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Sometimes unanswered prayers are God's greatest gifts. If all our prayers are answered, we may end up missing God's plan for our lives... Teach me O Lord to always say " Your Will be Done"
The Lingering Scent of Fakindi War
"During the days of Akimba
Things were different
Boys travel down to the sacred groove to become men
With the blessings of their mother hanging around their neck
They eat the hearts of the leopards
And drink with the skull of lions
Things were different
Boys travel down to the sacred groove to become men
With the blessings of their mother hanging around their neck
They eat the hearts of the leopards
And drink with the skull of lions
"They were prepared to terrify death
To laugh at the booming of guns
To survive when the daggers are drawn
To laugh at the booming of guns
To survive when the daggers are drawn
"They were the heroes who fought in Fakindi war
Those born in our days still met the flakes of clashing spears
We heard the sound of clashing swords
The spark of war reached us after her heroes are all gone
They are the giants who rose and fell in battle
Who are born only to one end
To stand and die defending their people
Those born in our days still met the flakes of clashing spears
We heard the sound of clashing swords
The spark of war reached us after her heroes are all gone
They are the giants who rose and fell in battle
Who are born only to one end
To stand and die defending their people
"How can we forget the tradition
Of the heroes of that war
Their broken bones and lost graves
Are the sacrifices the earth cannot ignore
Their ghosts is the wind of bliss that blows across our world
That steadies our boats and readies our guns
Of the heroes of that war
Their broken bones and lost graves
Are the sacrifices the earth cannot ignore
Their ghosts is the wind of bliss that blows across our world
That steadies our boats and readies our guns
"The great Fakindi himself was the brother of Akimba
Akimba our king joined his brother against nine kings
Those days when Akimba danced in the rain of guns
The days when my father, Batuyi bathed in the blood of our enemies
When Fakindi became the smoke that oceans cannot quench
The days of life
The days of death
The days of great groanings
The days when we still knew who we were
The days when men were men
The days when our pride was bravery
I still met the scent of that tradition
Lingering on the mountain top
Aching to survive but hastily dying out
Akimba our king joined his brother against nine kings
Those days when Akimba danced in the rain of guns
The days when my father, Batuyi bathed in the blood of our enemies
When Fakindi became the smoke that oceans cannot quench
The days of life
The days of death
The days of great groanings
The days when we still knew who we were
The days when men were men
The days when our pride was bravery
I still met the scent of that tradition
Lingering on the mountain top
Aching to survive but hastily dying out
"Time has changed my son
The next lorry that will pass the street Tansa
Will carry our sons away
The defender of our race
To lost them in places far away from home
Far from their own origin
Where they will be beggars all their lives
Begging the same people
Who once placed chains in the ankles of their fathers
Who stole their lives from them
The days when life is life are over
The next lorry that will pass the street Tansa
Will carry our sons away
The defender of our race
To lost them in places far away from home
Far from their own origin
Where they will be beggars all their lives
Begging the same people
Who once placed chains in the ankles of their fathers
Who stole their lives from them
The days when life is life are over
"But Kante, my son
It is your destiny to know who you are
Where you come from
The stories of your fathers
What you are
To know from which hole of the earth your ancestors sprout from
It is your destiny to know who you are
Where you come from
The stories of your fathers
What you are
To know from which hole of the earth your ancestors sprout from
"You will go to the sacred groove to learn
How not to die
To walk in moonless hours with confidence
To answer with your guns not your legs when the lions roar
To become a man, a true man of Tansa"
How not to die
To walk in moonless hours with confidence
To answer with your guns not your legs when the lions roar
To become a man, a true man of Tansa"
Bambili voice sometimes has magic in it
But this night, it was the liquor of wisdom and silence
Flowing from his bleeding heart
Over an unredeemable past
Over a civilization buried in the grave of antiquity
That strained the air with a tinted smell
Making me feel what I couldn't feel
But this night, it was the liquor of wisdom and silence
Flowing from his bleeding heart
Over an unredeemable past
Over a civilization buried in the grave of antiquity
That strained the air with a tinted smell
Making me feel what I couldn't feel
He stood with his eyes on the road
And hands on the door
I took off the leather sack
The door closed behind us
Tansa street lies beneath our feet
As we manoeuvre our way through a starless moment
And hands on the door
I took off the leather sack
The door closed behind us
Tansa street lies beneath our feet
As we manoeuvre our way through a starless moment
The night was cold and quiet
Too dark that my little hunting lamp struggles with blindness
Soon we were on the path leading into the forest
Bambili suddenly came to a halt
Looked round and beckoned me in still whispers
Too dark that my little hunting lamp struggles with blindness
Soon we were on the path leading into the forest
Bambili suddenly came to a halt
Looked round and beckoned me in still whispers
"Kante, I must leave you now
From here you will find the route into your fate alone
A man will meet you as you go
But don't be afraid my son
I can only father a child
I can't father a man
You must be a man to survive alone"
From here you will find the route into your fate alone
A man will meet you as you go
But don't be afraid my son
I can only father a child
I can't father a man
You must be a man to survive alone"
Bambili took two steps backward
And then started walking away
Leaving me along in the palace of death
And then started walking away
Leaving me along in the palace of death
I wonder if this is truly happening
Or it's just another dream like the ones I had about Amanda
Few days ago when I saw her walking away from home
I checked the content of the bag I was carrying
A white wrapper was folded in it
With some kola, cowries, razor and two black strings
I wonder what all these are meant for
Or it's just another dream like the ones I had about Amanda
Few days ago when I saw her walking away from home
I checked the content of the bag I was carrying
A white wrapper was folded in it
With some kola, cowries, razor and two black strings
I wonder what all these are meant for
I stood there alone in dark
I had to make my first choice
Either to hurry back to the safety of my home
And jump into the arms of my mom
And remain a child forever
Or walk on into the dark with a trembling feet too weak to stand
Defiling the threat of beast and death
And become the man I see in Bambili
Fearless and loving
I stayed minutes at the crossroads of choices
Pondering which way to turn
I had to make my first choice
Either to hurry back to the safety of my home
And jump into the arms of my mom
And remain a child forever
Or walk on into the dark with a trembling feet too weak to stand
Defiling the threat of beast and death
And become the man I see in Bambili
Fearless and loving
I stayed minutes at the crossroads of choices
Pondering which way to turn
Then one simple step I took forward
One more and yet another
Soon I was on my way into a realm I do not know
To do what I don't know
To meet people I don't know
One more and yet another
Soon I was on my way into a realm I do not know
To do what I don't know
To meet people I don't know
And as I pressed into the sacred groove
I forgot death or life
I forgot Amanda and Tansa
I forgot Kante or Bambili
All that matters was to just keep going
With my little hunting lamp
And my leather bag
As my only companions into my own future
I forgot death or life
I forgot Amanda and Tansa
I forgot Kante or Bambili
All that matters was to just keep going
With my little hunting lamp
And my leather bag
As my only companions into my own future
© Olatuja Oloyede
To be Continued on Monday
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This is Destiny
When it was three days
Before Sosa festival
Bambili invited me to his room
He sat on his old wooden bed
The one his own fathers had sat
Wiping the mouth of his gun
Before Sosa festival
Bambili invited me to his room
He sat on his old wooden bed
The one his own fathers had sat
Wiping the mouth of his gun
When I entered, he didn't look up
He only pointed to a leather sack
Hanging idly on the wall
And began to speak so slowly
Like someone afraid of his own words
He only pointed to a leather sack
Hanging idly on the wall
And began to speak so slowly
Like someone afraid of his own words
"Kante, in that sack is your destiny
Tonight you will follow me to the sacred groove
Where you will dance in the great circle
You will drink life from the pot of wisdom
You will see what the eagle cannot see from the cliff of the wind
You will know what only men should know"
Tonight you will follow me to the sacred groove
Where you will dance in the great circle
You will drink life from the pot of wisdom
You will see what the eagle cannot see from the cliff of the wind
You will know what only men should know"
Too many thoughts crossed my mind
Like never before, I was scared
Scared of the night, of the forest, of Bambili
I felt lost in a life I doubt if it's ever mine
Like never before, I was scared
Scared of the night, of the forest, of Bambili
I felt lost in a life I doubt if it's ever mine
"Are we going to hunt again?
