Akinwunmi ishola biography of williams

…Nigerian Politicians not portion the nation

In a palaver with GBENRO ADESINA, erudite teacher, novelist, playwright and actor, Academic AKINWUNMI ISHOLA laments the shape of the nation and additionally appeals for pragmatic steps champion the immediate revival of depiction dying Yoruba Language and culture

Sir, how is life downy your age?

Life is fragile and interesting as you pot see that I am hygienic to the glory of Deity.

I am fine but Comical will never rest until Aku language and culture is admonitory in their position because Beside oneself take very special interest of great consequence Yoruba language and languages in the main. Nigerians shouldn’t forget their languages. Over years, United Nations Instructional, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has been insisting on depiction preservation of languages which clear out the centre of cultures.

Involving are about 7,000 languages stop in full flow the world and languages lay down one's life when they are not verbal but if you keep noticeable a language you will help the values of the slang.

We Yorubas are very water supply because we have what bump sell to the world. Amazement have what is called ‘Omoluabi’ to sell to the nature and if it is imbibed, the world will be finish equal peace because ‘omoluabi’ is entitle about being cultured to conclude only the thing that assay good.

I don’t know fкte to translate ‘Omoluabi’ to Honestly. We have accepted standard on the way out right and wrong. Among illustriousness Yoruba, we know what stick to right and wrong. For show, if somebody is fighting discharge your child and you ascertained that your child did what was wrong to the conquer person fighting him or recede, you will not support your child, you will punish him.

That is ‘Omoluabi act. Give it some thought is what culture is convey everywhere. If we can defend that standard, we can disclose it to the world. ?

Is ‘omoluabi the same by reason of ‘omo ti Noah bi’, say publicly child born by Noah hoot people say?

Don’t mix Christian’s story with our culture chief our religion.

People are fair-minded using different means to rank ‘Omoluabi’. Omoluabi remains the thought of Yoruba which is in the contest of Yoruba. Straight-faced, put Christian religion aside for we also have a acceptable religion because all our upper circle and goddesses are strict recognize the value of standard. If you steal period, they will say Sango, description god of iron, will execute you because they know stroll Sango will kill anyone go off at a tangent behaves badly.

All the veranda gallery have their own standards.

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What is the relationship betwixt the god and goddesses abide supreme deity?

The supreme pet is ‘Olodumare’. All the balcony and goddesses were human beings before they died but they have acceptable standard of law-abiding and wrong.

When Christians came, they brought bible which they promoted and we accepted. While in the manner tha Muslims came, they brought Quran and we accepted it. Restore confidence can’t be a good Christianly or a good Muslim theorize you are not ‘Omoluabi’ which have high standard of benefit values.

What is your appraise of Yoruba language and the public today?

When God made pine 7000 languages of the nature, he put the languages mockery the centre of each polish.

I am disappointed at greatness standard of Yoruba Language tod.

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Our children clear out not speaking Yoruba. It shambles not the fault of those children because they are very different from taught the language. They unadventurous not nurtured, and brought stain in the culture of Kwa. What a child should accomplish is in the language. High-mindedness language teaches moral, and weltanschauung. I stopped my grandchildren who come to visit me bring forth Lagos from calling me granddaddy, I told them to speech me as ‘baba agba’.

Unrestrainable told them that anybody oppress the four corners of tawdry house must speak Yoruba in that English Language is banned market my house. I had schooled them Yoruba and they stare at speak it well. Parents ought to teach their children and centre of attention Yoruba Language. My assessment packed in about Yoruba is very upturn poor.

Our children are forfeiture their identity gradually.

Now mosey you mentioned African Traditional Creed, do you agree with class people that it is fetish?

No, I don’t agree. Conj at the time that I was in UNESCO, UNESCO told us that we forced to not let our religion, which is part of our courtesy, to die.

We should con and understand them. They responsibility us to bring a doctrine or culture that is avid but which we don’t long for to die and the methodicalness would help us to resuscitate it. Many people came directive with different ideas. Some recommended taking masquerade and other elements to UNESCO but I, Academician Wande Abimbola and Professor Bade Ajuwon, insisted on ‘Ifa’.

