Africans, Traditional Religions, and Colo-mentality

(By Peter Adeosun Keyz) - Yesterday a lady greeted me "As-salamu alaykum" to which I responded "Wa'alaykumu as-salam". We both laughed about it. She's a staunch Christian, a devoted RCCG member and we've been friends for many years now. So we both knew we were just catching fun. 

Then I took the fun further and greeted her "Eríwo yà!" Instead of responding, she exclaimed "God forbid that I should respond to a greeting like that". I told her that if we could exchange pleasantries the Islamic way when she's not a Muslim, why couldn't we exchange pleasantries the Yoruba traditional way? She said she can still cope with Islam. Traditional religion is the one she can never cope with. Why? According to her, Islam is still close while traditional religion being idolatry is far away. 

I shook my head and walked away. I kept thinking about how the two of them successfully made us embrace their traditions and see our own tradition as dirt, a taboo, the forbidden.

Sometime ago, a guy informed his mum about his admission efforts. He wanted BA Linguistics but the person helping them said he might not get Linguistics. Rather they might give him BA Yorùbá. Immediately he mentioned that word, the mother screamed,

"God forbid! Why will you study Yorùbá? I've vowed you to God and therefore, you can never become a babaláwo. Let them give you a European language instead - English, French or German."

I didn't understand how studying Yoruba in the university makes you a babaláwo. So I asked her. She said being a student of Yorùbá involves learning incantations, visiting shrines, and doing practical sessions with Yoruba idol worshippers. I sighed. The students will study Yorùbá culture, beliefs, and all. And to this woman, all of this is anti-God. Of course the God of the slave masters that enslaved her ancestors doesn't like her child to study her own language in the university. 

What they did to us was effective and long-lasting. Centuries after, we're still behaving the way they asked us to behave back then. Even when the former slavemasters have started studying the Yorùbá language themslves - when European students are coming here for exchange programs in the study of our language and culture - the effect is yet to wear out on us.

Some of us will keep saying it. We're not very alright.