WHEN AN OBA REBELS EVEN IN DEATH? WHAT BECOMES OF THE YORUBA “CULTURE”?- BY DR MUSTAPHA BELLO

At the center of the current uproar on the rightness or wrongness of burying an Oba in accordance with his religious wish is the Yoruba culture in transition. Though, I have read some scholarly submissions from both sides of the argument yet I can just say that from my own point of view that no position is entirely right or wrong. In the first place, what does a Muslim wants in an institution which over the ages has come to be a representation of Traditional African Religion (TAR)? While the argument of whether the Yorubas were monotheists or polytheists at the beginning would be too academic here, what is clear is that until this major recent revolt, Obaship in Yorubaland is almost synonymous with “Isese”. Perhaps, it was for this reason why a Muslim Professor declined the offer of becoming the paramount ruler of his community after being adjudged as the most qualified candidate for the vacant stool because he cannot in good conscience guarantee that his affirmative commitment to Islam would not be compromised. Or can any Muslim who decides to become an Oba sincerely vouch that he would be insulated from idol worshipping rites particularly at his initiation in “Ipebi”? The scenario that is playing out is that such a Muslim Oba-designate cooperates at the point of initiation but rebels once he consolidates on the throne after assumption of office by returning to his religion either out of conviction or convenience. This kind of revolt is accentuated by the fact that nothing much can be done to punish an Isese non-compliant Oba under the present circumstance unlike in the old traditional Yoruba setting where the Osugbos/Ogbonis have powers to dethrone a recalcitrant Oba or demand from him to “open the calabar”- an euphemism of asking him to commit suicide in order to cover the shame of a proven sacrilege. If the only authority that can remove an Oba is the executive governor or the court, then why should he respect the Osugbos/Ogbonis?

Another angle to this matter is the demystification of the Obaship stool and the continuous eroding of its powers and societal influence. With neither constitutional role nor autonomy to regulate itself, what is in it other than feeble attachment to antiquated customs in our modern setting? What really is in the institution of Obaship that is making Muslims and Christians crave for it? All the appellations of “Kabiyesi” (the unquestionable one), “Ikubabayeye” (death himself), “Alase Igbakeji Orisa” (the law giver second in authority to the deities) are just mere reminder of the antiquated past glory and not of the present and definitely not of the future. A king can be queried, sued, tried, dethroned and jailed if a case of gross misconduct or criminality is proven against him in a court of law. Therefore, how a king is buried is to my mind is much ado about nothing. One can therefore postulate that since our society operates under the rule of law, instead of venting their anger on the late revered monarch, the practitioners of TAR should seek redress through constitutional means to retrieve whatever they have lost in the wake of the new law in Ogun State. Just as they were able to get official recognition through a public holiday in some South West states by ceaseless advocacy, they should see how far they can succeed in the fight for a return to a pristine practice of TAR in an increasingly modern society.

On the flip side of this discourse are those who strongly feel that customs and traditions should be dynamic and not static. They argued that virtually all traditional communities in the world are reforming their ancestral customs to conform to modernity by removing all forms of cruelty and barbarism bordering on human rights violations. For instance, none of the practitioners and spokespersons has come out openly to debunk the claims that in some Yoruba communities the corpse of a king is usually mutilated, the heart removed and cooked for the consumption of the incoming Oba for his mystical fortification. This is justified on the basis of the fact that he had also eaten that of his predecessor in office. Or such assertion that in other communities the corpse of the Oba is dragged round the town in the thick of the night mutilated and sometimes burnt before the secret interment? Or is anyone of the practitioners denying restriction of human movement, disruption of commercial activities and discrimination against women in the broad day light all in the name of performing rites to spiritually cleanse the society? What about the activities of cane wielding followers of masquerades inflicting bodily injuries on passersby ostensibly for not compiling to some obnoxious rules of not putting off caps or footwear at the sight of the masquerades? If our "Isese" friends deny human sacrifice as a focal point of their societal cleansing rituals (Etutu), the question is at what point or time in history was this jettisoned? This is because of my personal experience over three decades ago which I will share with you at the end of this piece. 

