(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.
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