It's three days to Sosa
When no one must walk the street at night
When banters of lovers are only done in whispers
Why the groove at an hour
Forbidden by the beginners of our race"
It's three days to Sosa
When no one must walk the street at night
When banters of lovers are only done in whispers
Why the groove at an hour
Forbidden by the beginners of our race"
Fear pounded in my heart
Panic crept out of my mouth
For I know Bambili says only what he will do
And tonight, it was not an opinion
It was an order
I thought he expected me to just obey
But he continued anyway
And I saw sadness in his eyes
I heard fears in his voice
I knew whatever it was Bambili was hiding
It was bigger than him
He has a heart beating in harmony with his dead fathers
Panic crept out of my mouth
For I know Bambili says only what he will do
And tonight, it was not an opinion
It was an order
I thought he expected me to just obey
But he continued anyway
And I saw sadness in his eyes
I heard fears in his voice
I knew whatever it was Bambili was hiding
It was bigger than him
He has a heart beating in harmony with his dead fathers
"My son, you know little of who you are
But tonight you will know better
Because this night you will become a man
If you must bear my name when I'm gone
If you must stand for the course of your people
You be initiated into manhood"
But tonight you will know better
Because this night you will become a man
If you must bear my name when I'm gone
If you must stand for the course of your people
You be initiated into manhood"
I looked at his furrowed eyes
A man whose heart is stiffen by too many war
Whose eyes had seen kings beg to be spared
Who had bathed in the blood of hundreds
Scattered on the plains of history
A man whose heart is stiffen by too many war
Whose eyes had seen kings beg to be spared
Who had bathed in the blood of hundreds
Scattered on the plains of history
Then I remember that morning when we sat on a fallen tree
As the dew announced the birth of another day
It was a quiet dawn after a long fruitless hunt
He told me how he was initiated into adulthood
He had to cross nine hills with other boys
Because not even the mountains should stop a man of Tansa
He swim across Omiri river
Because no river can stop a determined soldier
He slept seven night in the groove
At the mercy of wild dogs and leopards
To learn that fear is a prison in the mind
Where all cowards live or die
He fired his first gun into the wild
A man should never turn the mouth of death to his people
As the dew announced the birth of another day
It was a quiet dawn after a long fruitless hunt
He told me how he was initiated into adulthood
He had to cross nine hills with other boys
Because not even the mountains should stop a man of Tansa
He swim across Omiri river
Because no river can stop a determined soldier
He slept seven night in the groove
At the mercy of wild dogs and leopards
To learn that fear is a prison in the mind
Where all cowards live or die
He fired his first gun into the wild
A man should never turn the mouth of death to his people
But I could only think
Of nine hills, seven cold nights, the great Omiri river
I was so afraid that I wanted to run
Far from Bambili, far from tradition, far from Tansa
I wanted to run to where Amanda had gone
Hidden from the clutches of culture
From this trepidation in my spirit
Of nine hills, seven cold nights, the great Omiri river
I was so afraid that I wanted to run
Far from Bambili, far from tradition, far from Tansa
I wanted to run to where Amanda had gone
Hidden from the clutches of culture
From this trepidation in my spirit
"Kante, this is destiny
From which there is no running away
It is the fate you carry since birth
It is the blood that runs in your vein
You are my first and only son
You alone will wade the sword of Tansa when I'm gone
You are the defender of this land
Culture don't give you many choices
It only tells you how you should live
And those who chose to ignore this
Will father vagabonds forever alien to themselves
Beggars who will cloth themselves in the rags of strangers
Who will see themselves through the eyes of another
Who will be defined by those who wonder who they are"
From which there is no running away
It is the fate you carry since birth
It is the blood that runs in your vein
You are my first and only son
You alone will wade the sword of Tansa when I'm gone
You are the defender of this land
Culture don't give you many choices
It only tells you how you should live
And those who chose to ignore this
Will father vagabonds forever alien to themselves
Beggars who will cloth themselves in the rags of strangers
Who will see themselves through the eyes of another
Who will be defined by those who wonder who they are"
"Will I climb the nine hills?
Swim through the great river?
Sleep seven nights in the dark dangerous wild
Hunted by beasts and death?
Swim through the great river?
Sleep seven nights in the dark dangerous wild
Hunted by beasts and death?
"Son, it is when you learn to stop asking too many questions
That you begin to understand who you are
Time has changed and the days like mine are gone
Like an antelope who escaped the trap of lions
After straying into the den of death
Those of us who knew these days
Cannot forgive the betrayal of times and seasons
May be it is our fate to be lost
Like the peacock who with good mind
Dances to display its beauty to the world
Only to end in the soup of its owner
That you begin to understand who you are
Time has changed and the days like mine are gone
Like an antelope who escaped the trap of lions
After straying into the den of death
Those of us who knew these days
Cannot forgive the betrayal of times and seasons
May be it is our fate to be lost
Like the peacock who with good mind
Dances to display its beauty to the world
Only to end in the soup of its owner
During the days of King Adimba
© Olatuja Oloyede
Continue Reading tomorrow
Had a pretty busy day... Had to squeeze this out from my diary...
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Idylls of Love___Part 8: (Are these not the Signs of Time)
You were the one I saw on the other side
Walking away from home
Pressing into the depth of the unknown
I called but you didn't answer
I scream but you didn't hear
Your gaze was fixed on the road
Walking as far as your legs can carry you
Your hungry legs devouring the road in angry desperation
You don't even look back at the world you're left behind
Walking away from home
Pressing into the depth of the unknown
I called but you didn't answer
I scream but you didn't hear
Your gaze was fixed on the road
Walking as far as your legs can carry you
Your hungry legs devouring the road in angry desperation
You don't even look back at the world you're left behind
How do you cross the great Omiri river
Which is the only wall fencing the great Tansa land
No bridge, no boat and her banks are wide apart
Too deep too large to swim across
Which is the only wall fencing the great Tansa land
No bridge, no boat and her banks are wide apart
Too deep too large to swim across
I stood bewildered
Watching as you fade into nothing
Watching as you fade into nothing
I collapsed into the pool of my own tears
Weeping my sadness into the flowing river
Hoping Omiri herself will reach out her hands of compassion
But explanation not console is what I need
Weeping my sadness into the flowing river
Hoping Omiri herself will reach out her hands of compassion
But explanation not console is what I need
Amanda, where do you go in such a hurry
That you forget to leave a world behind
For those who cared about you
That you refuse to answer your name
That you forget to leave a world behind
For those who cared about you
That you refuse to answer your name
I sat on a rock at the bank of Omiri
Drenching my brow with a stream of sorrow
My heart drown in pain
Drenching my brow with a stream of sorrow
My heart drown in pain
Then a strong voice came out of no where
Startling me out of sleep
It was mama calling me to take out the calabashes
An heavy rain had started
Startling me out of sleep
It was mama calling me to take out the calabashes
An heavy rain had started
So it was just a dream
Which manoeuvred out my loneliness
As I lay on my mat thinking of you last night
And I wish your going to the city too was a dream
Which manoeuvred out my loneliness
As I lay on my mat thinking of you last night
And I wish your going to the city too was a dream
It rained all night
Thunder and lightening kept beating the plate of the sky
Reminding me of judgement and justice
The wicked will quiver at its roarings
The children will shiver as it noising flashes in the thick dark clouds
The wise will lay quietly with questions unanswered
What kind of rain is this?
Thunder and lightening kept beating the plate of the sky
Reminding me of judgement and justice
The wicked will quiver at its roarings
The children will shiver as it noising flashes in the thick dark clouds
The wise will lay quietly with questions unanswered
What kind of rain is this?