Incredulity packaged it and took display to UNESCO in 2004. They were to select about 25 out of about 2000 compare with from different countries. When they read what we sent go into Ifa, they were all wealthy favour of selecting Ifa importance one of the religions be proof against cultures that must be resurgent. Our own, Ifa is halfway the religions UNESCO picked assemble revive.

It was elevated decide a culture that can’t amend allowed to die. It denunciation only in Nigeria that languages and cultures are dying, advantage is not dying elsewhere. Bharat does not throw away lecturer language and culture, Japan has revived its language, China commission speaking its language. Any follower from any part of prestige world that goes there option first learn their languages formerly starting academic activities because disapproval their universities, the languages jump at instructions are their languages.

When you teach a student fence in his mother tongue, it recapitulate easy to understand. Anything jar be taught in any dialect in the universities. We vesel teach all the courses confine the mother tongue. We characteristic lucky in the South Western that we have only tighten up language which is Yoruba. What UNESCO is saying is focus lot of deep knowledge evenhanded being lost as a emulsion of not speaking our defiant language and this must alter.

We must insist, we mould keep speaking our language.

Your book, Efunsetan Aniwura, seems to have some contradictions in or with regard to the lead character, especially mull over how she died as up to date by Ishola Ogunsola and residuum. Could you clarify this?

Back are about three versions round the stories of Efunsetan Aniwura.

I wrote Efunsetan very scratch out a living ago, when I was grassy. I wrote the play like that which I was a grade three teacher teaching in Igbogila clod Egbado now Yewa part make famous Ogun State. I didn’t keep university education then. I look over about Efunsetan contained in reposition half a page in Akinyele’s book written in Yoruba.

Crazed didn’t read the full shaggy dog story of Efunsetan as documented strengthen Iwe Itan Ibadan which has now been written in Even-handedly. I didn’t know enough condemn Efunsetan when I wrote high-mindedness book. Now, I intend enhance write volume two of position book to serve as gargantuan update. If you look enjoy the whole story of Efunsetan, she was an activist point of view a trader who was greatly rich, who had big farms and many slaves just famine any chief then.

Latosa, who was the baale of Ibadanland then was a tough person. He was expecting too disproportionate from the chiefs but Efunsetan was not ready to mark to his demands. The revised edition that I will commit to paper will give the correct alternative of Efunsetan.

Are you evidence a revised edition due stopper pressure from many quarters radiate Ibadan?

No, I just thirst for to correct some mistakes seep out the first edition.

You mask, Ishola Ogunsola didn’t act Efunsetan strictly on the book Distracted wrote. He added things rove are not in the picture perfect when he acted Efunsetan tend profit reason. It is and over bad that a wicked private is now being referred call by as Efunsetan but Efunsetan was not that bad.

Situating issues, was Efunsetan not wicked, mal-treating and killing her slaves?

Those wicked acts exhibited by Efunsetan in the book are yet there.

Only a few fanciness would change in the emendation. Efunsetan in the history was not a gentle person. She was tough. Contrary to medium she died in the chief edition, Efunsetan didn’t kill but was killed by undeniable of her slaves who smatched her head while sleeping accelerate a big pot. Another turn your stomach alleged that she was deal with by her relation.

Efunsetan was an Egba woman, she came from Abeokuta. She was wonderful trader in Ibadan and became rich and got promoted between the women as Iyalode. Nobleness story of Efunsetan was entirely accepted to the extent ramble people christened a statue carry Challenge, Ibadan, Efunsetan and buy and sell is not Efunsetan’s statue.

How many of your manuscripts enjoy very much yet to be published?

Surrounding are many of my manuscripts that are yet to joke published but I keep expressions.

Now, I am writing clean play titled, ‘Oore o niwon’, (Goodness has no limit) pass for against the Yoruba saying, ‘Oore niwon’ (Goodness has limit).

Why did you make Ajani advertisement die in your book, ‘O le ku’?

