Omoluabi Podcast

PROVERB CONSIDERED: “Ajá tó rí mótò tó dúró fi ara-a rè bọ Ògún.” (Translation: A dog that sees a motor vehicle and stands in its way makes itself a sacrifice to Ògún. ) Context: In Yoruba culture, Ògún is the deity of iron and the patron deity for hunters (because of all the metallic intruments they use); one of Ògún's favourite sacrifices is dogs. The proverb warns against ignoring obvious d...

Episode Title: A Proverb on Taking Advantage of Others Proverb (Yorùbá): “Bí yó ṣe èmi, bí yó ṣe ìwọ, kì í jẹ́ ká ṣu sóko a-láì-rójú. ” Translation: It-might-happen-to-me, it-might-happen-to-you stops one from defecating on the farm of the person who has no time to tend it. Meaning: One should not take advantage of the weak, for no one knows what the future might hold. Disclaimer: This episode con...

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 7 Episode 2 A Proverb on Hope and Patience Proverb: Ó pẹ́ títí aboyún, oṣù mẹ́sàn-án. ( Translation: "The longest respite for the pregnant woman is nine months.") Key Takeaway: This episode delves into an African proverb about pregnancy, using it as a lens to explore biblical themes of hope, patience, and perseverance during challenging times. The proverb emphas...

Omoluabi Podcast | Season 7 Episode 1 PROVERB CONSIDERED:   “Ní teere, ní tèèrè, Ṣàngó ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀ ó jó wọjà.” (Translation: Erratically and imperceptibly, Shango continued to dance until he was at the market.) Context: The proverb uses the imagery of Shango, the Yoruba deity of thunder and lightning, known for his erratic and unpredictable dance moves. The proverb highlights how seemingly small, unn...

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 place of faith in a God that can do all things? LIS...

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, a cat's pursuit of frogs...

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! LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:   ✥ Our Website...

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 made up for through the gift of community. We shoul...

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 the wild. As your tour guide drove you a...

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 stutter. Stammering can be embarrassing, but the way th...

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 down into &q...

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 the consequences of deceit and...

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 episode, through the above Yorùbá...

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 sensitive and requires wisdom to manage it p...

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. Factually, not every farmer's child goes on to...

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 village. While such a roof may occasionally have l...

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 going about like a roaring lion seeking whom t...

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 feel? That's exactly what this proverb is asking...

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 left' -- something capable of giving rise to m...

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 simply incomparable, no matter the similarities...

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 acknowledging the sovereignty of God in the determina...

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 message of avoiding to compare ourselves with...

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 green sack is extremely bitter! So this proverb...

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 generosity and we are supposed to pay it forwa...

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 God, in His Providence, delightfully and contin...