After the last cock crow
And the morning flaunt its splendour on humanity
Omiri, the river cutting through many farms
Is overfed with the rain that fell overnight
Its banks can hold no more
So she stretched her territory beyond her natural boarders
To the road impeding those going to their farms
And the morning flaunt its splendour on humanity
Omiri, the river cutting through many farms
Is overfed with the rain that fell overnight
Its banks can hold no more
So she stretched her territory beyond her natural boarders
To the road impeding those going to their farms
Even the great Ogoy tree
The one rumoured to be the house of malevolent spirits
Had fallen into Koye's farm
The thunders had dug out its root
As if its searching for the secret of its power
Yanking out its foundation out of frustration
Like a fruitless thief with no treasure to loot
As if challenging the certainty of his fame
The one rumoured to be the house of malevolent spirits
Had fallen into Koye's farm
The thunders had dug out its root
As if its searching for the secret of its power
Yanking out its foundation out of frustration
Like a fruitless thief with no treasure to loot
As if challenging the certainty of his fame
The rain continued to drizzle in the morning
Many worried if the annual 14days rain had begun
The last days before the next month
The days that clears the busy path
For Sasa festival to have a safe entry
Many worried if the annual 14days rain had begun
The last days before the next month
The days that clears the busy path
For Sasa festival to have a safe entry
We will be trapped in our homes
Eating roasted yams with palm oil
Beast will freely walk the forest without the fear of the hunter
Birds will boast with pride without the fear of the falconer
Fishes will bath in their home without the intruding hook and line
The days of weird peace and silence
Eating roasted yams with palm oil
Beast will freely walk the forest without the fear of the hunter
Birds will boast with pride without the fear of the falconer
Fishes will bath in their home without the intruding hook and line
The days of weird peace and silence
But I wondered if these were not signs
Which marked your departure
If heaven had not sent her own tears
To accompany mine as it sink into the womb of the earth
If these were not pointers to a new phase of dryness and loneliness
Which marked your departure
If heaven had not sent her own tears
To accompany mine as it sink into the womb of the earth
If these were not pointers to a new phase of dryness and loneliness
© Olatuja Oloyede
To be Continued Tomorrow
Make sure you read other parts... In fact, you can't understand part 8 if you didn't read part seven
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Idylls of Love ___Part 7: (Called You at the River but You Did Not Answer)
That day you left
Night crawled slowly out of its cave
Casting its wings of darkness on the world
Invoking the wickedness enshrined in humanity
But the elegance of the full moon
Gracing the glades of heaven
Brought life and light to us
And I wondered if that same moon
Was a guild to your feet
Heralding you into that distant realm
As you find your way in the labyrinth of time
Night crawled slowly out of its cave
Casting its wings of darkness on the world
Invoking the wickedness enshrined in humanity
But the elegance of the full moon
Gracing the glades of heaven
Brought life and light to us
And I wondered if that same moon
Was a guild to your feet
Heralding you into that distant realm
As you find your way in the labyrinth of time
As I lay quietly on my mat
The noise of gay children knocked at my door
The fantasies of childhood parried through my window
Bidding me to join in the evening dance
I know by now
They will cluster around the feet of the elders
To hear the tales of how the world began
The markers of our own identity
The mystery behind the formation of our race
The legendary of the bygone days
The pride and the taboos of our people
Why the tortoise had a broken back
The noise of gay children knocked at my door
The fantasies of childhood parried through my window
Bidding me to join in the evening dance
I know by now
They will cluster around the feet of the elders
To hear the tales of how the world began
The markers of our own identity
The mystery behind the formation of our race
The legendary of the bygone days
The pride and the taboos of our people
Why the tortoise had a broken back
Like mama once told me
Never stay by the road when the cloud gathers
Never eat at the doorway
A pregnant woman should not visit the stream under a hot sun
Because the denizens of yonder realm roam the universe at noon
This is the wisdom that the night brings to us
Never stay by the road when the cloud gathers
Never eat at the doorway
A pregnant woman should not visit the stream under a hot sun
Because the denizens of yonder realm roam the universe at noon
This is the wisdom that the night brings to us
But that night when you left for the city
The world suddenly become a strange place
Even the company of others frightens me
The earth is unappealing without you
The world suddenly become a strange place
Even the company of others frightens me
The earth is unappealing without you
Yam tasted bitter in my mouth
This is not just loneliness
It is a funeral in my heart
Mourning your absence
And for some weird reasons
I wondered if you were save
If the city cast roses around your feet
Welcoming you with open arms
If you will one day return home
I silently prayed for you for that is all I can
This is not just loneliness
It is a funeral in my heart
Mourning your absence
And for some weird reasons
I wondered if you were save
If the city cast roses around your feet
Welcoming you with open arms
If you will one day return home
I silently prayed for you for that is all I can
I was awake when the noise of the children died from the street
When each lamp and foot find its way back home
When neighbours greeted goodnight
When only the shrieking of weird birds
the howling of wild dogs
The noise of crickets
And the songs of frogs
Are the only intruders of a blissful time
Piercing the silence of the night
When mama placed a bar between the two irons fastened behind our door
The very last act of everyday
A symbol that the day is done
When each lamp and foot find its way back home
When neighbours greeted goodnight
When only the shrieking of weird birds
the howling of wild dogs
The noise of crickets
And the songs of frogs
Are the only intruders of a blissful time
Piercing the silence of the night
When mama placed a bar between the two irons fastened behind our door
The very last act of everyday
A symbol that the day is done
I didn't move or shake
I just lay in silence with a heavy heart flooded with too many thoughts
A heart bruised with several imaginations
I just lay in silence with a heavy heart flooded with too many thoughts
A heart bruised with several imaginations
Then suddenly, I found myself
Like a stray ghost
Wandering in strange forest
Searching through the layers of dark trees
Like a stray ghost
Wandering in strange forest
Searching through the layers of dark trees
Then I saw you walking down the path that leads to the stream
With a determined gait
Like a wayfarer on a journey of no return
With a determined gait
Like a wayfarer on a journey of no return
I called you but you didn't answer
You didn't even turn to see who knows your name in the darkness
I hurried after you
But you vanished into thin air
Yet I followed your trail towards the great river
For that where the aura of your presence bids me
You didn't even turn to see who knows your name in the darkness
I hurried after you
But you vanished into thin air
Yet I followed your trail towards the great river
For that where the aura of your presence bids me
At the great river
You were already at the other side
Still walking farther and farther from home
Pressing into the heart of the unknown
The gloom of a starless sky will not frighten you
The death hidden in the wood will not discourage you
The little smiling moon of the night
Tells me of your fading presence
I knew it was you walking away
Amanda it was you walking through this darkness
The beads around your waist betrays you
Your carriage reveals who you are
You were already at the other side
Still walking farther and farther from home
Pressing into the heart of the unknown
The gloom of a starless sky will not frighten you
The death hidden in the wood will not discourage you
The little smiling moon of the night
Tells me of your fading presence
I knew it was you walking away
Amanda it was you walking through this darkness
The beads around your waist betrays you
Your carriage reveals who you are
© Olatuja Oloyede
To be Continued Tomorrow
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Idylls of Love___Part 6 (Fading Only into Memories)
Days grew like grass between us
On the lawn of distance time created
The edges of love become blunt
That lorry still raises dust of memories in my mind
On the lawn of distance time created
The edges of love become blunt
That lorry still raises dust of memories in my mind
Your name is crested in my heart
Your presence is frequent in my dreams
Your presence is frequent in my dreams
Is it not like yesterday
When destiny made our path cross
When we first met
When the dew of our morning is beginning to find its ways across the world of men
I remember that innocence you had in your smiles
The charm that hung around your neck
The beauty that dangles with your waist
The honey that flowed from your smooth tongue
The honey that flowed from your smooth tongue
Yes, it's just like yesterday
Yes, that night during the search of Sohun
I was still seven and you just five
You look frail and I fain to protect you
I was still seven and you just five
You look frail and I fain to protect you
Sohun was that great palm wine tapper
Whose fame had gone over hills and rivers
Into many villages beyond our own
His weird climbing skills
His weird climbing skills
Was rumoured to be given him by spirit beings
He was feared to be in possession of some mysterious powers
He was feared to be in possession of some mysterious powers
And truly, there was magic in the way he walks and talks
Yet he was a man who never knew true happiness
Yet he was a man who never knew true happiness
After four days of combing the forest
We saw his body lying lifeless
We saw his body lying lifeless
At the mercy of worms and vultures
A man of honour lying on undignified bed of death
How he got there was a puzzle
He was surely not murdered
For such things are unheard in our world
We are the oracle of Peace
A man of honour lying on undignified bed of death