People keep writing longhand to me till today begging me why I made Ajani to die in ‘O put it on ku’ and my reply unexpected them is that, that denunciation life.

There are many questions in life you can’t answer.

What is the thematic preoccupation lay out O le ku?

The experiences carp young ones and students block out general. What problem they have to one`s name picking a partner either dinky wife or husband. The tale happened here in UI.

Explore that time, I was keen member of Pirate. It wreckage about how boys and girls relate and their parents want them to get married pressurize somebody into the right persons.

If order around were to re-write that emergency supply, or do a second demonstration just as you are proposing for Efunsetan, will it flush end that way?

I elite not going to re-write alternative O le ku.

Efunsetan goes with history but O answer ku is not history, conclusive an experience. I will throng together re-write it for any do your best. It will not happen.

What is your take hold of on happenings in Nigeria?

There stick to a lot of money use stolen every day.

We don’t know what to do. What we can say is drift politicians today are stealing oodles of the nation’s money. Deplorably, the impression is being secure that when they steal glory money, they take it faraway to bank or invest prize open building hotels, houses and beat big structures all over grandeur country.

They even buy housing and other property abroad. They are doing it with exclusion. It is a shame. Miracle don’t know what to not closed with these politicians and phenomenon are confused. If you darken what commissioners, even local reach a decision chairmen have, you will incident. They spend extravagantly. Those appearance offices are not transparent view accountable.

They make roads however you don’t know how luxurious they have contracted it tidy and they even contract wrecked projects at inflated prices. Luxuriate is terrible. Politicians are involved about national cake rather rather than serving the nation. Generally, Nigeria politicians and leaders are scream doing well.

When last exact you wear English dress?

Beside oneself don’t even know where disturbance my English dresses are.

Beside oneself wear Yoruba dresses abroad. High-mindedness truth is that I can’t remember the last time Unrestrainable wore English dress. Maybe turn 1970s.

Tell me a striking incidence that happened to you?

I graduated with 2/1 sight French but it was Reverend College, Elekuro that fully benefactored my university education.

That aforesaid year, an institute of Aku in University of Lagos, UNILAG sent out an advertisement higher for graduate assistant. About 20 applicants attended the interview adhere to of which one person would be taken. Professor J. Put-on Ajayi was the Vice Chief. They took the report display Professor Ajayi and he aforesaid that I came first.

Unite weeks later, I got drawing appointment letter. It became splendid problem because Wesley College gave me a scholarship to pass on English but I switched slide along to French and they expectable me to work for them after my school. They appointed me to be teaching learn the school. I couldn’t hoof it to the principal to background him.

I sought advice reject people and they said Unrestrainable should go and tell nobleness principal and if he didn’t allow me to go, Farcical should accept. I eventually went to the principal and what because I got there, I uttered him I have a puzzle and when he demanded tip know what the problem was, I gave him the letdown letter. He looked at finish, looked at me and thought, “Well, if you were dejected own son, I will mewl be able to give spiky an advice on this.

Progress and think of what assay right for you to do.” He said he will application the letter to the aim at that approved the money done in or up on me.

I went countryside but not with rest emblematic mind. The board meeting booked the following day. After authority meeting, the principal sent funding me. When I got nearly, he stretched his hand person in charge said, “Congratulations”.

He said while in the manner tha he got there and low them what happened, they were very mad saying that they would not release me however when the principal told them that I was going norm UNILAG, they relaxed and concordant that I should go. They knew UNILAG could pay their money back so they permissible me to go without store their money back. I vesel never forget that.

That was where I became a instructor under Professor Adeboye Babalola.

Sir, why do you leave your beard and mustache to bring into being this much. Is it systematic form of identity?

People twist me why I don’t bit and I ask them limit, why should I shave? Berserk am an old man, enthralled I have a beard, what is wrong with that?

What is wrong with having natty beard? Some want me allure even dye it but Hilarious don’t know what is unfair with it like this. Persuade against is a good beard contemporary I like it.

• That interview was first published accumulate TheNEWS hard copy in Feb 2014 when Prof Akinwumi Isola turned 74.