Omoluabi Podcast | Season 6 Episode 6 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Alájàpá ò lẹ́ran láyà..” (Translation: "The tortoise has no flesh on its chest.") REFLECTION Some expectations are plainly futile! It is pretty obvious that the turtle's chest is always hard. As such, it is futile to be seeking flesh from that part of the turtle's body. But where is the pla…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 6 Episode 5 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ajá tó máa rún ọkà á láyà; ológbò to máa jẹ àkèré á ki ojú bọ omi.” (Translation: "A dog that will chew dried corn must be brave; a cat that will eat a frog will dip its face in water.") REFLECTION Dogs' teeth aren't suited to chewing corn, so they risk dental damage by doing so. Similarly,…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 6 Episode 4 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Obìnrin-ín tẹ ìlú, ó tú.” (Translation: "A woman founds a town, and it scatters.") REFLECTION Even though the proverb is superficially misogynistic, it points beyond this to the need for both genders for the flourishing of humanity in any community. Have a listen for our thoughts on this! L…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 6 Episode 3 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ẹṣín dára ó ku aré; èèyán dára ó ku ìwà; ajá òyìnbó dára ó ku àtidẹ.”(Translation: “The horse looks great but lacks speed; the man is handsome but lacks character; the European dog is good-looking but cannot hunt.”) REFLECTION We all have weaknesses. No man is an island. What we lack is mad…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 6 Episode 2 PROVERB CONSIDERED: ““Níbo ló gbé wà?” nìyájú ẹkùn.” (Translation: "[To ask] ‘Where is it?’ is a great insult to the leopard.") REFLECTION To put the proverb in context, imagine yourself in one of Kenya’s national parks. Your son has been looking forward to seeing his favourite animal—the leopard—up close in th…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 6 Episode 1 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Pípẹ́ ni yó pẹ̀ẹ́, akólòlò á pe baba.” (Translation: “It may take a long while, but the stammerer will eventually manage to say ‘‘Papa.’’”) REFLECTION Perhaps this proverb reminds you—as it reminded me—of a stammerer you know. Or perhaps, it reminds you of yourself and your occasional stutt…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 5 Episode 5 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ìwà lẹwà" (Translation: "Character is beauty.") MEANING & ETYMOLOGY n this enlightening episode, we explore the profound Yorùbá proverb above, which emphasises the deep connection between a person's inner qualities and their external beauty. At the core of being an "Omoluabi" (which breaks …

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 5 Episode 4 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Èké mọ ilé-e rẹ̀ ó wó; Ọ̀dàlẹ̀ mọ tirẹ̀ ó bì dànù"(Translation: "The devious person builds a house, and it collapses; the treacherous person builds one, and it tumbles in ruins.") In this captivating episode, we delve into the profound Yorùbá proverb that carries a powerful message about th…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 5 Episode 3 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ilé ahun ò gba ahun; ọ̀dẹ̀dẹ̀ ahun ò gbàlejò; ahún kọ́lé ẹ̀ tán ó yọ ọ̀dẹ̀dẹ̀ níbàdí” (Translation: "The tortoise's house is not large enough for it; the tortoise's porch is not large enough to receive visitors; the tortoise built its house and adds a porch at the rear.") MEANING: In this e…

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 5 Episode 2 PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ajé ní ḿba ojú ọ̀rẹ́ jẹ́.” ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "It is money that brings a frown to the brow of friendship." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The point of this proverb, to put it simply, is that nothing ruins a friendship more surely than the intrusion of money. In other words, money is very…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ọmọ tí àgbẹ̀-ẹ́bí, oko ni yó ro; ọmọ tí Gàm̀bàrí bí, okùn ni yó ran.” ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "The child born by a farmer will engage in farming; the child born by a Hausa man will engage in rope weaving." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: This is one of those proverbs that sound like a hasty (or even myopic) generalisation. Factual…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ohun tí a rí la fi ḿbọ párá ẹni; Bí igi tíná ḿbẹ lẹ́nu ẹ̀ kọ́.” ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "One uses whatever one can find to fill gaps in one’s roof; That does not apply to a still-burning stick." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The imagery that birthed this proverb is that of a mud hut with a thatched roof in a typical African vill…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Àṣá ò gbádìẹ níkọ̀kọ̀; gba-n-gba làṣá ńgbádìẹ” INTERPRETATION: "What one dare do, one does openly" MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The imagery that birthed this proverb is hunting; the kite (predator) hunts the chick (prey) in broad day light, says the proverb. In that sense, we can easily see the biblical imagery of the devil …

