(By Pius
Adesanmi) - In its pristine cultural background in the Yoruba world, “iyalaya”
is an obscenity hurled at your opponent in a brawl to display contempt for his
or her maternal lineage. It is usually accompanied by the insulting palm and
five-finger flash we call “waka” in the face of your opponent. The consequence,
as you all know, is often a bloody nose and an unscheduled trip to the
hospital. However, as cultures evolve across generations, new meanings emerge
and old words or expressions and are sent on new errands by the human
imagination. ...
The mere
mention of “iyalaya anybody” brings to mind the Nigerian musician, Olamide, and
his famous spat with music industry icon, Don Jazzy. No Nigerian needs to be
reminded the details of this spat which shook the African entertainment
industry to its roots and set Twitter and Facebook on fire for weeks. With the
whole world watching, Olamide had shot out at the audience, “iyalaya anybody”,
while dissing Don Jazzy.
