A Deep Lesson in Yoruba Spirituality

Oct 26, 2024

Let’s start with these three quotations from the Father of Pan-Africanism, Mosiah Marcus Garvey:

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.
If we as a people realized the greatness from which we came, we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.
If the Negro is not careful, he will drink all the poison of modern civilization and die from the effects of it. Marcus Garvey.

Today, In place of my usual Pan-Africanism polemic and satires, I am sharing (meaning that I am not the author) a Yoruba story that reveals the depth of Yoruba spirituality.

Tragic does not even begin to describe the fate of a people who abandoned deep spiritual thoughts like this story and substituted in their places Christianity’s numbo-jumbo and Islamic hocus-pocus.

No, we don’t romanticize or idealize Africa of old, and the gods know that we do not harbor any illusions that all was well and jolly in Ancient Africa.

What we constantly lament is the fact that Africans, especially the formally educated ones among us, have been thoroughly brain-dirtied into thinking that everything about old Africa was evil and barbaric.

Most unfortunate and sad is that we entrusted our education system to these “intellectuals,” and we continue to expend humongous sums with little to show for it!

Or, can you tell me the purpose of education that doesn't teach people how to feed, clothe, or house themselves? The 200+ million Nigerians today loudly lament their inability to afford decent meals despite having a large tract of fertile lands (country size: 923,769 sq km). In contrast, the postage-stamp Kingdom of The Netherlands (size: 41,865) in Northern Europe (much of it reclaimed from the sea) succeeded in becoming the world’s second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products.

And we pretend not to know why everything has gone so calamitously wrong with us.

The calamities that befell us in our quest to become pathetic imitators of foreign ideas, as these “intellectuals” taught us, are too obvious, except for the purblind.

Those among us who so nonchalantly dismiss everything African never bothered to tell us how we expect to create our African Civilization Space using the tools designed by and for other cultures.

They also didn't bother citing a single example of a civilization built using foreign cultural tools like language and religion.

Unfortunately, many of our formally educated people refuse to understand why we appear to be sympathetic to the Russians' (145 million of them) epic struggle to maintain their civilizational integrity in contrast to the 1.5+ billion of us in Africa who do not think that culture matters or, as Frantz Fanon brilliantly asserted: “No one treats his imitator like an equal.”

Among the reasons why I use Yoruba Proverbs in my writings is to illuminate the depth of the rich philosophical legacy our forebears bequeathed to us.

Alas, Oracles of Liberal and Globalist ideologies have ordained that the teaching of our history and our culture is Haram.

Of course, if given a few dollars and fancy V8 jeeps, they would genuflect and vibrate with gratitude to the Evangelists of Foreign Ideas.

Please read this story. I would appreciate your feedback.

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A Deep Lesson in Yoruba Spirituality

At the time of Obatala, three people came to him dragging a young man with them and said to him: Babalawo, aboru boyè! This man has murdered our father.

Obatala: Why did you kill their father?

Young man: I'm a goatherd. My goat ate from their father's farm, and he threw a stone at my goat, and he died, so I also took the stone and threw it at their father, and he also died.

Obatala: because of this, I pass judgment on your charge of murder by sentencing you to death.

Young man: I ask for 3 days before you execute the judgment. My late father left me some wealth, and I have a sister to take care of. If you kill me now, the wealth and my sister will have no guardian.

Obatala: who will stand for your bail?

Young man: looking into the crowd, he pointed to Lamurudu

Obatala: do you agree to stand for him, Lamurudu?

Lamurudu: Beeni (yes)

Obatala: You agree to stand for someone you don't know, and you'll receive his penalty if he doesn't return.

Lamurudu: I accept

The young man left, but after two days, and into the third day, there was still no sign of him.

Everyone was very afraid for Lamurudu, who had accepted to receive the penalty of death if the man failed to return.

Just before it was time for dinner, the goat herd appeared, looking exhausted, and he stood before Obatala.

Young man: I have handed my sister's wealth and welfare to my uncle, and I'm now yours. You may execute the penalty now.

In great shock and surprise, Obatala asked, "And why did you return after having a chance to escape the death penalty?"

Young man: I was afraid it would appear that humanity has lost the ability to fulfill promises made.

Obatala turned and looked at Lamurudu: And why did you stand for him?

Lamurudu: I was afraid it might appear that humanity has lost the will to do good to others.

These words and events moved the brothers, who had wanted justice for their father's death, very profoundly, and they decided to forgive the young goat herd.

In furious anger, Obatala asked, "Why?!"

They said: We are afraid that it will appear as though forgiveness has lost its place in the heart of humanity.

I have also forwarded this beautifully translated message and passed it to you in fear that if I don't, it might appear that reminders to do good have lost their place in humanity (Eda).

For Olodumare's (GOD'S) sake, I encourage you to pass it on in fear that it might appear that spreading goodwill messages has lost its place in humanity.

(Farmer, Writer, Published Author, and Social Commentator.)

My latest book, From Stamp to Click (it’s still a hello), is published and is available online at:

https://www.africanbookscollective.com/books/from-stamp-to-click-its-still-hello

How to order it: https://www.africanbookscollective.com/how-to-order

My book, “Africa: A Continent on Bended Knees,” is available on:

• Amazon

• Booknook.store

My other books on Amazon:

• Africa: it shall be well (Get a FREE Chapter Here)

• Africa: Destroyed by the gods (Get a FREE Chapter Here)

You can follow me on:

X (Twitter): @PANAFDigest