Òtòlò-ó jẹ, òtòlò-ó mu, òtòlò-ó fẹsẹ̀ wé ẹsẹ̀ erin.

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Transcript

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According to Yoruba tradition, a young person quoting proverbs in the presence of adults must do so humbly and respectfully. Therefore, in line with tradition, I humbly crave the indulgence of my parents and Yoruba elders worldwide before going ahead with this episode. Thank you for your time. Let's get to it. So the first proverb says, Uriagbani, Osonju, Uriagbafolo. The elderly person's head deserves respect. Is better than the elderly person's head is damaged. Uriagbani Osonju Uriagbafolo. The elderly person's head deserves respect. Is better than the elderly person's head is damaged. So this proverb means an elder who enjoys respect is better than one who is insulted by others. The proverb is really about how society treats age, wisdom, and human dignity. In Yoruba culture, the head is not just a physical part of the body. The head represents destiny, honor, and personhood. So when this proverb says it is better for an elder's head to receive respect than injury, it is saying something deeper. It is better to preserve the dignity of those who came before us than to let them suffer humiliation. So think of an older time in a Yoruba town. An elderly woman sits in front of a house at dusk. She may no longer be strong enough to farm, but people still stop to greet her. A young person kneels or bows. Another asks for her blessing before leaving for a journey. Someone brings her food. Someone else asks her to settle the dispute between neighbors. Why? Because her value is no longer measured by muscle or speed. It is measured by memory, endurance, and perspective. So now let's bring that to modern day life. Today, disrespect does not always come in the form of shouting. Sometimes it comes as neglect. A father becomes old and suddenly the family only remembers him when money is needed. A grandmother is still alive, but nobody calls her unless there is a naming ceremony or funeral to plan. In some places, older people are treated like outdated furniture, as if usefulness ended with youth. This proverb pushes back against that mindset. Respecting elders does not mean pretending they are always right. It means recognizing that age itself deserves humane treatment. It means not mocking weakness. It means not humiliating people simply because time has slowed them down. There's also a lesson here for the young. So this proverb asks a simple question. When people grow old around us, do they become invisible or do they become honored? Because a community that cannot respect its elders will eventually fail its children as well. The elderly person's head deserves respect, is better than the elderly person's head is damaged. So the next proverb says, Oriah wo lambagba. It is on the leather hide that one finds the elder. It is on the leather hide that one finds the elder. So this one means one should always live up to what others expect of us. This proverb is compact, but its message is sharp. Your role carries expectations, and character is proven by whether you rise to those expectations. So the image of leather hide is important. In older Yoruba life, leather had uses that depended on durability, preparation, and purpose. It wasn't just appearance that mattered, it was fitness for use. So when the proverb says one finds the elder on the leather hide, it suggests that true stature is revealed where responsibility is tested. In other words, titles alone are cheap. Conduct is what confirms them. Historically, imagine a respected hunter in a town. People call him Agba, an elder, not simply because of his age, but because when danger comes, he is steady. When a path through the forest becomes unsafe, he doesn't disappear. When younger hunters panic is the one who keeps his voice low and his judgment clear. His elderhood is discovered not in boasting, but in performance. That idea is still with us today. Today, someone may have the title of manager, pastor, professor, parent, community leader, or even big brother. But the real question is, do they behave like one? The moment of truth comes when people depend on them. A modern example is quite easy to find. So for example, a team leader enjoys the prestige of being in charge when times are smooth. But when a project fails, does that leader blame everyone else or does that leader take responsibility? A parent loves being celebrated on birthdays and Father's Day or Mother's Day. But when sacrifice is required, do they actually show up? A friend calls himself family, but when crisis comes at 2 a.m., does that friend answer? That is when the elder is found on the leather hide. This proverb teaches that reputation should match reality. It also warns us not to chase status without substance. Many people want the seats, the respect, the greeting, and the title. Fewer people want the discipline that justifies those things. For a wider audience, the lesson is simple. Be the kind of person your role demands. If you are trusted, be trustworthy. If you are called a leader, lead well. If people lean on you, do not collapse under the weight of your own image. Your wisdom does not celebrate position for its own sake. It honors proven character. And that is why this proverb remains timeless. What we claim to be must be visible in how we live. So the next proverb says, Ori kiniyarpo, don sufe. Nitoriqueo Gunyofre, Yo Nikonje. What is the cause of the bachelor's elation that