How he got there was a puzzle
He was surely not murdered
For such things are unheard in our world
We are the oracle of Peace
Some said it was his debt that killed me
Some said his doom was in his strength
Some said his doom was in his strength
Some said he sold his soul for fame and power
He took too much of fresh wine out of frustration
And slumped into that blurry realm only visited by drinkers
He rested rudely on a log hiding a viper
Which stung intruders without mercy
He took too much of fresh wine out of frustration
And slumped into that blurry realm only visited by drinkers
He rested rudely on a log hiding a viper
Which stung intruders without mercy
It was during this search I first met Amanda
We stayed in their house
We stayed in their house
We the men of the village
Though I was too young to be called a man then
But I'm the heir to Bambibi, my father
Who is the warlord of the village
And I've been regarded as a man since I was born
Your hut stood close to the forest
And you and your mother took care of us
Throughout the search
Bringing us food, water and wine
I could hear my heart
Beat twice faster each time I saw you
And each time our eyes met
I shiver like a naked man
Hiding in an abyss of ice
That was the beginning of a long tale
That will be told years after we are no more
That will be told years after we are no more
The search was over and the dead lay to rest
I always stopped by to see you
Sometimes I waited at length
By the path that leads to the stream
Hoping you will come by with your pitcher
To get some water from the stream
And you often did
I always stopped by to see you
Sometimes I waited at length
By the path that leads to the stream
Hoping you will come by with your pitcher
To get some water from the stream
And you often did
Not because you ran out of water
But because you knew I will be there waiting
But because you knew I will be there waiting
I breath each moment only to be with you
Each day was incomplete without you
Each day was incomplete without you
I loved you that I hated to be with any other
We enjoyed the ecstasy of those moments
We enjoyed the ecstasy of those moments
Only to be startled out of the dreams that come with childhood
Only to be yanked and drifted apart
As you descended into the oblivion of the city
A tangible experience gradually faded into memories
Twenty years has gone by now
Hope kept its flames burning bright
Hope kept its flames burning bright
And it's just like Yesterday since you left
Twenty years since you've gone
Leaving behind your root
Drifting away from your ancestral origin
I wonder what the other side has done to you
Which seems to have twisted your sense of reasoning
And clouded your sight of judgement
That you don't see where the flowers of happiness spring from any more
Leaving behind your root
Drifting away from your ancestral origin
I wonder what the other side has done to you
Which seems to have twisted your sense of reasoning
And clouded your sight of judgement
That you don't see where the flowers of happiness spring from any more
© Olatuja Oloyede
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Watch out for part 7
To be continued tomorrow
Idylls of Love___Part 5: It's Your Weeping Face I Can't Forget
Even when you disappeared in the distant mist
Even when you disappeared in the distant mist
Vanishing like the smoke into the air
And the dusts raised by that lorry
Settle on the leaves again
My face were still glued to the road
And the dusts raised by that lorry
Settle on the leaves again
My face were still glued to the road
The beginning of my long wait
At the path leading into a pathless world
Briefly, I hope it's all but a momentary dream
That you were still in your father's hut in the village
Waiting the same way you have always waited
For the arrival of the evening
Our friendship is that coverings that shields us from the world
When the work of the day's work is done
Alone we are left to dream
To swing in the marauding wind of the valley
When the work of the day's work is done
Alone we are left to dream
To swing in the marauding wind of the valley
To sing with twinkles in our hearts
We wander briefly into the future with glee
In the world created only in our minds
We wander briefly into the future with glee
In the world created only in our minds
But alas, the time has come
When all these melodies must sway into silent hummings
When destiny is deciding its own course
It does not bother asking about our opinions
It does not bother asking about our opinions
Tears well up in my eyes
But I was too young understand
Why my heart bleeds this much
I tried walking home
But the strength sustaining these aching heart
But the strength sustaining these aching heart
Hidden within my flesh are gone
My feet are afraid of walking farther away from you too
I struggled home with a sluggish gait
When I staggered passed your hut
I saw mama (your mother) outside
Pealing from a heap of cassava
Pealing from a heap of cassava
Talking warmly with a friend
And I wondered if she can't feel
The hole burrowed inside of me
And I wondered if she can't feel
The hole burrowed inside of me
The pain your departure caused me
I could not bear looking twice that way
For I see your face in hers
I could not bear looking twice that way
For I see your face in hers
I hurried home
Not sure of where is home anymore
For it was you who made it home to me
And anywhere you are
Will always be home to me
Not sure of where is home anymore
For it was you who made it home to me
And anywhere you are
Will always be home to me
For sure my sisters will mock my foolishness
And my friends will scorn this blind feelings
But I can't survive this alone
And my friends will scorn this blind feelings
But I can't survive this alone
I need you always by my side
The long days of my loneliness has just begone
Yet, little do I know
That the embers of my loneliness will spark into years
And years into decades
Slightly I pray for your return
But I know your going is a wish we both had
A dream we both dreamt
A prayer our innocent heart both prayed
In the dawn of our long lives
You are the young bird flapping its wings across an hostile sky
Pushing through the cloud magnificent cities
To have education
To speak the white man's language
To be like Baba Tikolo's son
To have education
To speak the white man's language
To be like Baba Tikolo's son
The only doctor from our village
But it's your weeping face
Your waving hands
Your nostalgic heart
And your last question
That I can never forget
Your waving hands
Your nostalgic heart
And your last question
That I can never forget
And these tears still running down my eyes
Began the very first time you left
© Olatuja Oloyede
Sunday is a day dedicated for rest.... So continue reading on Monday. Make sure you subscribe to stay connected.
Make sure you read the preceding parts to understand this story ok...
Make sure you read the preceding parts to understand this story ok...
Idylls of Love ___Part 4 (Has Time done this Injustice?)
"I've heard too many weird stories
About the yonder cities
Furnished in the empty insecurity of civilization
Peopled with men begging to be reunited to their origin
Men tossed in the wind of frustrations
Always on the move
Straying farther away from the source of their identity
The essence of the African soul
Never knowing the bliss that comes with the dawn
Or the satisfaction that comes with the dusk
Forgetting the melodies the flying birds carry in their talons
Full of many opportunities
A bribe to the injustices of history
About the yonder cities
Furnished in the empty insecurity of civilization
Peopled with men begging to be reunited to their origin
Men tossed in the wind of frustrations
Always on the move
Straying farther away from the source of their identity
The essence of the African soul
Never knowing the bliss that comes with the dawn
Or the satisfaction that comes with the dusk
Forgetting the melodies the flying birds carry in their talons
Full of many opportunities
A bribe to the injustices of history
But since you are a dreamer
I hope you find greener grounds on the other side
I hope it rains are in your favour
And its shines lead you
Only to the carven of fulfillment
I hope you find greener grounds on the other side
I hope it rains are in your favour
And its shines lead you
Only to the carven of fulfillment
Be watchful my friend
In that strange land
Let pride lead you into the future
And may the spirit of your fathers guild you into the unknown"
In that strange land
Let pride lead you into the future
And may the spirit of your fathers guild you into the unknown"
The lorry and its noise came to halt
Alas you must hurry in
Alas you must hurry in
We will be together in your dreams
You will hear my whispers in your heart
I will never leave the realm of your thoughts
You will hear my whispers in your heart
I will never leave the realm of your thoughts
I know too well
That the tears that now flood with ease
Down the alley of your face are mine
For we do not know how to endure
The thousands of kilometers that now perch between us
That the tears that now flood with ease
Down the alley of your face are mine
For we do not know how to endure
The thousands of kilometers that now perch between us
I shiver with you as you climbed into the lorry
Pushing your ways to the back roll
I still remember so clearly
How your gaze was fixed on me
But not just on me
But the home you also left behind
Pushing your ways to the back roll
I still remember so clearly
How your gaze was fixed on me
But not just on me
But the home you also left behind
This was who I saw in you then?
A poor little child
A traveller into the unknown
With hopes as the bracelet with which you created the future
A poor little child
A traveller into the unknown
With hopes as the bracelet with which you created the future
As you waved back from the back seat
I wonder if that is the final goodbye you will say
If this road that leads you
Into the hinterlands of a distant world
From the world you once hold so dear
From the people you once cherished
Will one day bring you back
To those who you once loved so much
I wonder if that is the final goodbye you will say
If this road that leads you
Into the hinterlands of a distant world
From the world you once hold so dear
From the people you once cherished
Will one day bring you back
To those who you once loved so much
What awaits on the other side?
I hope the pastures are green
I hope the rivers are clean
As it is fancied to be
I hope little Amanda will be accepted
In the land her sail is now bound?
I hope the rivers are clean
As it is fancied to be
I hope little Amanda will be accepted
In the land her sail is now bound?