While it is true that many Yoruba Muslims and Christians have continuously romanced different elements of TAR for different reasons, it is also a known fact that there is a renaissance particularly in Islam criminalizing such syncretism. Whether in Ebo (Idolatory or Idol worshipping), Ifa (Yoruba compendium of ancestral wisdom), Ogun (herbal and occult medicine), Awo (secret cults) or other aspects of TAR, scholars and preachers of Islam have been unrelenting in condemning such romance and scripturally labeling it a heinous sin. Until such a time when TAR divest itself from fetishism, idol worshipping, human cruelty/sacrifice and subject itself to public scrutiny and openness, there would always be resistance from the Obas who traditionally are expected by the custodians (Kingmakers and traditional priests) of these rites to defend and preserve them at all cost. In all, the late monarch of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiri Adetona should be saluted even in death for his courage, forthrightness and unwavering resoluteness in wrestling the Obaship stool from the grip of “unorthodox” burial rites through the instrumentality of the law. Whoever feels aggrieved should seek redress through the court.

Let me now share with you my own encounter with practitioners of TAR on a night I would never forget. This is culled from my book “Meeting Heart Desires” published 13 years ago:   

Allah revealed Himself to me in an encounter which would have wiped out my entire family from the surface of the earth. A friend facilitated my meeting a renowned (Muslim) spiritual healer (who specializes in the use of water, castor oil and fervent prayer for healing) in the South-West of the country, who after listen to my story was willing to assist in meeting my heart desire- the healing of my wife. An appointment to bring my family to meet him was fixed for an all night prayer meeting in the neighbourhood of a town not too far from my place of residence. As we moved out to meet this all important appointment, little did we know that we were approaching a neighbourhood whose traditionalists were engaging in rituals on that night. In fact (as we were made to know later) a curfew had been imposed on the area to keep inhabitants in-door so that the ritualists could have their way undisturbed.

As we disembarked from the motorbikes that took us to the junction of the area, even though everywhere was deserted, we were not alarmed by the quietness around us as our minds were preoccupied with the relief we were seeking, unmindful of any danger lurking around. We had not moved fifty meters from the junction when we beheld a procession of men, all clad in white clothes tied around their waists. This sight frightened us and we had to halt our movement especially with their terrifying voice asking us to do so. They also stopped at their own end looking menacingly at us. No amount of words could describe how I felt this particular night. Here I am with my entire family (my sick wife and two kids) and a brother-in- law at the mercy of the ritualists. The thought of me and my entire family being wiped out as victims of ritual killing was too unbearable for me to imagine. My mind suddenly went blank that I could not think of any prayer to say other than Hasbuna llah wa ni’ mal- wakil meaning I rely on Allah, the Best to protect. In this state of fear and helplessness, an argument ensued amongst them as to what to do with us; whether to abduct us as sacrificial lambs for their gods, set us free after casting a spell on us for daring to confront them despite earlier warning or allow us to go without any consequence. After a short while, an elderly man amongst them approached us and the following dialogue ensued:

Leader of the cult: how dare you to confront us?

Myself: Baba! We are sorry, we did not confront you.

Leader of the cult: you have become our captives and we shall definitely sacrifice you to our gods.

Myself: Baba! You are a good people doing all you are doing for peace and security of the town. Baba, I am out to seek for spiritual relief for my sick wife and we never know that you are out cleansing your town because we don’t live in this area.

After this dialogue, the elderly man went backwards to meet and confer with his people, giving me the feeling that my subtle response had melted his stoned heart. He conferred with his fellow ritualists for a while and returned to us to ask me this rhetorical question “my son! What do you want me to do for you?” Just like a condemned criminal given the chance to choose between life and death, I eagerly offered “please just assist us in getting us away from this place” The man looked at me in the face and sensing that I may not know how precarious our situation is, said “if I allow you to go, you are likely to meet another team of ritualists who may not be as merciful as we are” Seeing that I became frightened by these words, he calmed me down “don’t worry I shall take you to a family friend who is a Muslim (because my dressing gave me out as one) like you where you and your family would be secured for the night” The elderly man did as promised and this was how we were miraculously saved and our lives preserved till today.

Dr. Mustapha Adebayo Bello

Senior Lecturer, Islamic (Cultural) Studies

Department of Religions and Peace Studies

Lagos State University, Ojo