Proverb 62


Excerpt from "A Discussion of 250 Deep Yoruba (African) Proverbs"
By Alaba J. Babalọla

Available for Sale at: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/9785946703

https://www.jumia.com.ng/generic-a-discussion-of-250-deep-yoruba-african-proverbs-208617773.html

https://selar.co/vuxu

PROVERB 62
If the wall does not open its mouth, the Lizard would not find the space to enter it.

TEASER THOUGHTS
Disunity and rift in a relationship leaves room for the invading enemy to enter and do more damage.

YORUBA ROOTS
B'ogiri o la'nu, Alangba o le r'aye wọọ.

EXPLANATION / MEANING
A wall is many bricks and mortar standing together in unity, strength and capacity to stop any invader or to keep them out.  The mouth of a wall is the crack in it or the part where it is broken through which an invader can gain access. The Lizard is an enemy of a wall with an open mouth. It will go through that mouth until the mouth becomes bigger and bigger. 
In the context of this proverb, a mouth or a crack in a wall is anything causing or leaving room for disunity or creating a rift between two formerly united groups or persons.  The enemy or invader can be a busybody, or a gossip with a malicious intent to make the matter worse and even make the two groups or persons drift further apart. The point of the proverb is that if two friends can remain united like a good unbroken wall by not giving any room for any issue that can cause disunity, their enemy will find it hard to do any harm to their relationship.

MORE
This proverb is commonly used for families, friends and other groups of people who have obvious tendency to quarrel among themselves without knowing the consequences it may have on the survival or happiness of the group, especially in an environment where other people are jealous of the group's success. By being united and not giving themselves a negative exposure, they can keep the enemy out.

DEFINITIONS
Bi - If (CONJ) - as abbreviated in "B'ogiri"
Ogiri - A wall (N)
La - To open (V)
Enu* - Mouth (N) - as abbreviated in la'nu
Alangba - Lizard or Gecko (N)
Ri - To find (N), or to see, or to discover - as abbreviated in "R'aye"
Aye - Space (N), or opening, or opportunity
Wọ - Enter (V) - Wọọ - enter it

                                       ++++++++++



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Proverb 55

Excerpt from "A Discussion of 250 Deep Yoruba (African) Proverbs" By Alaba J. Babalọla Available for Sale at:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/9785946703 https://www.jumia.com.ng/generic-a-discussion-of-250-deep-yoruba-african-proverbs-208617773.html PROVERB 55 It is something done without recognition of others that entangles a person. Paying respect does not entangle a person. TEASER THOUGHTS Giving respect to whom it is due as a proactive measure for freedom and personal success. YORUBA ROOTS Adashe ni hun ni, Iba kii hun ni. EXPLANATION / MEANING If a person prefers to work independently, especially without acknowledging how other people's expertise or knowledge can help him in his work, he is likely to run into the kind of problem indicated in this proverb. If he runs in to a fix or faced with some challenges, he may not get help easily. An open attitude of respect for people who are more experienced or more resourceful one way or another in his area of practice can ensure
Read more

PROVERB 249

Except From :                A discussion of 250 Deep Yoruba (African)  Proverbs by Alaba J. Babalola Available for Sale at:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/9785946703 https://www.jumia.com.ng/generic-a-discussion-of-250-deep-yoruba-african-proverbs-208617773.html Read online only: https://selar.co/vuxu PROVERB 249 It is the back of another person's head that one can see. It is another person that can see one's own. TEASER THOUGHTS I'm looking at the man in the mirror. I'm telling him to change his ways, because no one is perfect. If you want something done better, do it yourself before blaming others. Change begins with me and you. YORUBA ROOTS Ìpàkọ́ onípàkọ́ làá rí, ẹniẹ́lẹni níí rí t'ẹni.   E.XPLANATION / MEANING Unless you use a mirror it is not possible for your eyes to see the back of your head. Try it and see! But you can see the back of someone else's head without much trouble. You don't need a mirror for that. The proverb is about the ease with which we
Read more

YORUBA CULTURE

*ORÍKÌ (The Yoruba golden way of nomenclature)* Do you know that before slave trade, Yoruba don't bear surname as part of their own name? Before then, everybody bears his own name in a unique way. Bearing ones father's or grand father's name as surname actually began when the British came to Nigeria,and father's name became mandatory to be added as surname during primary school registration.  Instead, yoruba name an individual child in a unique way that is never seen anywhere else in the world. It is a  format of 3 names i.e ORÚKỌ ÀBÍSỌ(personal name), ORÍKÌ (epithet), ORÍLÈ (ancestral  totem name). For instance,  Adekola Ajani Ìkọ́ or Oladele Alabi Ọ̀kín. Let us look into each name identity and what it represents. ORUKO ÀBÍSỌ: Oruko abiso is a personal name given to an individual based on family nobility or identity. ẹ.g  royal families name their children with prefix like Ade or Oye, warriors name Akin, noble family name Ola, the family of Egungun worshipers name thei
Read more