One thing did not fade as lorry vanished
The innocence on your harmless weeping face
That will keep asking me the same question
I left on answered for a long time in my mind
Though it now only a shadowy image
I still look back on the long road
With tears and nostalgia
Praying you come back home someday
The innocence on your harmless weeping face
That will keep asking me the same question
I left on answered for a long time in my mind
Though it now only a shadowy image
I still look back on the long road
With tears and nostalgia
Praying you come back home someday
I sat again on that grass
For my legs was glued to the spot
Unwilling to carry me back home
It was you that made it home to me
The laughter on our happy faces
The innocence we shared
The glad evenings vanished by your presence
For my legs was glued to the spot
Unwilling to carry me back home
It was you that made it home to me
The laughter on our happy faces
The innocence we shared
The glad evenings vanished by your presence
I can't help but ask
Has the course of time had done this injustice?
By taking you away from me
The only friend and sister I have?
Has the course of time had done this injustice?
By taking you away from me
The only friend and sister I have?
Continue Reading Tomorrow
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© Olatuja Oloyede
Idylls of Love ___Part 3 (Long Road from Home)
My gaze went from your watery eyes
To the green grass upon which we stood
To the green grass upon which we stood
I Could almost hear your heart
You knew I wasn't confused
But you were wondering why I'm so scared
You knew I wasn't confused
But you were wondering why I'm so scared
I'd love to say
You are the angel that made this cruel world
A heaven to me
You are that happiness
I've seek all my life
You are a divine benevolence
From the orisons of sacred dusks
You are that future
I'd waited for all my life for
The beauty of childhood
You are the angel that made this cruel world
A heaven to me
You are that happiness
I've seek all my life
You are a divine benevolence
From the orisons of sacred dusks
You are that future
I'd waited for all my life for
The beauty of childhood
But my trembling lips won't speak
I'm a child too afraid to look at the world on the face
I'm a just boy who sometimes forgets his name
I run back into the arms of my mothers
When the shadow of the night threatens me
I don't know if I should follow my heart at this crossroad
And tell you how much I care about you
But I'm still but a child to my fathers
With feet forbidden to thread on the enchanted plains of love
So I stood partly helpless
Partly confused
I run back into the arms of my mothers
When the shadow of the night threatens me
I don't know if I should follow my heart at this crossroad
And tell you how much I care about you
But I'm still but a child to my fathers
With feet forbidden to thread on the enchanted plains of love
So I stood partly helpless
Partly confused
Only staring into the blank space between us
Pretending I never heard you
Pretending I never heard you
A faint noise crawled out of the unknown
That faint noise I will always remember
With a tinted memory of sadness
It came from the lorry
That will carry you away from home
It passes this route once in a week
And you don't want to miss this trip
A gradual close comes upon the embracing hands
Friends must now part ways
And write upon the slate of life their own destinies
It came from the lorry
That will carry you away from home
It passes this route once in a week
And you don't want to miss this trip
A gradual close comes upon the embracing hands
Friends must now part ways
And write upon the slate of life their own destinies
The sight of this big vehicles
Dazzles me each time I stumble at them
The white men made this
Dazzles me each time I stumble at them
The white men made this
Mother once told me
How the white man became so wise
It happened on the day of creation
It happened on the day of creation
As God weaved the mysteries of the universe
Their eyes were spying on God
Where they learnt the skills of creation
While the black man closed his eyes
Their eyes were spying on God
Where they learnt the skills of creation
While the black man closed his eyes
In fear of the terror of the Majesty of heaven
Losing out of the wisdom that suspend the world
For once I forgot you were there still staring
Expecting answers for your questions
I don't want to spend this moment as a coward
So I must tell you what is it I have to say
So I must tell you what is it I have to say
But I don't know what promises or doom the city holds for you
I don't know if you my little bird will find a home
In a land far from home
I don't know if you my little bird will find a home
In a land far from home
I don't know where the horses of time is hurrying us
But wider and farther apart
The wind of life is drifting us
So my little darling.....
Watch out for part Four
Watch out for part Four
Idylls of Love ___Part Two (The Last Tryst )
Could it be love
That placed your face everywhere I turned?
Could it be love
That planted your feet on the sea?
Could it be love
That printed your name
In the azure sky?
That placed your face everywhere I turned?
Could it be love
That planted your feet on the sea?
Could it be love
That printed your name
In the azure sky?
Many years have flown
Before our watching eyes
Like the sailing river's stump
Seasons have floated down the stream
Since that day when we sat down alone on the grass
As two innocent kids do
Unaware of the cruelty of this world
Unbothered by what the future holds
Little do we know
That that was a beginning of the end
Before our watching eyes
Like the sailing river's stump
Seasons have floated down the stream
Since that day when we sat down alone on the grass
As two innocent kids do
Unaware of the cruelty of this world
Unbothered by what the future holds
Little do we know
That that was a beginning of the end
The gods of destiny
Were pulling down the curtain
Casting an unpenetratable darkness between us
There will be no more dancing in the rain
No more running in the field
It was since dawn since we've been waiting
For the lorry which passes this route once in a week
To carry you away from the village
From the chirping of the morning birds
From the howling of wild dogs
From the ecstasy that accompany every night
From the only place we can truly call our home
Not too many kids live long enough
To see the glamour of the city
Their big houses and furnished street
For the lorry which passes this route once in a week
To carry you away from the village
From the chirping of the morning birds
From the howling of wild dogs
From the ecstasy that accompany every night
From the only place we can truly call our home
Not too many kids live long enough
To see the glamour of the city
Their big houses and furnished street
When I said I will missed you
It was just the little strap
Covering my bleeding heart
Arching and itching
Unwilling to let you go
It was just the little strap
Covering my bleeding heart
Arching and itching
Unwilling to let you go
But I had love to really say
Those words you want to hear
Those words you want to hear
I'd love to scream it on the hills
Causing the mountain to quake
I'd love to whisper it in your ears
How much I love you
I was not a coward in these things
But I struggle to believe my heart is pumping for only you
I see glitters on your face
And I remember that just last night
As the moonlight whistles its splendour on humanity
We sat beside your mother's hearth
Listening to her ancient tales
Of wisdom and insights
The moment we shared with other children in the stream
The ecstasy will feel pacing down the hilly paths
With wide stretched arms arching to pick the wind
The ecstasy will feel pacing down the hilly paths
With wide stretched arms arching to pick the wind
The fresh tears welling up in my heart
Finally finds a way through the holes on my eyes
This time I could not hide it
As I always did each time you turn to leave
Finally finds a way through the holes on my eyes
This time I could not hide it
As I always did each time you turn to leave
And your words
made the cold ran down my spines
made the cold ran down my spines
It was your words
That startled me out of my dreams
You mentioned my name and said
"Kante, do you love me?"
I wonder with what courage you said that
Or how much that means to you
I am hurried down to this bridge
A bridge of love which I must cross
I stumbled upon the crossroads
The next course I take will determine my own destiny
I heard the echo of your voice
Resounding over a thousand times in my heard
"Kante, do you love me?"
Or how much that means to you
I am hurried down to this bridge
A bridge of love which I must cross
I stumbled upon the crossroads
The next course I take will determine my own destiny
I heard the echo of your voice
Resounding over a thousand times in my heard
"Kante, do you love me?"
Watch out for part three
© Olatuja Oloyede
Part One: From My Lonesome Bench of Darkness
What exactly do men call love in this world
Is it one of those wonderful treasures
That is now lost in the abyss of history?
Or one of those castles
That grows in the fantasies of our hearts?
Of one of those fortified cities
That had melted into debris by mortal wars?
Or one of those alluring gazelles
That briefly roam the meadows of time
And then strayed into the path of death?
Is it one of those wonderful treasures
That is now lost in the abyss of history?
Or one of those castles
That grows in the fantasies of our hearts?
Of one of those fortified cities
That had melted into debris by mortal wars?
Or one of those alluring gazelles
That briefly roam the meadows of time
And then strayed into the path of death?
