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from the issue of October 6, 2005
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Book outlines proverb use in Yoruba culture
Metaphorically Speaking
BY TROY FEDDERSON, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Walking across the sun-soaked UCLA campus for the first time in 1964, Oyekan Owomoyela longed for his homeland of Nigeria.
| | Oyekan Owomoyela, a professor of English at UNL, has published, "Yoruba Proverbs," listing 5,207 metaphors once used by the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria in general conversations. The use of metaphor was popular among African people as it allowed them to discuss serious matters without offending one another. Photo by Troy Fedderson/University Communications.
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A member of the Yoruba people - a distinct culture of more than 25 million (about 21 percent of the Nigerian population) living in the southwest corner of the west-African nation - Owomoyela came to the United States to study acting. And, while distance separated him from homeland, Owomoyela's culture-rich upbringing shaped his career.
"When I first came to UCLA I started collecting the proverbs," said Owomoyela, a professor of English at UNL. "At first, it was a modest collection. But I was feeling nostalgic and it became a way for me to stay in touch with my home."
Collaborating with a colleague at UCLA in 1973, Owomoyela published a book of about 150 of the metaphors on Yoruba life. He has continued to collect the proverbs and in September published a second book titled "Yoruba Proverbs" through the University of Nebraska Press. The book lists 5,207 of the proverbs and is considered the most comprehensive collection to date of the Yoruba oral tradition.
"I am very pleased with the book," Owomoyela said. "And, to me it is especially important because it preserves a part of my heritage that is being lost."
Like many other African people, the Yoruba utilized metaphor in all conversations, from casual encounters to political parlays. Owomoyela explained that the proverbs were used as a polite way to give guidance without allowing individuals to lose respect.
"African people have always been an extremely cautious people when speaking to one another," Owomoyela said. "To them, speech is like an egg, and once you drop it on the ground, you can't just put it back in."
Proverb voiced to teach lessons was reserved to elders. When a young person wanted to use a proverb, he or she had to first ask permission.
Also, the proverbs could be used in such a manner that others may not understand the context, which would be clear between the individuals speaking privately.
"It really can be a way to talk in code," Owomoyela said, adding that proverbs were used primarily to reduce conflict among people in the region.
"It is a very important device in situations where you have people living in close proximity to each other," Owomoyela said. "When friction develops it causes problems. But, by using proverbs, people can be very diplomatic."
However, if an individual failed to catch the meaning of the proverb, or outright ignored it, Owomoyela said future conversations were often less polite.
"If they do not understand, then you are justified to speak with your whole mouth," Owomoyela said.
One of his favorite proverbs - which he uses often in his African literature courses at UNL - is, "the person whose head is used to crack a coconut will not eat any part of it."
While he continues to preserve the Yoruba's use of metaphor, it is a cultural tradition that is waning in Nigeria. Owomoyela said their usage is reserved to elders as new generations are becoming more "westernized." However, Owomoyela said the proverbs are being used in popular music and he understands the change as the Yoruba transition from a spoken word to a written word tradition.
"The most influential people in Nigeria believe that we must become more westernized, they believe that is synonymous with development and prosperity," Owomoyela said. "I think become more westernized is a good thing, but it's kind of sad to see this very African way to communicate fade away."
Yet, as it fades, Owomoyela acknowledged that "Yoruba Proverbs" is a way to preserve that history for future scholars.
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