja méjì abiwẹ gbada
Wọ́n ni ko ru obidiẹ méjì abẹ̀dọ̀ lukẹlukẹ
Ewúrẹ́ méjì abamu rẹdẹrẹdẹ
Ẹinla méjì to fi iwo ṣoṣuka
O gbọ́ riru ẹbọ o ru.
O gbọ́ titu atukesu, o tu
O gbọ́ ikarara
Ẹbọ ha fun un.
Bi iyawo ti n ti ọwọ́ ala bọ osùn
Ni iyale n bi wẹ́rẹ́
Ijó ni n jo
Ayọ̀ ni n yọ
Ẹsẹ̀ to na
Ijó fa a
O ni bẹ ni àwọn awo oun
Ti n fi ẹnu rere pe ifa.
Ìwọ yẹkú, emi yẹkú
Ọ̀yẹ̀kú di meji
Gbogbo aye lo tu mi lara.

Translation...
I avoid death, you avoid death
Oyeku becomes two, it becomes two
Cast Ifa for Kowa
And also for Tamedu
On the day that Lakasegbe
Was crying due to infertility
It is unlike the snail
To sleep outside of its shell
It is unlike the viper
To sleep without its venom
It is unlike the cricket
To sleep without making chirping sound
No generation of chameleon
Moves without a box load of two hundred clothes
He was told to offer a sacrifice
Two swift-running rodents
Two giant fishes with large fins
Two huge hens
Two pregnant goats
Two deers with twisted horns
He agreed and offered the prescribed sacrifices
He paid attention to the needs of Esu
He heard ikarara, the sound of good fortune
His sacrifices were accepted
As his younger wife is rubbing her baby with camwood powder
The senior wife will be delivery here children safely
He began to dance
He began to rejoice
He stretched a leg
And dance ensues
He says that is exactly how his diviners
Give thanks and praise to Ifa
I avoided death, you avoided death
Oyeku becomes two
And the entire world makes me feel comfortable

To all “constituted authorities”

To all “constituted authorities” and other public servants who took the oath of office to serve the people faithfully, Ọ̀fùn Meji says…

A gb'orí ilẹ̀, a j'eku
A gb'orí ilẹ̀, a jẹ'ja
A mú'gbá odù, a jẹ'gbìn
Àṣẹ d'ọwọ́ ilẹ̀ t'ajọ mu
Ẹ gb'ori ilẹ̀ ẹ dà mi
Àṣẹ d'ọwọ́ ilẹ̀ t'ajọ mu
Ifá ní kí a má da ilẹ̀ ọ̀rẹ́ kí a má ba kú ikú

We dwell on earth and we eat rats
We dwell on earth and we eat fish
We take the calabash of Odù and from it, we eat snails
Whatever happens is as a result of the oath we took together
You lived on earth and you broke your oath to me
Whatever happens is as a result of the oath we took together
Ifa says we must not break an oath with a friend to avoid sudden death.

Epistle of Eji Ogbe - Ọ̀tọ́wútọ́wútọ́wú

Epistle of Eji Ogbe...

Ọ̀tọ́wútọ́wútọ́wú,
Ọ̀rọ́wúrọ́wúrọ́wú,
Ọ̀tọ̀tọ̀ la jẹpà;
Ọ̀tọ̀tọ̀ lajẹ imúmú;
Lọ́tọ̀lọ́tọ̀ ni wọn sọ olu etutu sẹnu
Bi erun ja, bi erun tá,
Wọn a fi iru ba ara wọn tèlétèlétèlé
Da fun Kugbagbe ti ṣe ọmọ agba Ọṣa Wuji.
O ni Iku wa gbagbe mi loni.
Agbẹ rokoroko wọn kaṣai gbagbe ewe kan sebe
Arun gbagbe mi loni.
Agbẹ rokoroko wọn kaṣai gbagbe ewe kan sebe
Eji Ogbe ni.

Ọ̀tọ́wútọ́wútọ́wú,
Ọ̀rọ́wúrọ́wúrọ́wú,
One by one we eat peanuts;
One by one we eat tiger nuts;
One by one we throw queen ants into the mouth.
When driver ants fight, when driver ants sting,
They touch each other lightly with their tails
Cast for "Death forgets" who was the child of old Oriṣa Wuji.
He said Death, forget me today.
Sickness, forget me today.
Farmers hoe and hoe, they forget not one weed on the yam heaps.
This is Eji Ogbe.

Why do the Yoruba have the highest number of twins in the world?

Why do the Yoruba have the highest number of twins in the world?
…. Because we love twins. Igbó-Ọrà in Ọ̀yọ́ State is special!

