The author of a new book, ‘Wisdom of our Yoruba Elders’, Chief Stephen Fatiregun, has expressed his desire to be buried with a copy of the publication.
Fatiiregun middle flanked by mornachs
The 82-year-old author, who is an accomplished accountant, disclosed this while addressing guests at the launch of the book in Lagos yesterday.
Fatiregun, who described Yoruba as one of the most beautiful and widely spoken languages in the world, said he had instructed his children to put a copy of the book in his coffin.
He warned Yoruba people against allowing their language to die, due to their failure to teach it to their children and to encourage them to speak it.
“The colonialists did everything to kill the Yoruba language. They tried to discourage its usage by labeling it vernacular. The colonialists are not here again to stop us, we are the ones stopping ourselves. We no longer teach it to our children.”
The author is flanked by two of the traditional rulers at the occasion.
Fatiregun said it had been established that anyone able to speak and converse proficiently in Yoruba would be able to converse better in any other language. He urged the Yoruba people to be proud of their language.
The author added, “We Yorubas are very proud people and we have no apology for that. We are proud of our culture and heritage. We are proud of the contributions of our heroes and heroines to the development of the geographical space called Nigeria.”
The book was jointly reviewed by two eminent Yoruba elders, retired Methodist cleric, Emeritus Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, and foremost broadcaster and former Nigerian ambassador to the Philippines, Prof. Yemi Farounbi.
Farounbi, Ladigbolu, and his wife, Afolake, at the book launch.
Ladigbolu described the author as “a tireless researcher of African Traditional Beliefs and Culture; a passionate lover of Yoruba language and literature”. He described the book as “an extraordinary Divine mission accomplished for the greater glory of Yoruba cultural heritage and the benefit of the human race”.
Ladigbolu said he agreed with the author that, “the uniqueness of many Yoruba proverbs is that they are deeply philosophical, pleasantly entertaining and full of wisdom”.
He added, “I share the author’s sentiments (Preface: V) about the likely verbosity of the translation of the proverbs into English language, but cannot deny the veracity of his claim that the translation was meant to ‘assist the none Yoruba and indeed anybody from any part of the world to understand and appreciate the mindset, philosophy, beliefs, and culture of our People.’ This, therefore, provides ample justification for translating this book to other languages in the future as the need to expand the readership scope and place the book on the global market may arise.”
He stressed that “the proverbs in this compendium come in varying degrees of complexity. In scope, they cover 32 areas or facets of all imaginable situations and locations. What each reader gets out of the proverbs will depend on his level of understanding and absorption. The proverbs are Pan-Yoruba in their spread and catchment. This work also facilitates an exchange of proverbs from one Yoruba location to another, thereby enriching the proverbial vocabulary of the readers, and perpetuating the universal application of the wisdom of our Yoruba Elders”.
Ladigbolu while reviewing the book
He further noted, “Some of the proverbs in this book are new and contemporary, ( 5403, 5410, 5412, 5440, 5451, 5495) They have emerged only in recent years from observations of contemporary events, and behaviours. They are bound to be more popular among the younger generation. The same dynamism has rendered some old proverbs obsolete as a result of changing values, e.g. Adie Irana kii se onje aje gbe ‘The funeral procession feast comes in turns’.”
Farounbi commended the author’s efforts in translating the proverbs contained in the book to English and encouraged him to produce volumes two and three as a means of preserving the richness and beauty of the Yoruba language.
He said the book was timely and highly significant given the fact that Yoruba had been listed as one of the two languages that might go into extinction soon.
The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, business leaders, professionals, politicians, and functionaries.
Chairman of Eagle Paints, Chief Akinola Disu, and another guest at the occasion
The Wisdom of our Yoruba Elders is a collection of 10,000 carefully selected proverbs, fables, and legends, with English translations plus a list of 130 notable Nigerians of Yoruba origin.
Source:Newsmakers
