Ijala, a credible source of information ― Prof Alao

PROFESSOR Akin Alao of the Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife has identified Ijala as an oral tradition that remains a credible source of information on human psychology.

Prof Alao delivered a lecture on Ijala titled: ‘Beyond Social Gyration to Intellectual Exposition of a Yoruba Cultural Heritage’ at the second edition of the Ijala Are-Ode Cultural Festival held at Ilaji Hotels & Resort, Akanran, Ibadan, said the performative aspect of Ijala should however not be allowed to obscure its intellectual content.

“It is always a great thing to know the depth of the Yoruba culture, its hegemonic power and the intellectual foundations of its various manifestations.

“As a race, Yoruba is blessed and despite the extent of academic research on its culture, not a fraction of the manifestation of its excellence has been discovered.

He explained that the performative aspect of Ijala shows how they react under certain conditions and what manner of reactions are produced in certain situations.

He, however, charged custodians of Ijala to see that a new generation of chanters are encouraged to use the literary tradition to achieve more great things for today’s society as it was used for the previous Yoruba societies and systems of state administration.

“As rightly said by Charles Darwin, ‘the highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognise that we ought to control our thoughts.”

This, the Yoruba from time immemorial, have done by developing a system of thought which provides sense and direction for all their engagements with socio-political and economic realities.

Yoruba intellectual sophistication and pre-eminence are amply demonstrated in the quality and relevance of the performing and creative arts traditions of the race.
Yoruba civilisation is thus one of the best known and widely studied in Africa, making it a subject of delight and intricacies as an advanced form of human intellectual creation.

Concrete historical realities show that the Yoruba possess a rich civilisation that is comparable with other civilisations of the world. The major aspects of this culture are expressed in visible attributes and in sublime values.
The material culture is exhibited in commerce, manufacturing, technology, arts and crafts and of course, music and dance. Yoruba values are best seen in respect for elders and constituted authorities, honesty, integrity, diligence and a profound religious belief system.
From inception and before the emergence of formalised states, the hunters’ guild had been recognised as playing a leading role in stabilising Yoruba societies. Apart from playing a leading role in the establishment or founding of states, the hunters’ guild was also responsible for the safety and security of every member of the society.

Hunters were charged with the responsibility of protecting the society against external attacks by enemies and marauders, waging war for consolidation and expansion of the town and at the same time, ensuring the security of life and property within. In traditional Yoruba society, the hunters’ guild performed the duties of the army, police, civil defence and vigilantes put together.

As each Yoruba state developed, specialised occupations began to take shape and contribute their quota to the development of their respective states and societies. It is therefore not too far-fetched to describe the hunters as the owners of Yoruba towns and protectors of their territorial integrity. It was expected that a hunter of the note must be charismatic to control an impressive following of younger colleagues in the profession.

Ijala is one of the three main genres of oral literature among the Yoruba. Each genre is associated with a specialised guild and practitioners.

It is evident that the Yoruba had, in time immemorial, developed an advanced form of knowledge production to meet or suit their intellectual sophistication.
It would seem that the Yoruba, ahead of other races, had constituted knowledge in different formats for easy access and retrieval at important times. One of the major challenges of knowledge utilisation is the difficulty generally associated with retrieval and recall.
Emphasizing the deep meaning of Ijala in terms of its rich content, Prof Adegbola explained that “A careful study of the content of Ijala would confirm it’s bigger than wild gyration of drunk hunters but a repertoire of the history, traditions, customs, observances, mores and experiences of the people.

“It talks about the history of state formation, the exploits of leaders, their inadequacies, imperfections and moral shortcomings.

“Ijala is also full of stories about the interaction of man with nature and a comprehensive record of the progress in medicine, medical care and pharmacology among the Yoruba.

The three days festival started on Thursday, November 24, with a lecture and the screening of Ijala Are-Ode participants, while the Grand finale will come on Saturday lined up at the Ilaji Hotels and Resort, Akanran, Ibadan with memorable performances up to thrill the audience.

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