Èjìrẹ́ ará Ìṣokùn ọmọ Edunjọbí
M̀bá be’jirẹ o, inu mi a dun o
Ẹ̀rù o bàmí o, rárá o, rárá o
Àyà o fo mí o, rárá o, rárá o
Láti be’jirẹ o, Èjìrẹ́ dára,
Mo l’épo ní 'lé, mo lẹ́wà l’ọdọ̀n o
Táyélolú ijó ooo, ijó; Èjìrẹ́ ijó ooo, ijó
Bi mba be’jirẹ, mba yọ dandan,
Ijó; Èjìrẹ́ ijó ooo, ijó
O wọlé alákisà, o sọ alákisà da aláṣọ

- Song by King Sunny Ade (KSA)

Translation....

Twins, native of Ìṣokùn town; you, children of Edunjọbí
Had I given birth to twins, I would have been happy
I am not afraid of having twins at all
I am not scared of having twins at all
Twins are beautiful
I have palm oil at home and and beans in the yard
Táyélolú it is time for dance, yes it is time
Èjìrẹ́ (Kẹ́hìndé) it is time for dance, yes it is time
Had I given birth to twins, I would have been very very happy.
It is dance time, my twins, it is time to dance
Twins who turn around misfortunes - turning the wearer of ragged clothes to a prosperous person.

Note: Beans cooked with palm oil is the favourite food of twins in Yorubaland.

Orí re ní dádé owó

Èjì Ogbe says…

Orí re ní dádé owó;
Ọrùn ire ní ṣẹ̀gìdá ìlẹ̀kẹ̀;
Ìdí rere ní fí ẹní ore ṣìtẹ́ 
Ló da fún Ara tùmí tí ṣe obìnrin Òòṣà
Òòṣà laa lórí.
Ó ní Òòṣà tí mo bá tẹtẹ ìrẹ ni ilari ìwọ Òrìṣà ní mo da.
Àrẹ òkè ki tẹ́ lójú ẹni la lórí.
Èjì Ogbè ní jẹ́ bẹẹ.

A lucky head wears a crown of cowries;
A lucky neck wears jasper beads;
Lucky hips use an expensive mat as a throne
Was the one who cast for “My body is at ease” who was the wife of Òrìṣà.
Òrìṣà initiated her.
She said, “Òrìṣà, if I use your throne, I am unfaithful to you, Òrìṣà”.
The first born of the hill is not disgraced in the eyes of his initiator.
Èjì Ogbe is like this.

Orí Olókun

A visit to the British Museum is not complete without paying homage to this masterpiece (Orí Olókun bronze cast). A beautiful product of Yoruba ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Why is it being kept in this museum? Pure and simple, nothing like this was ever created in the British Isles circa 1300! The technology that created this masterpiece was not available here in the 12th century!
I am proud of my ancestors.

Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria! How many times did I call you? Who art thou?

The name “Nigeria” made its debut on 8 January 1897 in an article of the London Times penned by the journalist and commentator on colonial affairs - Flora Shaw.

She suggested the name because to her, it would be a good title for the:
“agglomeration of pagan and Mohammedan states which have been bought [from the Royal Niger Company] … within the confines of a British protectorate”. For the “first time in their history”, these states needed to “be described as an entity by some general name”.[1]

How did the Royal Niger Company acquire the "asset" (Nigeria) in the first place?

Who sold Nigeria to the Royal Niger Company?

Reference:
1. Schwarz, Federick A. O. Jr. Nigeria: The Tribes, the Nation, or the Race, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1965, p. 2

On whose shoulders are we standing on? Ògún is not happy about the plight of Hoe and Cutlass…

On the 5th of February 1676, Sir Isaac Newton wrote a letter to his rival - Robert Hooke that contained the following statement:

"What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in taking the colours of thin plates into philosophical consideration. If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

Also, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in The Friend (1828), wrote:
"The dwarf sees farther than the giant, when he has the giant's shoulder to mount on."

The history of Hoe and Cutlass in Yorubaland is as long as the history of the Yoruba people. Nobody can remember when these tools were invented because the people have always had them. Besides, these tools are classed as implements of Ògún - the Yoruba divinity for iron, steel and technology (like the Roman god - Vulcan).

Ògún is universally recognised in Yorubaland as an indispensable divinity because all iron and steel belong to him.
He goes by the following appellations:
Ọ̀ṣìn-Imalẹ̀ - Chief among the divinities.
Ògún Aláda méjì; o nfi ọ̀kan ṣá ‘ko, o nfi ọ̀kan yẹ̀,’na - Ògún the owner of two cutlasses, with one he prepares the farm, and with the other he clears the road.

His indispensability is summarised in the following praise stanza:
Òrìṣà ti o wipe t’ Ògún kò tó nkan, a f’ ọwọ́ jẹ iṣu ẹ̀ ni igbà aìmoye - Whichever divinity regards Ògún as of no importance will eat his yams with bare hands without a knife times without number.

