At 82 and after “55 years of continuous research,” Chief Stephen Ayodele Fatiregun has finally achieved his dream. He has written a magnum opus titled: “THE WISDOM OF YORUBA ELDERS.” It’s a collection of 10,000 Yoruba proverbs with English translations, plus 130 notable Nigerians of Yoruba origin and iconic places unique to Yoruba culture.
Chief Fatiregun, a native of Ijebu-Jesha, Osun State, and the first Nigerian Managing Director of Hagemeyer (Nigeria) Limited from 1982 to 1993, is a product of Harvard International Senior Managers’ Programme (1981). He is one man who has seen it all, who has traversed the corporate world and boardrooms for over three decades but did not discover his raison d’etre, his mission and purpose until he wrote this encyclopedia of Yoruba proverbs which was presented on Tuesday, August 3 at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel to a gathering of friends, family members, relatives, old schoolmates at Ansar-Ud-Deen College, Isolo (pioneer set 1953/58), Yoruba Royal Fathers, including the Elegboro of Egboroland (Ijebu-Jesha) Oba (Engr.) Moses Oluwafemi Agunsoye, Abikehin Ekun, Agunsoye II. Also present were the publishers of the book: West African Book Publishers Limited.
Chief Fatiregun, the latest author in town, poured out his heart for the joy of having a book to his name. Not an ordinary book but a massive compendium of 1,114 pages. He told the gathering: “I was fortunate to have participated in the financial, commercial, industrial and boardroom arena of this country for virtually 30 years. All the gains that might have accrued to me as a result of my participation in these were only meant to butter my bread to keep my soul together. My real mission in life is the writing, publication and the launch of this book. That is what has given me the greatest joy, the greatest sense of fulfillment in life.” Next, he stunned his listeners with how he wants to be buried: “I have instructed my children that when my time comes up to leave this physical world, a copy of this book should be kept in my casket.”
As an author, I could resonate with another author wanting to be buried with a book he worked on for 55 years. I won’t mind being buried, accompanied by all my books to be presented to the Supreme Author and Editor who gave me my writing talents. From Him, I will get the promised handshake: “Well done, my son!” But then, I still pray for more writing years for me and Pa Fatiregun who has just discovered the nirvana and the glory of authorship.
“The Yoruba language is one of the richest languages in the world,” Pa Fatiregun continues. “It’s spoken in many parts of the world. People are dying to know about it. The Yoruba language is what you must not allow to go into extinction. When the colonial boys were here, they did all that was humanly possible to kill the language.
“As a matter of fact, when we were in school, we were punished for speaking what they called vernacular. But thanks to people like D.O. Fagunwa, Chief J.O. Odunjo, the writer of ‘Alawiye’ series who left behind Yoruba literary legacies. It is now up to the present generation to ensure that this language stays. The colonial boys are no longer here again to stop us. We are stopping ourselves. We do not even speak the language to our children. We don’t teach it in school. We don’t communicate with it. What a shame! What people all over the world are struggling to embrace, some people will even say: ‘I don’t want you to speak that language in this house.’ No Oyinbo man will speak Yoruba to his child. It is an inferiority complex for any Nigerian to place much emphasis on a foreign language.
“We Yoruba are proud of our culture. We are proud of our heritage. We are proud of our ‘omoluabi’ personality. We are proud of the significant contributions that our heroes and heroines have made since the 18th Century towards the growth of this geographical space called Nigeria. We are proud of all these things. Oh, we are proud. But we are not arrogant.”
‘FATIREGUNPEDIA’
The book reviewer was Emeritus Archbishop Lawrence Ayo Ladigbolu. He paid homage to the heroes of Yoruba literature, saying: “Chief D.O. Fagunwa blazed the trail in Yoruba fictional writing. Chief J.O. Odunjo provided the landmarks in the Alawiye series of Yoruba textbooks. Johnson’s ‘History of the Yoruba’ remains a major reference in the study of Yoruba history. We also celebrate such authors as Oloye Samuel O. Ojo, Bada of Shaki who, in 1970, first published ‘Owe Yoruba ati Isedale Won’ followed by G.A.B. Bello Olowokere’s ‘Egberin Owe Yoruba ati Itumo Won ni Ede Geesi’ in 2004.
“Another notable hero is Chief F.I. Sotunde, who in 2009 published ‘Yoruba Proverbs and Philosophy’ with 2,500 proverbs translated into English language. As we celebrate and appreciate these pacesetters, we also welcome to the Yoruba Literature Hall of Fame, Chief Stephen Ayodele Fatiregun, who has broken every record in the annals of Yoruba proverbs by producing what I will call Yoruba Proverbial Fatiregunpedia or Fatiregun Encyclopedia of Yoruba Proverbs, under the title,‘THE WISDOM OF OUR YORUBA ELDERS.’”
8 PROVERBS FROM THE BOOK
1. Amotekun le maakun, ko le dekun ninu igbo. (Although the panther may continuously rumble, it cannot be classified as a tiger in the jungle.)
2. Ayaba ni alarifin oba. (The queen is the only person who can get away with poking fun at the king.)
3. Ayabani n gba idobale oba. (It is only the queen who can be honoured with the prostration of the king, when they are having sexual fun together.)
4. Aki i bani sun ki a fani ni itanya. (We should not break a woman’s thigh simply because we are having sexual fun with her.)
5. A fi ogbon ologbon sogbon ki i te boro. (He who profits from the experiences of others never falls easily into regret or disgrace.)
6. Agidi ata o le to ti olo ata. (The hot and stinging quality of pepper cannot stand the crushing power of the grinding machine.)
7. Kosi ilu ti won ko mo afin. (There is no town where an albino will not be recognised.)
8. Iteoku o ko were. (The graveyard does not reject the corpse of a mad person.).