makes him whistle? Is it that he will make pounded yams for himself and eat it by himself? Ori kiniyapon sufe. Nitorique, yo Nikonje. What is the cause of the bachelor's elation that makes him whistle? Is it that he will make pounded yams for himself and eat it by himself? So the meaning of this one is a bachelor with no one to share his life and his meals with has nothing to be cheerful about. The proverb is humorous, but the wisdom is quite serious. It is about loneliness, companionship, and the human need for a shared life. In traditional Yoruba society, eating was really just about food. Meals were social, work was shared, childcare was shared, stories were shared, celebration was shared. Even hardship was easier when carried together. So this proverb uses the image of a bachelor whistling to himself while preparing and eating pounded yam alone. It is almost playful, but the point is quite clear. Life is heavier when lived in isolation. Now, this proverb should not be read narrowly as an attack on unmarried people. Its deeper message is that human beings are not meant to do life entirely alone. Historically, picture a man living by himself in a small compound. He returns from the farm, pounds yam, serves himself, eats in silence, and goes to bed in silence. No conversation, no laughter, no one to say, How did your day go? No one to notice when his shoulders are tired. So the proverb is gently asking, What exactly is he so cheerful about? In modern life, the picture has changed, but the loneliness has not. A person can live in a high-rise apartment in London, Lagos, Toronto, or Atlanta, surrounded by notifications and still eat every meal emotionally alone. Someone may have followers online, but no one to call when grief arrives. Someone may be financially independent and professionally accomplished, yet privately exhausted because success has not replaced companionship. That is the modern version of whistling while eating alone. This proverb reminds us that shared life matters, friendship matters, family matters, community matters. Marriage may be one form of companionship, but it is not the only form. The deeper truth is that joy expands when it is shared, and pain becomes bearable when it is witnessed. It also gently corrects the modern worship of radical self-sufficiency. There is a kind of pride that says, I don't need anybody. But Yoruba wisdom answers, be careful. Independence is useful, but isolation is costly. So the lesson here is not simply get married. The lesson is build meaningful human bonds. Eat with people, talk to people, let your life touch other people's lives. Make room for mutual care. Because a life with no one to share burdens and blessings with may look strong from a distance, but it can become painfully silent up close. Ori kininya akmo donsufe Nito Rikweo Gunyo Funre Yo Nikonje What is the cause of the bachelor's elation that makes him whistle? Is it that he will make pounded yams for himself and eat it by himself? The next proverb says Orogun ye dash of tofi ku your stepmom made a garment for you and you complain that it is not long enough? How many did your mother make for you before she died? Your stepmom made a garment for you and you complain that it is not long enough. How many garments did your mother make for you before she died? So the meaning of this one says people dependent on charity should rather be grateful than prove difficult to please. This proverb is very blunt. It speaks to gratitude, entitlement, and the danger of criticizing help while forgetting one's own vulnerability. The family setting here is important. In many homes, relationships with a stepmother could be delicate. So if a stepmother who is not your biological mother still makes clothes for you, that is an act of care. So to now complain immediately that the clothes is too short is not just rude. It reveals a heart that has forgotten what it means to receive help. Historically, imagine a child whose mother died young. Life could have become hard very quickly. Then another woman in the household steps in, perhaps imperfectly, perhaps without deep affection, but she still provides something. So instead of gratitude, the child focuses only on what is lacking. The proverb steps in and says, Remember what absence looks like before you despise imperfect kindness. And that wisdom applies powerfully today. Someone is helped with school fees and then they complain that the amount was not enough. A relative offers temporary housing, and the guest behaves as if the house belongs to them. A friend connects someone to a job opportunity, and instead of appreciation, the person spends all day criticizing the salary, the office, even the parking space. On a larger scale, people sometimes receive support from a community, an institution, or even a country, and speak as though help is an insult simply because it did not arrive in perfect form. Now, this proverb does not teach people to accept abuse or to be silent in the face of injustice. That is important. Gratitude is not the same as surrender. But when genuine help is given, even if imperfectly, humility should come before complaint. There is a maturity in knowing the difference between constructive feedback and spoilt ingratitude. The proverb also asks us to remember our history. Many people criticize present help because they have forgotten past lack. Memory can produce humility. When you remember what it was like to have nothing, you handle assistance differently. So the modern lesson is this do not let entitlement