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “À-fi-ọ̀rọ̀-wé-ọ̀rọ̀ ò jẹ́ kí ọ̀rọ̀ tán bọ̀rọ̀.” INTERPRETATION: "Allowing-a-current-matter-to-remind-one-of-similar-matters-in-the-past prevents a quarrel from ending easily." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: Have you ever met someone who ALWAYS recalls your past mistakes in light of your present ones? How does that make you fee…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Omi ló dànù, agbè ò fọ́” INTERPRETATION: "It is the water that is spilled; the water container is not broken." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: This proverb is usually used in consoling someone who has experienced a loss. It's a way of shifting their perspective from the loss in itself to the fact that there is still 'something …

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Erín ńtú eruku; ẹfọ̀n ńtú eruku; títú eruku àjànàkú bo tẹfọ̀n mọ́lẹ̀.” INTERPRETATION: "The elephant raises a cloud of dust; the buffalo raises a cloud of dust; the elephant’s ability to raise dust far surpasses the buffalo’s." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: This proverb speaks of the fact that some things (or people) are sim…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Àtètèdáyé ò kan tọrọ̀; Ọlọ́run ní ńṣe orí owó.” INTERPRETATION: "Primogeniture (the state of being the firstborn child) has nothing to do with wealth; it is God Who assigns wealth to (people's) destinies." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The proverb counsels against seeking riches by all means rather than fundamentally acknowle…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ohun tó ṣe àgùntàn tó fi kó òtútù; bó ṣe ewúrẹ́, á ṣe aláìsí.” INTERPRETATION: "The condition that gave a sheep a cold, if it befell a goat, would result in its death." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The proverb warns us against being so foolhardy that we dare what others do without having what others have. It reinforces the m…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Bí a bá fi inú wénú, iwọ là ńjẹ.” INTERPRETATION: "If we compare notes with others, we wind up eating bile." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: If you've ever had to kill a chicken before, you will probably be familiar with the fact that you have to carefully remove the gall bladder and dispose of it. Why? The liquid inside that g…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ọtí gbélé ahun ó kan.” INTERPRETATION: "Wine stays in the home of the miser until it goes sour." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The proverb admonishes us to share rather than hoard. To hoard is to deny oneself of the superlative indescribable joy of being the reason behind someone else's happiness. Jesus modelled this kind of …

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ọdọọdún nìrèké ńso.” INTERPRETATION: "The sugarcane flourishes annually." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The proverb is typically used as a new year prayer for a perennial good fortune. The idea is that as surely as the sugarcane will yet again flourish in the new year, we can expect good fortune yet again! The truth is that G…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ìpọ́njú àgbẹ̀ ò ju ọdún kan." INTERPRETATION: "A farmer’s suffering will not last longer than a year." MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The proverb is based on the concept of sowing (planting) and harvesting. The understanding is that if a farmer plants and begins to suffer for lack of resources or even lack of food to eat, such…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Àparò ò ga ju ara-a wọn lọ, àfi èyí tó gun ebè." INTERPRETATION: "No partridge is taller than another except for those standing on earth mounds." (Earth mounds are little heaps of soil usually made with a hoe; in the farm, crops like yam and cassava are planted into the heaps.) MEANING & BIBLICAL APPLICATION: Usually, this prov…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Bí ayé bá ńyẹni, ìwà ìbàjẹ́ là ńhù." INTERPRETATION: "If life is being good to one, one is likely to act disgracefully." MEANING: Prosperity (especially material-wise) comes with a temptation to misbehave. REFLECTION: The idea this proverb posits is found all over the Bible. God repeatedly warned the Israelites of the tendency …

