YORUBA FOLKLORE: ALỌ ÌJÀPÁ ATI ÀDÀBÀ

Story telling is a form of evening entertainment in the traditional Yoruba family, usually taking place after the day's last meal.
Due to safety concerns, afterdark outdoor activities were not encouraged hence members of each household passes the idle evening by telling tales and solving riddles.
The advent of colonisation and christenisation brought about new social arrangements, which eventually led to the disappearance of evening storytime.
This project is an effort geared towards bringing the delight of traditional Yoruba folktales to the listening of today's diverse audience, as well as preserving it for the future generations.
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Every Child brought up within the traditional Yoruba setting was exposed to the Ìjàpá tales.
Ìjàpá, also referred to as Alábahun, is by far the most popular protagonist of the Yoruba folk tales. And due to its laziness, greed and miserliness, is always up to one mischief or another to secure an undue advantage for itself, hence the Yoruba hyperbolic proverb of 'Ọ̀ràn gbogbo kii sé lórí Alábahun' - All trouble will not fail to crash on the Alábahun's head.
For this project, i do not rely on my recollection of the tales heard in my childhood as they are now vague in most parts. I'll therefore be reading from the work of a renowned author, Adeboye Babalola, ÀKÓJỌPỌ̀ ÀLỌ́ ÌJÀPÁ (The Collected Tales of Ijapa). The tales in this volume are authentic and only slightly vary from the versions of other authors based on their different storytelling styles.

[@sherimango3868]

Itan pátákí fún gbogbo èèyan. Ẹ ṣe!

[@abidemiolatokunbo2142]

Thank you for all you,Mr Akin! You're greatly appreciated. We are learning a lot from all your videos. God bless you.

[@yorubaclaw]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@ajibolaolukunle1213]

This what the young and new generations of the world have missed and are missing or rather have been deprived of by their "proud" English speaking parents who even forbid their kids from speaking the mother tongue even in the family home! The language is the essence of the culture, tradition and morals. When you loose your language, you loose all and their is a disconnection between you and your heritage!

[@yorubaclaw]

Absolutely! You have said it all. It's on the back of this that i thought i should put together this page and body of works as my own little contribution in preserving our heritage from extinction.

[@francksan7367]

What is the meaning of the intro "Alo mi dá firi gba gboo" please

[@yorubaclaw]

Hi Franck,
It is usually what the story teller says as part of the introduction of the story to mean " My story quickly and directly relates to...."

[@francksan7367]

@@yorubaclaw thank you so much... If only i can get the words wrote in yoruba... I'm from Benin Republic love to speak yoruba cause it's my origin

[@yorubaclaw]

@@francksan7367 Hi Franck. Which words? If you mean the introduction that the story teller says, then i can tell you that you got it right in you earlier message. "Àlọ́ mi da fìrì gbagbòó..."