Ọ̀wọ́nrín Méjì says...
“Ẹni kọ̀ ti ò gbọ́n
Ẹ jẹ́ à fi wọ́n wé yúunyu nínú oko;
A dífá fún Ọwọn
Ti nwọn ó fi j’oyè ilée baba rẹ̀.
Ó ni òun ò l’ówó lọ́wọ́,
Nwọ́n ní kì í ṣ’owó ni àwọn n wá
Bi kò ṣe ọgbọ́n rẹ̀ ti ó pọ̀ l’apọ̀ju
Ni nwọn ba mú Ọ̀wọ́nrín jẹ oyè ilé babaa rẹ̀.”
Ẹ jẹ́ à fi wọ́n wé yúunyu nínú oko;
A dífá fún Ọwọn
Ti nwọn ó fi j’oyè ilée baba rẹ̀.
Ó ni òun ò l’ówó lọ́wọ́,
Nwọ́n ní kì í ṣ’owó ni àwọn n wá
Bi kò ṣe ọgbọ́n rẹ̀ ti ó pọ̀ l’apọ̀ju
Ni nwọn ba mú Ọ̀wọ́nrín jẹ oyè ilé babaa rẹ̀.”
Translation...
“The person who refuses to be wise
Is like a worthless marigold in the bush;
Thus declared the Oracle to Ọwọn
Who would be made the chief of his father's house.
He said he was not a rich man
The kingmakers told him they were not interested in his money
But the sagacious intellect that he possessed
So they made Ọ̀wọ́nrín the chief of his father's house.”
“The person who refuses to be wise
Is like a worthless marigold in the bush;
Thus declared the Oracle to Ọwọn
Who would be made the chief of his father's house.
He said he was not a rich man
The kingmakers told him they were not interested in his money
But the sagacious intellect that he possessed
So they made Ọ̀wọ́nrín the chief of his father's house.”
Because something was written down doesn't mean it is true or historically accurate.
Because something was not written down doesn't mean it is false or historically inaccurate.
Because something was not written down doesn't mean it is false or historically inaccurate.
Orality predated literacy by several millennia. We the Homo sapiens (Latin: “Man the wise”) have been roaming around this planet for between 30,000 to 50,000 years. The oldest written document ever found is about 6,000 years old. Writing is a technology and like any other technology, it was invented (independently but simultaneously in Egypt and Sumer around 3200 BC) to solve a particular problem - to preserve information.
Most of the world's languages have not yet been committed to writing. Out of about 3000 spoken languages today, only 78 have a written literature.
Written history technically started after writing was invented. Events that happened before the invention writing are now classed as “prehistory”.
Written history technically started after writing was invented. Events that happened before the invention writing are now classed as “prehistory”.
What about Yoruba? Does this mean we don't have history because our society was totally oral until the 19th century when the first book in Yoruba language was published in 1843?
Of course not. Our history is written in our hearts, minds, customs, traditions, rituals, festivals, proverbs, praise songs, aphorisms, poems and Ifa.
Ifa is the compendium and encyclopedia of Yoruba knowledge and worldview. It was recognised and proclaimed an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
According to UNESCO...
“The Ifa literary corpus is a treasury of knowledge concerning Yoruba history, philosophy, medicine and mythology.”
According to UNESCO...
“The Ifa literary corpus is a treasury of knowledge concerning Yoruba history, philosophy, medicine and mythology.”
Studying Yoruba philosophy without exploring the Ifa literary corpus is akin to studying Western philosophy (Greek) without perusing the works of Thales, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato etc.
Also studying Yoruba literature without consulting Fagunwa’s books is comparable to studying English literature without reading the works of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer etc.
Also studying Yoruba literature without consulting Fagunwa’s books is comparable to studying English literature without reading the works of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer etc.
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