African Poems

Oral Poetry from Africa

Nigeria

Filed Under: Poems of Gods & Ancestors

Make Way For Me To Pass

My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for sharing with us another translation from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.

Òrúnmìlà is the Yorùbá sage from whom the Ifá corpus originates and in this Odù he receives instruction from Ọba’lúayé, the “King of the World”, one of the Yorùbá pantheon of gods.

It has been said of Ọba’lúayé that “When we come to earth it is because he permits our arrival, and it is because of him we merge with the earth when we depart.” 

Some Yorùbá myths describe Òrúnmìlà as a historical figure who lived around 500 B.C., but in other myths he is deified as a spiritual being who came from heaven to teach mankind the secrets of the cosmos through Ifá. The following Odù describes Òrúnmìlà consulting Ifá before making the journey to Earth and receiving instruction from Ọba’lúayé as to the sacrifices he should make to ensure that his path is not obstructed by the negative supernatural forces that he might encounter in the World.

“Make way for me to pass, make way,
Be there wizards that are ahead of my way today, make way for me to pass…

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Filed Under: Poems of Gods & Ancestors

Kindness Is Inherently Rewarding

My thanks to Dele A Sonubi for this translation into English of a poem from the verses of the Yorùbá religious corpus, Odù Ifá.

Although frequently mythologised as a deity, Òrúnmìlà appears to have been a historical figure. Some histories claim that he was born in the town of Òkè Igèti within Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the ancient Yorùbá city in south-western Nigeria, around 500 B.C. As an adult, Òrúnmìlà became known as an exceptionally wise sage who took on sixteen apprentices. The names of these sixteen disciples became the titles of the 16 Major Odù of Ifá, with each Odù recording the teachings of Òrúnmìlà as expressed through discussion with his students. 

Later generations contributed their own interpretations of the 16 Major Odù, expanding the teachings into a vast corpus of classical Yorùbá philosophy containing over 400,000 verses.

The poem that follows is a translation of one of these verses. Òrúnmìlà advises that individuals should always follow their own true nature, but points out that acting with kindness to others is in itself inherently rewarding.

Those who are kind should be ceaseless in kindness,
Those who are unkind should be ceaseless in their unkindness,
It is kindness and not unkindness that is inherently rewarding…

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Filed Under: Praise-Poems

Alade Oyo

Dàdàkúàdá is a form of poetry that originated in Ìlọrin, the capital city of Kwara State in Western Nigeria. There is a great deal of mystery as to its roots. 

It shares many similarities to the poetry performed as part of the Egúngún masquerade, the Yorùbá cult that some claim was born in this region. However, all Yorùbá religious practices including Egúngún worship were eliminated in Ìlọrin in 1823 when Islam became the officially institutionalised religion of the city. 

Regardless of its ancestry, it is a form of poetry that blends influences from Ìlọrin’s diverse ethnic and cultural identities, with the city being home to Yorùbá, Haúsá, Fúlàní, Núpé, Kànnìké, Kéńbérí, Bàrùbá, Malians and Arabs, among others. Odolayé Àrẹ̀mú was the first Dàdàkúàdá poet to produce a record in the mid-1940s.

Some tasks are not easy to bear
The task of becoming Alaafin is a deadly one…

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Filed Under: Praise-Poems

Ogbomosho

The city of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ is located within Oyo State, south-western Nigeria. It is close to a forest region that was an area of indigenous iron mining and smelting. The towns in this region are home to the largest concentration of Ògún festivals in Yorubaland, Ògún being the Yorùbá god of iron, blacksmithing, tool making, hunting and warfare.

One of the indigenous genres of music that originates in Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ is Ìjálá Ọdẹ, a style of oral poetry mythically and ritually associated with the worship of Ògún. Ìjálá poetry was historically composed by hunters to describe the characteristics of the animals they hunt and to eulogise hunters and warriors at their funerals.

The poet Ògundáre Fóyánmu was born in Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ in 1932 and died on the 13th October, 2012 at the age of 80. Introduced to oral poetry through his father, an Egúngún chanter, Fóyánmu became instrumental in the evolution of Ìjálá Ọdẹ in Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́.

Akano Oladunni,
always remember your progenitors in all your endeavours.
The king of Ogbomosho!…

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Filed Under: Modern Poetry in Oral Manner

Oriki Ibetta

A new poem sent to us by Amore David Olamide. The title of the poem, Oríkì Ìbẹ́ta, translates from Yorùbá into English as “Praise poetry for triplets.” 

Commenting on the celebrations that traditionally accompanied the birth of triplets in Yorubaland, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu said that in the past it was the custom for the Oba (royal chief) of the town to be immediately informed when triplets were born and for him to give everything that he was wearing at the time of the announcement to the children as gifts.

The scion of Ìrèsé
Three masterpieces that cannot be assailed …

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Filed Under: Modern Poetry in Oral Manner

Mr Wayogamist

Abraham Ọlátúbọ̀sún Oládàpọ̀ is a Yorùbá poet, playwright and music producer whose prowess as a performer has earned him the praise name of ‘Odídẹrẹ́ Ayékòótọ́’ (‘The Loquacious Parrot’). 

In 1977 Oládàpọ̀ founded Ọlátúbọ̀sún Records to seek out, produce and promote traditional poets from across the Yorùbá country. I am delighted to publish here a translation of a track from the Ọlátúbọ̀sún Records archives, a performance by Ọlátúbọ̀sún Oládàpọ̀ himself that illustrates the flair and proficiency of ‘The Loquacious Parrot’. 

Here the poet advises that the individual who aims to succeed in life must become ‘deaf and fortified’ so as to avoid petty distractions and the criticism of nay-sayers.

Odídẹrẹ́ Ayékòótọ́
You are very much welcome…

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