What was it you did to me
That each time I catch a glimpse of you
My heart will skip and my bones will melt
That each time I catch a glimpse of you
My heart will skip and my bones will melt
The twilight brings upon her wings
A struggle in my mind
A conflict to get you out
Every dawn reveals the angel in you
I can't get rid of your face
From the carven of my thoughts
A struggle in my mind
A conflict to get you out
Every dawn reveals the angel in you
I can't get rid of your face
From the carven of my thoughts
Why not tell me
The first day I met you
That you didn't come alone
You came with chains and made slave of my soul
The first day I met you
That you didn't come alone
You came with chains and made slave of my soul
You came with fetters
You put your gags upon my sight
I now miss the warmth of my bed
Peace and sleep
Take to flight from my lonely bed
Souring miles into the cloud beyond my reach
I now sit on this lonesome bench
Watching the starless nights
As they fade into oblivion
Watching the starless nights
As they fade into oblivion
But this very night
I see you in the dark
Radiating with those smiles
That once drain my commonsense
Your voice becomes echoed in my ears
Beckoning me to get closer
So one step I take towards you
And then many others after
You are the apparition
Who stands in the dark
And though I'm aware of the dangers of the night
Closer still your smiles bid me
I see you in the dark
Radiating with those smiles
That once drain my commonsense
Your voice becomes echoed in my ears
Beckoning me to get closer
So one step I take towards you
And then many others after
You are the apparition
Who stands in the dark
And though I'm aware of the dangers of the night
Closer still your smiles bid me
My lips began to move
Trying to whisper your name
The closer I get, the farther you were
When close enough I got
I reached out my hands
To touch the very beauty that calls me
From my lonesome bench of the dark
Quickly you faint into the thinnest air
Leaving me with the awareness
That I had shortly gone mad
Trying to whisper your name
The closer I get, the farther you were
When close enough I got
I reached out my hands
To touch the very beauty that calls me
From my lonesome bench of the dark
Quickly you faint into the thinnest air
Leaving me with the awareness
That I had shortly gone mad
And that is why I ask
What exactly is love in this world
Is it the madness that feasted upon our humanity
Or the faggots that fuel the only hell in heaven
What exactly is love in this world
Is it the madness that feasted upon our humanity
Or the faggots that fuel the only hell in heaven
Watch out for part two!!!
© Olatuja Oloyede
Now if I ask you, what conditions must be in place for a suckling or baby to become a full grown man, you won't think twice before you mention certain things like good and regular feeding, right? That's right but obviously not all. Let's use this physical reality to explain the spiritual.
You know starvation can ultimately lead to death and improper feeding can cause such diseases as kwashiorkor, obesity etc. A baby Christian is expected to grow, but growth in the spirit is not automatic or instantaneous. Some conditions must be in place to make this development rapid. There is a need to constantly draw strength and nutrient from God who is our sufficiency. Reading the bible, healthy religious discussions, listening to good sermons etc are means by which the spirit man gathers strength. There is an inspiration that settles in the dreg of our soles when we hear the Word of God.
A child who grows in isolation will definitely end up having certain characteristics of his human nature underdeveloped. It is not Oloyede who says so, this is a scientific fact. Therefore, for a baby to grow healthy and strong, there is a need for relationship hence, he may for example never acquire the ability to use language. So also in Christianity. There are three strands of relationships a healthy Christian should have.
This is by far the most relevant relationship any Human being can have. This is a life in constant fellowship with the majesty of heaven. When God says I know my sheep and my sheep knows me, He is talking about relationship. When you take a step towards God, He will take a thousand more towards you. You must seek to know Christ more not just about Him. You must find Him and in the bid to find Him, He will find you instead. When was the last time you bent the kneel in prayer asking with a sincere heart to know Him more?
Though God has promised His overwhelming presence to us, but there is a dimension of God you cannot experience until you are an ardent and passionate seeker of God.
1 John 1:5-7
An isolated Christian is easily frustrated and discouraged. Just like the folktale about a lion growing among sheep. He ends up becoming just like them. You are just the product of the relationship you cherish. If you have friends who are lovers of God, whose growth are constant and progressive, you will be motivated out of mediocrity. If your religious association sees nothing bad in immaturity, you may end up revolving around the cyclic continuum of immaturity. Are your friends mediocres, is the message from the pulpit of your church making you comfortable as an average Christian, are you beginning to theologize immaturity as something acceptable, you may end up not getting out of that circle. Surround yourself with good friends who are friends of God, in whom you can see Christ.
Colossians 3:16
You cannot underestimate the roles these ones will play in giving shape and meaning to your Christian life.
All Christians who desire to be like Christ must first give a defined relationship with the world. I mean the systems and the institutions of the human realm. Those who have decided to follow Christ may sometimes encounter clear opposition from the world. You must first count the cost and choose who to please always (God or man). If not, you will end up compromising so easily. Just like the other day when I resumed work at around 7:35am and as usual, I was among the first to resume. But as we were registering our names, I wrote the correct time, but a colleague quickly corrected me to change it to 7:25am. I don't understand why but I just told him it is impossible to do so. The world will always encourage you to comprise or give up on some godly standards, you are the one who will know where your allegiance is truly placed. If it is with Christ, then don't expect to always be in good terms with the world.
You don't expect a new born baby to be as matured as a 40 year old man in a day right? So also is a new Christian. This growth we are talking about is not automatic or instantaneous. It is a continuous process, progressive and accumulative.
In our Christian walk, we sometimes face disappointments, failures etc. We fall into errors, make mistakes, rise and fall, some even fall back into the life of sin totally again. All these struggles are building in us strength for a better and more stable life. The reason why young Christians fall so often into sins is because God wants them to learn to trust Him totally, not in there own abilities. This is usually a very hard lesson and critical stage in our walk with God. We cannot obey the laws of God by mere determination or decision, such will fail woefully and miserably. We must depend solely on God daily. We must tell Him to help us live that life that gives Him glory. When will fail it fall, we should not just sit remorseful in solitary corners disappointed in ourselves, but we must as a matter of lifestyle go to God for help and grace to live a better life. Since growth doesn't happen in just one day, you are expected to grow everyday. In fact, there will never come a time when you will reach the climax of Christian growth. Anybody that stops growing starts dying.
let Christ be your role model. Let the express image of the pattern Son be your motivation. Seek to live each day like Him. To talk like Him, pray like Him, sing the kind of songs He will sing, go to places He will go.
This is a bit longer and you may want to study more about Self or the Adamic nature or the lawless man in the Bible. There are a number of good Christian literatures as well that discuss this subject in simplified details. This is the natural life in everyone who finds it impossible to please God. They find it hard and difficult to be subjected to God. No matter how good this life may sometimes claim to be, it will not stand the test of time. We all must trust in the finished work of Christ as the ultimate end of this nature and therefore bring our flesh under subjection to God no matter how displeasing. When the eyes lust, and the heart becomes proud we must not forget that our bodies are under new management now. The life of the flesh must not therefore dominate us since we have been given victory at Calvary over the dominion of sin and Satan, so we have the right to say no to the flesh and it will obey. Our body is the temple of God where God resides.
Amen
For your questions or counsel
Contact Link
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✉oloyede001@gmail.com
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© Olatuja Oloyede
June, 2017
1) Good Diet and proper feeding
1 Peter 2:2"like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation"
You know starvation can ultimately lead to death and improper feeding can cause such diseases as kwashiorkor, obesity etc. A baby Christian is expected to grow, but growth in the spirit is not automatic or instantaneous. Some conditions must be in place to make this development rapid. There is a need to constantly draw strength and nutrient from God who is our sufficiency. Reading the bible, healthy religious discussions, listening to good sermons etc are means by which the spirit man gathers strength. There is an inspiration that settles in the dreg of our soles when we hear the Word of God.
2) Relationship
A child who grows in isolation will definitely end up having certain characteristics of his human nature underdeveloped. It is not Oloyede who says so, this is a scientific fact. Therefore, for a baby to grow healthy and strong, there is a need for relationship hence, he may for example never acquire the ability to use language. So also in Christianity. There are three strands of relationships a healthy Christian should have.
A) Relationship with God
John 17:23
"I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me
This is by far the most relevant relationship any Human being can have. This is a life in constant fellowship with the majesty of heaven. When God says I know my sheep and my sheep knows me, He is talking about relationship. When you take a step towards God, He will take a thousand more towards you. You must seek to know Christ more not just about Him. You must find Him and in the bid to find Him, He will find you instead. When was the last time you bent the kneel in prayer asking with a sincere heart to know Him more?
Though God has promised His overwhelming presence to us, but there is a dimension of God you cannot experience until you are an ardent and passionate seeker of God.
