Yoruba Nation: Family Panegyrics Must Be Given Priority to Prevent Adulteration of Our Language Inflections – Says Alaafin Adeyemi As SFYY Holds Annual Lecture in Ibadan(PHOTOS)

Yoruba Nation: Ibadan Stands Still As Alaafin, Oba Asa, Oba Eletu, Farounbi, Fatomilola, Awodele, Kola Olootu, Gbade Lana, Adebayo Adams, Akinjide Kazeem, Rose Odika, Others Grace SFYY Annual Lecture, Awards’ Presentations • Truly, Oba Adeyemi Is The Custodian of Culture and Tradition – Otunba Awogboro Says(PHOTOS).

Ibadan stood still on Monday, December 20 as the Arch Monarch of Yoruba Land and Alaafin of Oyo Empire, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi-III, Oba Asa of Lagos State, His Spiritual Majesty(HSM), Oba Tajudeen Aderemi Busari, Oba Eletu, Veteran Playwright and Producer of The Popular Yoruba Film Series, “Arelu”, Ambassador Yemi Farounbi, Resourceful Scholar and Veteran Actor, Pa Peter Fatomilola, Freelance and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria, FIBAN President in the State, Chief Seun Awodele(SAMAWO), Ace Broadcaster, Mogaji Kola Olootu, Agrotech Expert, Doctor Adebayo Adams, Business Tycoon, Akinjide Kazeem Akinola(AKA), The Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association,TAMPAN Governor in the state, Mrs Rose Odika, Former Local Council Chairman, Prince Gbade Lana among other prominent Nigerians graced this year “Annual Lecture and Awards’ Presentations of Supreme Forum of Yoruba Youth(SFYY) ”Igbimo Egbe Odo Yoruba To Gaju Lo,” at Tunde Odunlade Arts and Culture Connextions, Ladoke Akintola Street, Bodija in Ibadan.

The theme of the lecture is “Adulteration of Yoruba Language Inflections, Who Is to Be Blamed? ”Amulumala Ohun Ede Yoruba, Taani Ka Ba Wi?, and it was delivered by Professor Tolu Owo-Aje.

While giving his royal remarks, Alaafin Adeyemi prayed to Almighty God Eledumare and paid obeisance to his forebears. From cultural perspectives, Kabiesi did justice to the topic, ”I am happy to be in your midst. I start with the name of Almighty God Eledumare and I pay obeisance to Oranmiyam, Sango, Atiba, Adelu and all my ancestors….To prevent adulteration of Yoruba language inflections, family panegyrics(Oriki) must be given priority. I recall the ‘Orikis’ of my forefathers off hand and all my children chant mine, with Oyo accent, eloquently…. Despite the facts that my children speak English language very fluently, they also speak Yoruba language eloquently.

Oba Adeyemi emphasized erosion of culture and tradition as the major causes of loss of Yoruba values in many aspects of Yoruba lives.

On Yoruba democratic mode of governance, Alaafin said,”Cabinet system of government was founded in 1740 in Britain but Yorubas had earlier founded Oyomesi system of governance in 1630, 110 years earlier before British cabinet system was founded. Oyomesi system prioritizes central heart of democracy, rule of law. Alaafin does not have sole power of ‘do and undo’. We rule based on the principles of collective responsibilities.

While delivering his lecture, Doctor Owo-Aje, hinged his points on musical perspectives.”Yoruba language is a tonal language. As we all know, tonal language is a language where different words with different tonal inflections convey different meanings. For example, Do(). Re(-), Min(/). ‘Igba’ has different meanings like calabash, time, two hundred, and garden eggs based on different tonal inflections ….. Originally, Yorubas have ways of pronouncing words and making a song but, later, everything was adulterated due to some factors.