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ojú onílá nilá ṣe ńkó." INTERPRETATION: "It is in the presence of the okro planter that the fruits become fibrous (and inedible)." MEANING: The negligent person will watch as his or her affairs go to ruin. REFLECTION: When okro fruits are harvested as at when due, they are very edible and bring gain to the farmer, the seller, t…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: ""Níbo ló gbé wà?" nìyájú ẹkùn." INTERPRETATION: ""Where is it?" is a great insult to the leopard." MEANING: One should be smart enough to hide one’s ignorance about things one ought to know because there are some truths that are so self-evident that to query otherwise is to reveal one's foolishness. REFLECTION: The idea being p…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Bí ọmọdé bá ńṣe ọmọdé, àgbà a máa ṣe àgbà." INTERPRETATION: "When a child is being a child, an elder must remain an elder." MEANING: One should not permit other people’s immature behaviour to deflect one from the proper course of acting maturely. REFLECTION: The idea being put forward is that people do act according to varying …

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ògbójú ò tẹ ara ẹ̀ nÍfá; ọ̀mọ̀ràn ò fara ẹ̀ joyè; ọ̀bẹ tó mú ò gbẹ́ ẹ̀kù ara ẹ̀" INTERPRETATION: "The fearless person does not consult the Ifá oracle on his own behalf; the super-clever person does not enthrone himself; the sharpest knife does not carve its own handgrip." MEANING: No matter how powerful and accomplished one mig…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Orúkọ ńroni; àpèjà ńroni." INTERPRETATION: "One’s name affects one’s character; one’s war name determines how one behaves." MEANING: To put it succinctly, people are influenced by their names. BIBLICAL REFLECTION: This belief that people are influenced by their names is common in Biblical records, especially among the Jews. We …

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ojú àlejò la ti ńjẹ gbèsè; ẹ̀hìn-in ẹ̀ là ńsan án" INTERPRETATION: "It is in a visitor’s presence that one gets into debt; it is in her absence that one repays the debt." MEANING: One does not estimate how much hospitality is costing until one’s visitor has departed. BIBLICAL REFLECTION: Among other things, this pr…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 017 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Eegun àjànàkú: ó ma há ìkokò l'ẹ́nu." INTERPRETATION: "An elephant’s bone: it will be too much for the wolf to swallow." MEANING: This proverb is often said to warn someone who is overreaching [or has overreached] himself or herself. The simple truth is that WE ALL HAVE OUR LIMITS and we must resp…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Bí Ṣàǹgó bá ńpa àràbà, tó ńpa ìrókò, bíi tigi ńlá kọ́." INTERPRETATION: "Even though Ṣango kills the silk-cotton tree and kills the ìrókò tree, no such fate can befall the huge tree." MEANING: This proverb is often said as a boast which is supposedly based on the assurance that the person being referred to is mightier than any…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Kò sí kò sí; bẹ́ẹ̀ni ọmọ wọn ńyó." INTERPRETATION: "‘‘We have nothing, we have nothing!’’ Yet their children always have full stomachs." MEANING: This proverb is often said of those who are too stingy and too tightfisted to help others. They have enough, but when others come to them for help, they claim not to have. In spite of…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 014 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Bí èèyàn-án bá ṣeun ká sọ pé ó ṣeun; bí èèyàn-án bá ṣèèyàn ká sọ pé ó ṣèèyàn; nítorípé, ohun tí a ṣe, ó yẹ kó gbeni." INTERPRETATION: "If a person deserves gratitude, we should acknowledge that he deserves gratitude; if a person is kindly, we should acknowledge that he is kindly, because we all ou…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 013 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ọ̀kánjúwà-á bu òkèlè, ojù ẹ̀-ẹ́ lami." INTERPRETATION: "A greedy person takes a morsel of food, and tears gush from his eyes." The idea is that greed will cause someone to go for a morsel of food that is evidently too big for him/her to swallow without pain or effort. MEANING: Greed can lead to tr…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 012 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ẹni tí kò ní igi obì kì í léso." INTERPRETATION: "Whoever does not have a kola-nut tree cannot have its fruits." In other words, to be in possession of kola-nuts must be preceded by being in possession of a kola-nut tree. Or, to say it yet another way, having a kola-nut tree is the prerequisite to…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 011 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Bí ìdí ìkokò kò bá dá a lójú, kì í gbé egungun mì." INTERPRETATION: "If the wolf does not have faith in its anus, it does not swallow bones." In other words, the wolf wouldn't dare to eat the kind of thing it wouldn't be able to digest and pass out as excreta effortlessly. MEANING: One should not …

