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 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.
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.
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...
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!