Dr Owo-Aje took the gathering along memory lane,”In 1840’s when churches were arriving, Methodist, Anglican and others were teaching Yoruba natives English hymns(Orin). The missionaries started winning souls and using interpreters to interact with the people. Missionaries were translating hymns into Yoruba language directly using their tone. For example,’Afope F’Olorun…..’ and it continued like that throughout 1850’s, 1860’s, 1870’s until 1880’s when cultural nationalism gained prominence and people like Reverend Josiah Jesse ‘JJ’ Ransom-Kuti, Fela Anikulapo’s grandfather, a Nigerian clergyman and music composer, set Christian hymns to indigenous music, and started writing Christian hymns in Yoruba with the language tonal integrity…..For example, Yoruba song of ‘Epo Nbe Ewa Nbe Ooo, Epo Nbe Ewa Nbe Ooo’ to Yoruba Christian Hymns ‘Eee T’Olorun Lawa Ose Ooo, Eee T’Olorun Lawa Ose Ooo’ and among others. JJ Kuti also composed what is later known today as Egba National Anthem,’Mayo Mayo Mayo Ooo, Lori Olumo…..’ ……Musical Revolutionaries like TV Philips, Dayo Dedeke, Popoola Dopemu among others also tried their best and this is where adulteration of Yoruba language inflections started”, he submitted.

Owo-Aje continued his intellectual voyage, “As time went on, people started moving from Church Missionary Society(CMS), Methodist, and other orthodox churches to African churches that allowed dancing and drumming, because that were not allowed before…… Yoruba native ears composers like AJ Ajisafe also made frantic efforts to preserve pristine nature of Yoruba language inflection.

Prof Owo-Aje furthered his lecture and stated that, ”Culture maintains itself through the principles of continuity and discontinuity(change). Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obe and others were not stable on Yoruba tonal integrity while singers like Tope Alabi, Sola Allison, Tunji Oyelana and others follow Yoruba tonal integrity.

In his own brief remarks, The Chief Host and a Panelist, Prince Tunde Odunlade stated that matters of cultural, national and global interests are his arts and gallery’s priorities. ”Information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Two key words in our life as Yorubas are why and doubts. We need to address that and rediscover ourselves..

In his own broadcasting perspectives, Veteran Journalist and Retired BCOS Icon, Chief Onaolapo Kolagun blamed parents for adulteration of Yoruba language inflections and advised them to prioritise communicating with their wards in their native language, Yoruba.

In his own remarks, from traditional perspectives, the renown Ife Priest and Veteran Actor, Pa Peter Fatomilola said that, ”My father.’Agbedegbeyo,’The Perfecter of Yoruba Language and its dexterities, Orunmila, who is the Yoruba god of knowledge, brought Yoruba language into existence. Yoruba language is rich and beautiful, so, I will not allow it to perish and we must not all allow it to perish. Yes, I love it more than French, Portuguese, English and other foreign languages.

“Yoruba language is beautiful and it is full of aesthetics and dexterities, even, on the continent, it comes first and Swahili comes second, so, it is our pride and heritage, please, let us preserve it”, Fatomilola encouraged.

From his own cinematographic perspectives, Veteran Playwright and Producer of the Popular Yoruba Film Series,“Arelu”, Amb. Yemi Farounbi blamed Motion pictures for the adulteration of Yoruba language inflections and he canvassed for “Arts Council Grants” which he maintained that it will empower theatre artistes, playwrights and film producers to be financially independent and to be able to produce unalloyed Yoruba films. “Business interests are the major problems. Yoruba film producers produce adulterated films that cable stations demand for and these are where many homes and children learn adulterated Yoruba language, so, to avoid Yoruba language inflections in our films, Yoruba films producers must be financially self reliant, to sponsor pure Yoruba language films.

“To me, to produce Yoruba films free of adulteration, three things are needed, and they are money, money and money… This is 16 years that I have been moving up and down to produce Yoruba Kiriji War Film and many Yoruba prominent traditional rulers have written recommendation letters for us, to many quarters but still, till now, no any sponsor. Even, non-Yorubas produced ‘Oduduwa Films’ ”, Farounbi lamented.

Other veterans in the house also gave their remarks from different perspectives and they all reiterated preservation of Yoruba language, culture, values and tradition. At the end of the event, prominent Yoruba descendants were honoured with ‘Awards Excellence”.

Other prominent personalities in attendance were Barr. Sikirulai Adewoye, Olatunde Ogunsola, Mrs Funmilayo Olasogba, Mrs Titilope Gbadamosi, Engr Onifade, Abiodun, Mrs Yetunde Alabi, Engr Onabanjo, Hon. Saheed Olanrewaju(Solution), Iyalaje Computer Village, Mrs Busayo Ifabamiwo, Hon. Kazeem Olanrewaju, Hon. Korede Murphy, Mrs Oluyemi Funmilayo, Mr Badmus Opeyemi among several others.