Vernacularly Speaking
I'm told
There was a time that
Speaking Yoruba
Or any of our
'Native tongues'
Was a tad unfashionable;
Along with the
Honourable names
Bestowed upon us
To reflect
Our worth.
Godfrey
So much easier
To pronounce
Than Gbadebo
And not at all heathen.
English
Altogether
More dignified
As both
Captor and language
Ruled the day.
In the way we spoke....
Phonetically challenged
With every utterance
Tripping over the
Unpronounceable
Even as we mastered
That which the 'masters' hadn't.
Sometimes couldn’t.
How we dressed...
Eschewing the natural
Roomy folds
Of weightless fabric
For unforgiving
Monochromatic vestments
With comic nooses.
Where we went...
Forgoing the verdant forests
And exotic animals
Of Yankari
For concrete jungles
And urban zoos.
What and how we ate...
Swapping nimble fingers
For the clumsy
Prongs of a fork
When attacking
A gloriously glutinous pat
Of amala dripping with ewedu
Causing unwelcomingly
Unpleasant sensations
As teeth, gum and tongue
Struggled to understand
The connection
Between cold metal and
Piping hot food.
Ahhhh...
How much can change
When ships cross oceans
And boots crush
Fertile lands of promise.
Yet revolutions of time
Are wont to
Rekindle all that
Seemingly is lost
And we have once again
Discovered
The beauty of
A tribal adage
An illustrious moniker
The sweet lisp
Of our mother tongues
Vibrant colour
Caught up in bold patterns
The soft sands
Of the Gulf of Guinea
And how yam
Boiled
Pounded
Fried
Roasted
Will always be
The doyen of
The humble potato.
Getting back
To where one started
Requiring grit
And determination
Bringing tears
And testing resolve
But we are
Fierce, formidable, and
Wise enough
To wait patiently
For the past
In its best form.
Here, then, is to a day set aside to recognize that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion...leaving no one behind.*
No tribe.
No person.
A resolution for a revolution.
'Yemi Akinbulumo
February 21st 2021
Proverbs - © 50 Yoruba Proverbs and Idioms compiled by @leopantro