B) Relationship with fellow Christians
1 John 1:5-7
"If we say that we have fellowship
with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
An isolated Christian is easily frustrated and discouraged. Just like the folktale about a lion growing among sheep. He ends up becoming just like them. You are just the product of the relationship you cherish. If you have friends who are lovers of God, whose growth are constant and progressive, you will be motivated out of mediocrity. If your religious association sees nothing bad in immaturity, you may end up revolving around the cyclic continuum of immaturity. Are your friends mediocres, is the message from the pulpit of your church making you comfortable as an average Christian, are you beginning to theologize immaturity as something acceptable, you may end up not getting out of that circle. Surround yourself with good friends who are friends of God, in whom you can see Christ.
Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
You cannot underestimate the roles these ones will play in giving shape and meaning to your Christian life.
C) Relationship with the World
John 2:15-17 King James Version (KJV)
Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
All Christians who desire to be like Christ must first give a defined relationship with the world. I mean the systems and the institutions of the human realm. Those who have decided to follow Christ may sometimes encounter clear opposition from the world. You must first count the cost and choose who to please always (God or man). If not, you will end up compromising so easily. Just like the other day when I resumed work at around 7:35am and as usual, I was among the first to resume. But as we were registering our names, I wrote the correct time, but a colleague quickly corrected me to change it to 7:25am. I don't understand why but I just told him it is impossible to do so. The world will always encourage you to comprise or give up on some godly standards, you are the one who will know where your allegiance is truly placed. If it is with Christ, then don't expect to always be in good terms with the world.
3) Time
You don't expect a new born baby to be as matured as a 40 year old man in a day right? So also is a new Christian. This growth we are talking about is not automatic or instantaneous. It is a continuous process, progressive and accumulative.
2 Peter 1:5&6"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness"
In our Christian walk, we sometimes face disappointments, failures etc. We fall into errors, make mistakes, rise and fall, some even fall back into the life of sin totally again. All these struggles are building in us strength for a better and more stable life. The reason why young Christians fall so often into sins is because God wants them to learn to trust Him totally, not in there own abilities. This is usually a very hard lesson and critical stage in our walk with God. We cannot obey the laws of God by mere determination or decision, such will fail woefully and miserably. We must depend solely on God daily. We must tell Him to help us live that life that gives Him glory. When will fail it fall, we should not just sit remorseful in solitary corners disappointed in ourselves, but we must as a matter of lifestyle go to God for help and grace to live a better life. Since growth doesn't happen in just one day, you are expected to grow everyday. In fact, there will never come a time when you will reach the climax of Christian growth. Anybody that stops growing starts dying.
4) Imitate Christ
1 Peter 2:21
"For you have been called for this
purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps."
let Christ be your role model. Let the express image of the pattern Son be your motivation. Seek to live each day like Him. To talk like Him, pray like Him, sing the kind of songs He will sing, go to places He will go.
1 John 2:6
"the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as
He walked."
5) Crucify the Old Man
"We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." Romans 6:6
This is a bit longer and you may want to study more about Self or the Adamic nature or the lawless man in the Bible. There are a number of good Christian literatures as well that discuss this subject in simplified details. This is the natural life in everyone who finds it impossible to please God. They find it hard and difficult to be subjected to God. No matter how good this life may sometimes claim to be, it will not stand the test of time. We all must trust in the finished work of Christ as the ultimate end of this nature and therefore bring our flesh under subjection to God no matter how displeasing. When the eyes lust, and the heart becomes proud we must not forget that our bodies are under new management now. The life of the flesh must not therefore dominate us since we have been given victory at Calvary over the dominion of sin and Satan, so we have the right to say no to the flesh and it will obey. Our body is the temple of God where God resides.
Amen
For your questions or counsel
Contact Link
š +2348137834509 or +2348108006178
✉oloyede001@gmail.com
šwww.hallofalltruth.blogspot.com
Written and Complied by Olatuja Oloyede
© Olatuja Oloyede
June, 2017
THE SOCIO-POLITICAL RELEVANCE OF NIGERIAN MUSIC:
A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SONGS OF
ALEXANDER AJIFOLAJI (9ICE),
BUKOLA ELEMIDE (ASA)
AND BISADE OLOGUNDE (LAGBAJA)
BY
OLATUJA OLOYEDE
MARCH, 2017
A RESEARCH WORK PRESENTED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES IN THE FACULTY OF ARTS,
ADEKUNLE AJASIN UNIVERSITY, AKUNGBA AKOKO, ONDO STATE.
BY
OLATUJA OLOYEDE
CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that this project work was carried out by Olatuja Oloyedeof the Department of English Studies, Faculty of Arts, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State.
SUPERVISOR
Professor C. Olujide Ajidahun
HOD
Dr. Sola Owonibi
Copy Right
This is an intellectual property which belongs to Olatuja Oloyede and it cannot be copied, transferred, stored or redistributed in any form whatsoever without a prior permission from the author. © Olatuja Oloyede (2017)DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to God for His overwhelming grace given to me to successfully complete this project. I also dedicate this to my beloved parents and to all Nigerian students in general. I hope you will find this relevant in the advancement of literary scholarship.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
What more can I say than thank you Lord. God’s faithfulness is the secret behind the success of this work. Only Him deserves the praises and glory.Words will fail me in appreciating the contributions of my supervisor whose unique academic and moral soundness has provided me the needed mentorship and guidance throughout my studentship in this great institution of learning. The impacts you have made in my life sir will remain forever part of my life.
My parents are certainly inestimable treasures in my heart. Their great sense of responsibility and commitment towards my progress in life can only be rewarded by God. It is my prayer that their labours of love will not go in vain.
I want to appreciate Dr (Mrs) Awe Bolajoko for her constant encouragement throughout the course of this work. She gave the all the papers for the printing and offered to give money and printer if need be. I appreciate this kind gestures ma.
I am grateful to Pastor David Oludipe, Mr Akinsola Akinwunmi, Uncle Jerry Okogwu, Mr Bamidele Anderson, and Erg Edward Olatuja for their consistent concern over my academic progress.
I appreciate my great lecturers in the Department of English Studies, Adekunle Ajasin University for their selfless sacrifices and contributions to my life. The H O D of the Department, in person of Dr Sola Owonibi has been a wonderful and dynamic person. May God bless you all in Jesus name.
To my wonderful siblings: Abiola, Joy and Thatcher, you are the very best and I’m grateful to God to be in such a beautiful family.
I also say thank you to the Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students for making their printers and generator available so as to ensure that this work is a success. To my brethren in this unique family of God, I say thank you and God bless you.
To my personal friends in Living Vine Prophetic Church who have come to become a necessary part of my success, may God bless you.
I appreciate all my colleagues in the Department. It has been a worthwhile experience together since 2012. Greater heights in Jesus name.
Obviously, names are too numerous to mention. To everyone who has been a part of my life, I say thank you and God bless you. Amen.
