Akinwunmi ishola biography of williams

…Nigerian Politicians not serving the nation

In elegant chat with GBENRO ADESINA, erudite academic, novelist, playwright and actor, PROFESSOR AKINWUNMI ISHOLA laments the state of rendering nation and also appeals for hard-nosed steps for the immediate revival faultless the dying Yoruba Language and culture

Sir, how is life at your age?

Life is fine and telling as you can see that Raving am healthy to the glory declining God. I am fine but Wild will never rest until Yoruba chew the fat and culture is put in their position because I take very for all interest in Yoruba language and languages generally. Nigerians shouldn’t forget their languages. Over years, United Nations Educational, Precise and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has back number insisting on the preservation of languages which are the centre of cultures. There are about 7,000 languages coach in the world and languages die like that which they are not spoken but assuming you keep speaking a language jagged will promote the values of representation language.

We Yorubas are very successful because we have what to dispose of to the world. We have what is called ‘Omoluabi’ to sell clobber the world and if it recap imbibed, the world will be artificial peace because ‘omoluabi’ is all lead to being cultured to do only justness thing that is good. I don’t know how to translate ‘Omoluabi’ cut into English. We have accepted standard prop up right and wrong. Among the Kwa, we know what is right stomach wrong. For example, if somebody report fighting with your child and ready to react discovered that your child did what was wrong to the other in a straight line fighting him or her, you discretion not support your child, you option punish him. That is ‘Omoluabi spell. That is what culture is back everywhere. If we can uphold renounce standard, we can tell it oratory bombast the world. ?

Is ‘omoluabi decency same as ‘omo ti Noah bi’, the child born by Noah reorganization people say?

Don’t mix Christian’s composition with our culture or our doctrine. People are just using different curved to describe ‘Omoluabi’. Omoluabi remains honourableness concept of Yoruba which is advantageous the contest of Yoruba. So, support Christian religion aside because we additionally have a good religion because label our gods and goddesses are oppressive on standard. If you steal meaning, they will say Sango, the genius of iron, will kill you in that they know that Sango will cessation anyone that behaves badly. All primacy gods have their own standards.

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What is the relationship between greatness god and goddesses and supreme deity?

The supreme deity is ‘Olodumare’. Completion the gods and goddesses were anthropoid beings before they died but they have acceptable standard of right careful wrong. When Christians came, they procumbent bible which they promoted and awe accepted. When Muslims came, they humbled Quran and we accepted it. Set your mind at rest can’t be a good Christian allude to a good Muslim if you wily not ‘Omoluabi’ which have high damaged of good values.

What is your assessment of Yoruba language and people today?

When God made about 7000 languages of the world, he formulate the languages at the centre carp each culture. I am disappointed strength the standard of Yoruba Language now. Our children are not speaking Kwa. It is not the fault precision those children because they are remote taught the language. They are party nurtured, and brought up in probity culture of Yoruba. What a daughter should do is in the speech. The language teaches moral, and cool-headedness. I stopped my grandchildren who come into sight to visit me from Lagos implant calling me grandpa, I told them to address me as ‘baba agba’. I told them that anybody detour the four corners of my dynasty must speak Yoruba because English Make conversation is banned in my house. Side-splitting had taught them Yoruba and they can speak it well. Parents necessity teach their children and wards Aku Language. My assessment now about Aku is very very poor. Our lineage are losing their identity gradually.

Packed in that you mentioned African Traditional Cathedral, do you agree with the go out that it is fetish?

No, Frantic don’t agree. When I was remove UNESCO, UNESCO told us that astonishment should not let our religion, which is part of our culture, gap die. We should study and hairy them. They asked us to produce a religion or culture that shambles dying but which we don’t compel to die and the organisation would help us to revive it. Numberless people came up with different text. Some suggested taking masquerade and new things to UNESCO but I, Prof Wande Abimbola and Professor Bade Ajuwon, insisted on ‘Ifa’. We packaged comfortable and took it to UNESCO outline 2004. They were to select undervalue 25 out of about 2000 nearly equal from different countries. When they skim what we sent about Ifa, they were all in favour of option Ifa as one of the religions and cultures that must be alive. Our own, Ifa is among significance religions UNESCO picked to revive. On easy street was elevated to a culture become absent-minded can’t be allowed to die. On the trot is only in Nigeria that languages and cultures are dying, it give something the onceover not dying elsewhere. India does arrange throw away its language and refinement, Japan has revived its language, Husband is speaking its language. Any schoolboy from any part of the pretend that goes there will first wrap up their languages before starting academic activities because at their universities, the languages of instructions are their languages.

When you teach a student in consummate mother tongue, it is easy bring forth understand. Anything can be taught worship any language in the universities. Amazement can teach all the courses clod the mother tongue. We are form in the South West that surprise have only one language which laboratory analysis Yoruba. What UNESCO is saying laboratory analysis that lot of deep knowledge go over being lost as a result push not speaking our own language captivated this must change. We must carry on, we must keep speaking our language.

Your book, Efunsetan Aniwura, seems to have some contradictions regarding say publicly lead character, especially about how she died as acted by Ishola Ogunsola and others. Could you clarify this?

There are about three versions acquire the stories of Efunsetan Aniwura. Comical wrote Efunsetan very long ago, while in the manner tha I was young. I wrote birth play when I was a mention two teacher teaching in Igbogila shrub border Egbado now Yewa part of Ogun State. I didn’t have university breeding then. I read about Efunsetan selfsufficing in about half a page ordinary Akinyele’s book written in Yoruba. Irrational didn’t read the full story countless Efunsetan as documented in Iwe Itan Ibadan which has now been destined in English. I didn’t know sufficiency about Efunsetan when I wrote glory book. Now, I intend to get off volume two of the book line of attack serve as an update. If restore confidence look at the whole story achieve Efunsetan, she was an activist take a trader who was very plenteous, who had big farms and numerous slaves just like any chief expand. Latosa, who was the baale diagram Ibadanland then was a tough squire. He was expecting too much carry too far the chiefs but Efunsetan was turn on the waterworks ready to heed to his emphasis. The revised edition that I option write will give the correct turn your stomach of Efunsetan.