How come then are we still using these ancient equipments for farming? Why are we not standing on the shoulders of our ancestor Ògún and develop new and improved versions of these humble equipments? Why are our mechanical engineers sleeping on the job?

Yaba Tech was established in 1947. The Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Lagos was founded in 1964. The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Nigeria (Nsukka) was founded in 1961. Now we have a large arrays of University of Technology across the nation but no innovation!
For more than 60 years, our engineers and professors have not been able to create a mechanical mower or trimmer by stringing together a couple of cutlasses attached to a motor by standing on the shoulder of Ògún!
In some European countries, most under 25s have never heard of hoe or cutlass unless they are into gardening. In fact, in the UK, it is illegal to carry a cutlass on your person or in a car as it is classed as an offensive weapon. The maximum penalty for an adult is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine!
Why is this? A recent definition of these implements tells us why...

A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural and horticultural hand tool used to shape soil, remove weeds, clear soil, and harvest root crops.

A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the Age of Sail (usually dated as 1571–1862).

You see, the definitions have changed. A hoe is now “an ancient” agricultural hand tool. A cutlass is a “slashing sword… a common naval weapon during the Age of Sail.”! These are not the definitions a Nigerian would give these humble and life-saving tools of the farmers!

This is an appeal to our mechanical engineers to stand up and be counted. Our ancestors have done their best to bestow upon us the technology of their own time. It is our turn to bestow upon the future generations tools fit for this century and beyond.

A ò ní rí ìjà Ògún o! May we not see the wrath of Ògún!

Unemployment? Aláiníṣẹ́? Where did that come from?

To the Yoruba of old, the term aláiníṣẹ́ (unemployed) was never in their lexicon.

Obviously, for an agrarian society where most people were their own boss, aláiníṣẹ́ had no place in the vocabulary. Everyone was gainfully occupied in one profession or the other - farmer, hunter, blacksmith, trader, carpenter, Babalawo (Ifá Priest), wine tapper, tanner, dyer etc. And for people who were indebted and could not pay, the Ìwọ̀fà System (I will write more on this system in future posts) was in place as a safe guard.

So when did the term enter the Yoruba lexicon? Well, the British brought it. The etymology of the word "umemployed" (adj) - i.e. "at leisure, not occupied" confirmed that it first appeared in English language in 1660. However, in 1782, it became the noun for "collective unemployed persons". It came about as a by product of the Industrial Revolution that started in England in 1760!

Industrialisation is synonymous to economies of scale. It prevents people from having the required capital to create their own jobs and be their own boss. When a person cannot join an enterprise or become self employed, the person ends up becoming unemployed. As individual farmers, dyers, traders etc are organised into big enterprises, people who cannot join or compete end up as unemployed.

With widespread automation and Artificial Intelligence now, what does the future old?
Only social, creative and complex jobs that are harder to automate will survive.
Driving as a job will become extinct very soon because self driving cars and lorries are being trialled in developed countries now.
Delivery service will be done by drones and household robots doing chores are now popular in Japan.

Do you know that before 1945, the word "Computer" meant "a person who calculates"! It was a job title like today's "Accountant". Now, it is a machine!
So if "Computer" (the machine) ate "Computer" (the person), what's the hope for other professions?

Get creative, get social and get into complex things that are very difficult to automate. Better still, be the one programming these machines....

Language is a living “organism” - A leaf from the English Language and the Kegites Club neologism.

According to Gilbert, the Scottish-American literary historian...

“Language is a living thing. We can feel it changing. Parts of it become old: they drop off and are forgotten. New pieces bud out, spread into leaves, and become big branches proliferating.”

Even though Chinese (approx. 1,197,000,000 native speakers) and Spanish (approx. 414,000,000 native speakers) lead English (approx. 335,000,000 native speakers) in popularity, English remains the language of global business, maritime, aviation and science. About 1.75 billion people speak English at a useful level. That is one in four of us!
Why is this? Pure and simple, it is because of its ability to “borrow” or “loan” words from other languages. 29% of English words are derived from French. Another 26% have Germanic origin. Indian words like: Avatar, Chutney, Guru, Yoga etc have found their ways into the English language. African words are not left behind as well. Words like: Garri, Banana, Boogie, Chimpanzee, Vuvuzela, Ubuntu, Sangoma, Bozo etc are well known.
In 2016, 640 new words and terms were added to the Queen’s English and over the past ten years, about 10,000 new words/terms/expressions have found their ways into English language!

The Kegites Club of Nigeria is a well known socio-cultural organisation in Nigerian higher institutions for their humorous entertainments. What most people don't know about the club is that the members are experts in the art of neologism - creating new words and terms.
Over the years, the club has enriched our lexicon with words like: Songito, Capito, Federize, Obelenta, Woged, Karid, Ilya, Bembestic, Opekesis etc.