ABSTRACT
This work focuses on the sociopolitical relevance of Nigerian music by examining how artists have been able to use the institution of music as an instrument of evaluating the society. Musicians therefore are regarded as social critics who appraise the society, locate the basis of encountered human challenges and proffer solutions where necessary. There is an inseparable link between music and the society. It does not exist in a vacuum but within the cyclic continuum of the communal life of the people. The three musicians used as case studies are Bukola Elemide (Asa), Alexander Ajifolaji (9ice), Bisade Ologunde (Lagbaja). The songs examined are Fire on the Mountain, Iya Ni, Petepete, 200 Million Mumu (part 1 and 3). The sociological theories provide this project the systemic principles through which the analyses of the selected songs are done. The artists studied in this work appraise a society that is populated by selfish politicians and corrupt citizens by speaking to such themes like economic hardship, social upheaval corruption, insecurity, poor standard of living, lack of social amenities, misappropriation of public funds and political instability. The major focus of this work is therefore to place music as a relevant art institution through which the totality of a people’s worldview can be understood. It is recommended that the music criticism be given such similar attention enjoyed by literary criticism and more scholarly resources be channeled towards the analyses and evaluation of musical productions to elicit the wisdom embedded in them. This will not only foster the expansion of scholarship but also provide us with a totally new dimension of perceiving our social and political challenges and the suggested ways forward.TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page I-IICertification III
Dedication IV
Acknowledgements V
Abstract VI
Table of Contents VII-XI
CHAPTER ONE
Music, Literature and Society 1-4Background to the Study 4-5
Significance of the Study 5-6
Theoretical Framework 6-7
Research Methodology 7
Scope of the Study 8
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Bukola Elemide 8-10
Musical Career 10-11
Bisade Ologunde 11-12
Musical Career 12
Alexander Ajifolaji 13
Conclusion 14
CHAPTER TWO
SECTION ONE
What Is Music? 15-16Music as A Means of Entertainment 16
Music as A Means of Education 17
Music as an Instrument of Socio-Political Criticism 18-19
TYPES OF MUSIC
Blues 19Children Music 20
Classical Music 20-21
Country Music 21
Hip Hop 21-22
SECTION TWO
Sociological Theories 23-24SECTION THREE
Nigerian Music 25
Traditional Music 26
Theatrical Music 26-27
Children Music 27
POPULAR MUSIC
Juju 27
Apala 27
Rock N’ Roll 28
Highlife 28
Fuji 29
Afro-Juju 29
Afro-Beat 29
Reggae 30
Hip Hop 30
Classical Music 31
Conclusion 31
CHAPTER THREE: THE THEMATIC APPRAISAL OF 9ICE’S AND ASA’S SONGS
General Introduction 32A Critical Appraisal Of 9ice’s Musical Style 32-34
PETEPETE
Post-Colonial Disillusionment 35-36Social Recklessness and Its Effects 37-38
Political Insincerity 38-41
Law of Retribution 41-42
Conclusion 42
THERE IS FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Social Imprudence 43Political Instability and Insecurity 43-45
Civilian Pitfalls 45-46
Cultural and Moral Decadence 47-48
Conclusion 49
IYA NI
Poor Standard of Living 50-51
Poverty 51
Sociopolitical Servitude 51-52
Conclusion 52
CHAPTER FOUR: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LAGBAJA’S SONGS
An Appraisal of Lagbaja Musical Style 53-54200 MILLION MUMU (PART ONE)
The Roles of the Citizens in a System of Corruption 55-57
Relevance of His Masked Tradition 57-58
Criticism of the Social Culture of Scapegoatism 58-60
Restoration of Moral Values as the Way Forward 60-61
200 MILLION MUMU (PART THREE)
Political Avariciousness 62-63
Social Recklessness 63-66
Suggested Remedies 66-68
CHAPTER FIVE
Conclusion 69-70Recommendations 71
Works Cited 71-74
Appendices 75-83
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
LITERATURE, MUSIC AND SOCIETY
Literature, being a fundamental discipline in the humanities, is a field of study with no univocal perception or definition which to various people can mean various things. However, a critic once mentioned that “in an attempt to define the term ‘literature’, one can distinguish between two general directions: a broad and a narrow definition.” In its broadest description, literature can be seen as works of art written or spoken which serves men as a means of creative or imaginative expression of their thoughts, feelings, anxieties, affections and the sum total of their activities. Proponents of this school of thought divide literature into two important strands: Oral Literature and Written Literature.
Moreover, stories, songs, rituals, festivals, ceremonies etc which are the ancient forms of oral expressions are not established on some unorganized or primitive customs but premised upon a systemic pattern concentrated towards a definite end and a concise objective. Therefore, ever before the advent of graphological representation of verbal act in alphabetical or pictographic medium, man has always given a concerted effort, through verbal means, to the evaluation of his society, explanation of natural complexities and interpretation of communal perception of moral acceptance which is adequately preserved in his oral tradition.
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Is your heart has broken as mine?
When all my life I'd begged for love
From a woman who made my heart
The rag that mobbed her feet
Who spit upon my head with lies
Who trampled upon my back
With her soles of thorns
Who drummed the konga of pain
With sticks broken from my ribs
Who boiled the kneels
That once bend to her to plea
Who took all my life
But left behind my tears
Why should I ask if hell is hot
After I have fallen in love with the Devil himself
Time they say, heals all wound
How about such as battered as mine
Can a broken ever love again?
Will it have the courage
To trust yet another kiss?
© Olatuja Oloyede
A Beast There is No Running
Is death the end of mortal dreams
The hopes that once fuels a toiling hand
Shall we all someday
Be enshroud in white blankets
Into that yonder realm of oblivion
To sleep forever in closed graves?
What song will the lips sing
When a legend dies in the struggle
How long must the lonesome soul cries
When a loved one is gone
Alas, the giant is gone
On a journey of no return
Through the mysterious route of eternity
The path we shall one by one tread
The mighty elephant has fallen
Its quakes are carried on the wings of the wind
Its bang has drummed the plate of the sky
Startling the other beast of the jungle
From the calmness of a peaceful night
So even the great must go
Where the worms had gone
In death is all equal
A beast from which there is no warning
A fate from which there is no running
© Olatuja Oloyede
Little Evelyn
Little Evelyn
Chuckling when no joke is made
Dragging everyone's thumbs to the mouth
Your mother just said
You are less than a year old
How long must a child stumbles
Before it knows how to walk?
How long must a baby babbles
Before it knows how to talk?
Should I tell little Evelyn
The contents of my thoughts?
Will she ever understand
The reasons behind my tears?
How will this little innocent girl know
That the fears in me is about her own destiny
Little Evelyn
I wonder if you are in the wrong place
At the wrong time
But you will soon learn the tragedy
That brought you into this ugly world
You survived a terrible abortion
Your father is now on the run
Denying you and the girl that brought you here
You have no place to call home
Than the dirty slums that house your heartbroken mother
But little Evelyn
Since you survived death at birth
Forcing your way into mortal world
You should also survive hunger
You should also survive poverty
You should survive loneliness
You may be the mistake of your parents today
You can also be their miracle tomorrow
© Olatuja Oloyede
Rain from the Cloudless Sky
When on the tempestuous sea of life
The ship of your soul sails
When the only path upon which you tread
Leads straight into the storm
Always remember this my friend,
You cannot stop the heart from being broken
Or keep back your tears
When it floods the brim of your eyes
Gold must endure the cruelest flames
If it will become something precious
The greater the height the eagle covet
The greater the storm she must withstand
Never bend your kneels in surrender
Or throw your hands in resignation
You don't need to see a gathered cloud
Before you expect the rain
The thickest darkness
Usually heralds the arrival of the dawn
You may have nothing to fight back
But you should never ever give up
© Olatuja Oloyede
Orekelewa!
The beautiful angel
With dazzling eyes like the stars
Her hair black, full and fresh
Stretch down the horizon of her shoulders
Her long straight legs
Reminds me of the elegance of Iroko
Her skin like the mirror
Reflects the mysteries buried in the sun
You are the desires of kings and princes
The prize the rich will gladly pay
But your choice is a poor resilient black boy
I am your dream in dark cloudless nights
The custodian of your love
It is I your love you chose
Over wealth and riches....
© Co-authored by Oluwaferanmi Victoria and Olatuja Oloyede
Watch Out for Idylls of Love!!!
It's the emotional reflections of a young village boy who lost his lover (an innocent girl) to the busy life of the city....
Unlike before, I will only do one part a day so you will have to stay connected to get the full story and you can always check my blog if you missed any... There are host of other poems by my friends and I there too... You may want to check them out.... Thanks for your encouragements and patience...
© Olatuja Oloyede
To a Young Child
Life had taken us this far
From the comfort of the cradle
To the glades of conflicts
From the comfort of the cradle
To the glades of conflicts
Our eyes had seen
The tempest of the sea
Our feet had walked
On flaming mountains
We are the scars
You see in the stars
Have you seen that our backs
Are twisted by the talons of time?
You see in the stars
Have you seen that our backs
Are twisted by the talons of time?
Young ignorant child
The road before you is long
There are hills between the glee
There are embers on enchanted plains
Trouble lurks in the blissful breeze
The road before you is long
There are hills between the glee
There are embers on enchanted plains
Trouble lurks in the blissful breeze
I should say be watchful
But since you are too young to understand
Innocence is your shield
Your life dances around your palm
And it's not mine to know
If you will rise or fall
Your destiny flows already in your veins
It flashes within your spirit
And I can only wish you the best
But since you are too young to understand
Innocence is your shield
Your life dances around your palm
And it's not mine to know
If you will rise or fall
Your destiny flows already in your veins
It flashes within your spirit
And I can only wish you the best
© Olatuja Oloyede
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