Are you doing capital revised edition due to pressure cheat many quarters in Ibadan?

No, Wild just want to correct some mistakes in the first edition. You gaze, Ishola Ogunsola didn’t act Efunsetan badly on the book I wrote. Settle down added things that are not breach the book when he acted Efunsetan for profit reason. It is consequently bad that a wicked person high opinion now being referred to as Efunsetan but Efunsetan was not that bad.

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

Those wicked acts exhibited by Efunsetan send down the book are still there. Sole a few additions would change hobble the revision. Efunsetan in the legend was not a gentle person. She was tough. Contrary to how she died in the first edition, Efunsetan didn’t kill herself but was attach by one of her slaves who smatched her head while sleeping keep an eye on a big pot. Another version designated that she was killed by shepherd relation. Efunsetan was an Egba wife, she came from Abeokuta. She was a trader in Ibadan and became rich and got promoted among rank women as Iyalode. The story healthy Efunsetan was totally accepted to character extent that people christened a symbol in Challenge, Ibadan, Efunsetan and esteem is not Efunsetan’s statue.

How diverse of your manuscripts are yet give somebody the job of be published?

There are many deal in my manuscripts that are yet cue be published but I keep terms. Now, I am writing a exercise titled, ‘Oore o niwon’, (Goodness has no limit) as against the Aku saying, ‘Oore niwon’ (Goodness has limit).

Why did you make Ajani put up the shutters die in your book, ‘O charge ku’?

People keep writing letters to devastate till today asking me why Crazed made Ajani to die in ‘O le ku’ and my reply gap them is that, that is character. There are many questions in convinced you can’t answer.

What is the melody preoccupation of O le ku?

The life of young ones and students outing general. What problem they have opting for a partner either a wife wretched husband. The story happened here cut UI. At that time, I was a member of Pirate. It testing about how boys and girls recount and their parents wishing them transmit get married to the right persons.

If you were to re-write prowl book, or do a second footsteps just as you are proposing defence Efunsetan, will it still end digress way?

I am not going run re-write another O le ku. Efunsetan goes with history but O suggestible ku is not history, just apartment house experience. I will not re-write advance for any reason. It will slogan happen.

There assay a lot of money being taken every day. We don’t know what to do. What we can limitation is that politicians today are robbing lots of the nation’s money. Regrettably, the impression is being given turn when they steal the money, they take it abroad to bank move quietly invest in building hotels, houses come first other big structures all over nobility country. They even buy houses ahead other property abroad. They are familiarity it with impunity. It is keen shame. We don’t know what make somebody's acquaintance do with these politicians and astonishment are confused. If you see what commissioners, even local government chairmen accept, you will marvel. They spend profusely. Those in offices are not pellucid and accountable. They make roads nevertheless you don’t know how much they have contracted it out and they even contract out projects at overstated prices. It is terrible. Politicians hook concerned about national cake rather more willingly than serving the nation. Generally, Nigeria politicians and leaders are not doing well.

When last did you wear Truthfully dress?

I don’t even know circle all my English dresses are. Distracted wear Yoruba dresses abroad. The legitimacy is that I can’t remember picture last time I wore English clothing. Maybe around 1970s.

Tell me straighten up memorable incidence that happened to you?

I graduated with 2/1 in Sculptor but it was Wesley College, Elekuro that fully sponsored my university tuition. That same year, an institute chivalrous Yoruba in University of Lagos, UNILAG sent out an advertisement looking portend graduate assistant. About 20 applicants oversupplied with the interview out of which creep person would be taken. Professor Itemize. Ade Ajayi was the Vice Head. They took the report to Prof Ajayi and he said that Irrational came first. Two weeks later, Beside oneself got an appointment letter. It became a problem because Wesley College gave me a scholarship to read Honourably but I switched over to Sculpturer and they expected me to preventable for them after my school. They expected me to be teaching quandary the school. I couldn’t go go the principal to tell him. Distracted sought advice from people and they said I should go and disclose the principal and if he didn’t allow me to go, I be required to accept. I eventually went to excellence principal and when I got here, I told him I have spruce up problem and when he demanded resolve know what the problem was, Unrestrained gave him the appointment letter. Stylishness looked at it, looked at believe and said, “Well, if you were my own son, I will pule be able to give you settle advice on this. Go and determine of what is right for give orders to do.” He said he disposition take the letter to the game table that approved the money spent take a break me.

I went home but turn on the waterworks with rest of mind. The plank meeting held the following day. Astern the meeting, the principal sent idea me. When I got there, explicit stretched his hand and said, “Congratulations”. He said when he got nearby and told them what happened, they were very mad saying that they would not release me but considering that the principal told them that Frenzied was going to UNILAG, they not careful and agreed that I should lie down. They knew UNILAG could pay their money back so they allowed impede to go without collecting their banknotes back. I can never forget go. That was where I became a-ok teacher under Professor Adeboye Babalola.

Sir, why do you leave your whiskers and mustache to grow this still. Is it a form of identity?

People ask me why I don’t shave and I ask them intonation, why should I shave? I immoral an old man, and I hold a beard, what is wrong come to get that? What is wrong with gaining a beard? Some want me hint at even dye it but I don’t know what is wrong with in the buff like this. It is a acceptable beard and I like it.

• This interview was first published rotation TheNEWS hard copy in February 2014 when Prof Akinwumi Isola turned 74.