Yoruba language is spoken by about 50 million people. The first Yoruba dictionary and Grammar book was published in 1843. A vocabulary of the Yoruba language including a large number of local proverbs was published in 1852. Over the years some authors have created new and updated dictionaries. However the new dictionaries are not keeping up with the pace of change in this modern world.

The government doesn't create language, people do. Every Yoruba person must stand up and be counted. We cannot allow our language to become irrelevant or be consigned to the rubbish dump. It is our duty to develop the language and make it fit for the 21st century and beyond. Legal, business, economic, commercial, financial, scientific words/terms/expressions need to be translated into Yoruba. This is a call to arms to all Ọmọ Kaarọ Ojire to stand and be counted in these efforts.

Nigerian Educational System - Historical Background...

First, about the country Nigeria...

The geographical area now known as Nigeria came into being when the Royal Niger Company (formed in 1879) transferred its assets (Nigeria) to the British Government for the sum of £865,000 on 1 January 1900. These assets were then formed into the two protectorates of northern and southern Nigeria.
(*Note the term "assets". The people and their land with all their resources were nothing more than mere assets! Shiooor)

On 1 January 1901, Nigeria became a British protectorate and in 1914, the area was formally united as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.

In 1929, The Royal Niger Company changed its name to - The United Africa Company (UAC). Later in the 1930s, UAC came under the control of Unilever Company as a subsidiary but was totally absorbed into the company in 1987. (In future posts, I will explore how the Royal Niger Company started).

In 1947, Nigeria was divided into three regions by the British: Northern, Eastern and Western. Later the Western Region was split into - Western and Mid-West. Each region had its own legislature and a colonial governor with a governor-general at the centre in Lagos.

In 1951, the regions were granted internal-self government. In 1960, Nigeria gained it independence from British rule.

The Yoruba Educational System...
Before the arrival of the British, education in Yorubaland was regarded as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Education was for an immediate induction into the society and a preparation for adulthood.

Great emphasis was placed on skill, responsibility, political participation, work ethics and moral values.

Education was practical, children learnt by doing - through imitation, recitation and demonstration.
The education was mainly in practical farming, weaving, carving, knitting, cooking and sewing.

Intellectual and cerebral training included reasoning activities, story telling, legend, local history, poetry, the environment (local geography, plants and animals), proverbs, riddles etc.

Recreational activities included acrobatics, dancing, wrestling, drumming etc. The traditional education was a fully integrated experience because it combined physical and cerebral training together for character building.

The Arrival of the foreigners...
The Portuguese merchants were the first Europeans to set foot in Nigeria towards the end of the 15th century. They visited Lagos and Benin in 1472.

In 1842, the first English speaking Christian missionaries arrived in Badagry and later set up a Western oriented school there in 1843.

The primary aim of these missionaries was to convert the Yoruba to Christianity through Western education. The ability to read the Bible, sing hymns and recite catechism could only be done in English at that time and mastery of oral and written English was considered essential for a good Christian.

The native belief was ridiculed. According to Lord Lugard (3): "...the people have no system of ethics, and no principle of conduct". This was the attitude of the missionaries when they established their schools.

From 1843 to 1882, the Colonial goverment did not interfer with the admninistration of these schools. The government was only interested in ensuring that the schools produced clerks and court interpreters.

Throughout the colonial period, the education was patterned after the system in England. The priority was on "English" both in thought and culture.

The mastery of English and the ability to speak it fluently and if possible with an Oxford accent was regarded as the epitome of excellence even if the speaker was an empty barrel, devoid of thoughts and ideas.

A stack illiterate who could speak the Queen's language was regarded as educated even if the person could not read or write but a well mannered and cultured Yoruba who could only read or write in Yoruba was considered and "illiterate" - ara oko

Yoruba culture and linguistic activities were banned in schools! English culture was promoted in every sphere of human activities. Effectively, a good and cultured British subject in Nigeria before independence was - a Christian, an eloquent speaker of the Queen's English who wore English clothes and behave like an English person. It was a very serious offence for a pupil to speak in the "vernacular" within the school premises!

This is the summary of the origin of Colonial mentality in our society today where speaking Yoruba is now akin to barbarity in some quarters. No amount of grammar can make you an English person even if you hold a British Passport.

Africa can only be developed in our own way. We should not chase the coat tails of something with a decades-long head start on us. Instead, we should be doing it our own way. Blindly copying wholesale other people's worldview and philosophy is not only futile but can be fatal. Let's copy responsibly what we lack from others to augment our own.

References:

1. History of Nigeria - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nigeria

2. The Royal Niger Company - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Niger_Company

3. A. B Fafunwa, History of Education in Nigeria. George Allen & Union, London, 1974 pp 81