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 010 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ká ròhìn ẹni ò tó ká bá ẹni bẹ́ẹ̀" INTERPRETATION: "To have people say good things about someone is nothing like getting to meet and know the person firsthand and find those secondary reports to be true." In other words, nothing beats getting to know someone on a firsthand basis. MEANING & BIBLICA…

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Bí ebí bá kúrò nínú ìṣẹ́, ìṣẹ́ bùṣe" INTERPRETATION: "If hunger is removed from poverty, poverty comes to an end." In other words, whoever has food to eat is not poor. MEANING: A need for sustenance (through food) takes precedence over every other need we may have. As such, if we will take Jesus' invitation seriously to come an…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 008 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ẹni tó mọ ẹtu ní ńkì í ní ‘‘òbèjé, ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ọwọ̀.’’" INTERPRETATION: "It is someone who knows the duiker intimately who can recite its praise, ‘‘spindle-legged duiker.’’" [A duiker is a small to medium-sized brown antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, found in heavily wooded areas.] MEANING: Only t…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 007 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ilé bo ilé lójú; òrùlé bo àjà mọ́lẹ̀; awọ fẹ́ẹ́rẹ́ bo inú kò jẹ́ká ríkùn aṣeni" INTERPRETATION: One house obscures another; the roof conceals the ceiling; a thin layer of skin covers the stomach, making it impossible to see through an evildoer. MEANING: One cannot discern a person’s character, …

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 006 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Yànmù-yanmu là ń jọ̀gẹ̀dẹ̀." INTERPRETATION: Bananas are eaten gracelessly. (Or 'Gracelessly is the way one eats bananas.) MEANING: Certain activities do not permit gracefulness. There is a time to be graceful and a time to not be. There are seasons when it's okay to be delicate and seasons…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 005 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Akéde ò jẹ iyán gbígbóná" INTERPRETATION: The town crier does not eat steaming (hot) pounded yam. MEANING: One should be careful to avoid anything that can hinder him/her from functioning fully in his/her primary assignment. TEXTS FOR SCRIPTURAL REFLECTION: 2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:1…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 004 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Aṣọ à-fọ̀-fún kò jẹ́ká mọ olówó." INTERPRETATION: Clothes washed clean make identifying the rich person impossible. In other words, there is a way a 'poor' person can wash his/her clothes and take good care of it such that in public, he/she appears to be rich. MEANING: You can manage the little…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 003 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ẹ̀gún ò bẹ́sẹ̀rẹ́." INTERPRETATION: Thorns and the soles of one's feet do not reconcile; they are not 'friends'. MEANING: Certain people are, by virtue of their nature or make-up, incompatible with others. Likewise, certain actions are unsuitable for certain situations. TEXTS FOR SCRIPTURAL REF…

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 002 PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Òòjọ́là ńṣu imí àgbagbà." INTERPRETATION: The shit (faeces) that comes from eating a plantain meal comes on the same day. In other words, on the same day you eat plantain meal, expect to visit the loo. MEANING: The consequences of certain actions are virtually immediate. Moreover, by implicatio…

In this episode, we introduce this podcast. This is the podcast where African Proverbs and Biblical Wisdom converge. In the podcast series, we will be gleaning from nuggets of timeless wisdom captured in African proverbs. Each episode focuses on a Yorùbá proverb which is then reflected upon in the light of scriptures. The podcast aims both to sho…