Àbọrú Àbọyè: When Creativity Becomes Profanity

Language is a powerful tool for communication among people and there are thousands of languages across the nations of the world. Once a language serves the purpose of intelligible communication, it is potent enough to stand among the languages of the world regardless of the population, race or nation using the language. Problems then arise when we try to equate one language with another or rate one language above another.

Recently, Tope Alabi's use of the phrase "Mo di ẹbọ; mo rú, mo yè" (I'm a sacrifice; I'm accepted, I live) in a supposed christian gathering has been trailed with a lot of criticisms. The basis for the heated castigation of the gospel artist is owing to her use of the phrase "àbọrú, àbọyè" (from "ẹbọ rú, ẹbọ yè", meaning literally, sacrifice for acceptance, sacrifice for living) which is commonly identified with traditional worshippers, usually the "ifá" priests in the Yorùbá land. Hence, the gospel singer is deemed to have committed profanity; being 'unequally yoked with the unbelievers'.

However, for those who are not only religiously minded, but also linguistically and literarily aligned, an expression or a word has no static meaning on its own. The context of usage and the individual using a word determine its possible meaning. Supposing I offended my woman and she demanded that I gift her a car for her to forgive me, I could refer to that as 'ẹbọ' (sacrifice) which after fulfilling the condition (rú), she would hold my offence against me no more. I have not become an "ifá" son if I, therefore, said "she has accepted my sacrifice". In fact, we offer ourselves to God as a 'living sacrifice' (ẹbọ àyè) every day by praying to Him and asking for the renewal of our souls, regardless of our religious beliefs.

An objective approach to get the possible interpretation of her deployment of the phrase is to view it from the perspective of creativity in language use. Those words are Yorùbá words, no doubts, and the fact that some set of individuals are mostly identified with using them does not take 'Yorubaness' out of the words or give the "ifá" worshippers the monopoly of using the phrase. Its usage as well may not necessarily imply that the user belongs to the "ifá" fraternity.

In another instance, Tope Alabi used the phrase in a church or a church-like gathering, a place where Christians worship, and the Bible which the christians believe in says in Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE (ẹbọ àyè), holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Considering the metaphoric implications there in, using the word sacrifice "ẹbọ" doesn't necessarily imply that one is a child of "ifá" or one believes in it.

Elsewhere, Dunsin Oyekan, another gospel artist, uses similar phrase in his "More than a Song" where he refers to himself as "the sacrifice" but no one is talking about it. He renders his lyrics thus: "I am the sacrifice/Accept this living sacrifice/Receive this living sacrifice" (mo di ẹbọ/gba ẹbọ àyè yìí...) Do we consider this pardonable because it is expressed in English? Why is it that expressions in our mother tongue are usually regarded as a taboo but same in a foreign language are dignified? A Yorùbá Muslim, for instance, would typically disregard such a greeting as "àlàáfíà nibi o" but joyfully embrace "As-salamu alaykum" when they both obviously mean the same.

While it is necessary to separate canality from spirituality and live a holy life as instructed in the Holy Books, we should not, however, be too quick to barbarize and render expressions in our undiluted mother tongue as profanity or carnality. Indeed, there are certain expressions in a particular language that have no accurate equivalents in another language. What is 'èpè' in English, curse? What of 'ègún', 'àfibú', 'àsàsí', 'èèdì', 'àránsí'? What of "ẹyìn ìyàwó kò ní mọ ẹní" and "o wọ ṣòkòtò kẹǹbẹ̀ rebi ìjà"? Is their usage also canality?

I suppose since God is an invisible being whom we worship mainly in the spirit, no one then can authoritatively tell how exactly He wants to be worshipped or what language He honours the most. We should therefore not crucify anyone because of the way they choose to worship 'their' God especially in a matter of word and language choices.

Tayo Ogunkanmi writes from Ibadan, Nigeria.