poison your ability to recognize kindness. Not every helper will do everything perfectly, but if someone lifts a burden that did not have to be theirs, you should acknowledge it. Yoruba wisdom values appreciation because gratitude protects relationships and entitlement destroys them. How many garments did your mother make for you before she died? So the final proverb here says Otoloje Otolomu Otolofese weese. The water buck ate the water book drank. Then the water buck compared its legs to the elephant's legs. Otologe Otolomu Otolofese weese The water buck ate. The water buck drank. Then the water buck compared its legs to the elephant's legs. So this one's meaning is quite simple. Satiation leads to excesses. This is a brilliant proverb about what happens when comfort turns into arrogance. So the water buck eats and drinks, its needs are met. Instead of becoming calm, grateful, or wise, it becomes swollen with comparison. It begins to measure itself against the elephant. That is the danger the proverb is warning against. Once people become comfortable, they can lose proportion. Historically, this would make perfect sense in agrarian life. After a good harvest, after enough food, after enough palm oil, after enough security, some people became boastful. Abundance did not make them humble. It made them reckless. They forgot limits. They began to insult those greater than themselves or to imagine that temporary comfort had made them prominent giants. And the same thing happens today all the time. A person gets one promotion and suddenly treats old friends like servants. A new business starts doing well, and the owner begins speaking as if nobody before them ever succeeded. A politician gains office and forgets how recently they were asking people for support. A celebrity goes viral and starts comparing themselves to legends who built their names over decades. Even ordinary people like me and you fall into it. One good year financially, and suddenly there is contempt for everyone who is still struggling. That is the water book comparing its legs to the elephant's legs. This proverb is not against success, it is against swollen ego. It teaches that satisfaction, if not accompanied by discipline, can produce foolishness. When people are hungry, they are cautious. When they become comfortable, they often relax their judgment. And when comfort becomes pride, they then overreach. There is also a quiet warning here about comparison itself. The water book was fine until it started measuring itself against the elephant. Comparison can make people ridiculous, literally. Instead of growing steadily, they begin performing greatness that they have not earned. So for a modern-day audience, this proverb is especially relevant in the age of display. Social media rewards exaggeration. People receive a little applause and then they begin acting like emperors. They confuse attention with stature. They confuse comfort with superiority. Yoruba Wisdom says, eat, drink, enjoy your blessings, but keep your common sense. Because the moment prosperity removes humility, it starts preparing your downfall. Otologe Otolomo Otolofese we seen. The water book ate, the water book drank. Then the water book compared its legs to the elephant's legs. So these five proverbs taken together gives us a beautiful moral map. Respect those who have gone ahead of you. Let your conduct match your role. Do not build a life of proud isolation. Be grateful when help comes. And when blessings arrive, remain humble. That is one of the beauties of Yoruba proverbs. They don't merely decorate speech, they discipline thought. They call us back to balance. They remind us that character matters more than noise and wisdom matters more than appearance. And perhaps that is why these old sayings still feel fresh. Human beings still struggle with the same things pride, loneliness, entitlement, disrespect, and the temptation to forget ourselves when life becomes comfortable. Thank you for listening to Yoruba Proverbs with Bide Miologude. Until next time, may we not only admire wisdom, but leave it. So that's all I have for this episode of the Yoruba Proverbs podcast. If you've benefited from this episode, if you feel like this podcast as a whole, Is adding some value. Please and please kindly share the episode, the podcast. Depending on whichever platform you are using to listen right now, you can send the podcast to whoever you think might also learn a thing or two. You can share on WhatsApp, you can share on text messages, you can share however you want to share, email, and so on. So again, um, thank you once again for being part of this, which is a learning process for me as well. And like I said in the beginning, a young person quoting proverbs in the presence of elders must do so humbly and respectfully. So I crave the indulgence of my parents, um, Yoruba elders worldwide as I narrate and break down and analyze these proverbs from my own perspective. And of course, none of these proverbs are definitively translated in one way or the other. The whole concept behind this is to glean the wisdom and the knowledge that our elders keep passing down to us. And this proverb, this podcast is basically doing just that, so that we just pass on that knowledge as much as we can to as many people as possible, especially in this day and age where the younger ones don't even want to learn the language anymore, and they would rather be on social media and so on. So, anyway, thank you so much. Talk to you next time. Bye for now.