Image is mine
One thing about Africans is that they love proverbs. Not only are proverbs used to impart knowledge, but they are also used to instruct, offer advice, and warn. It seems Africans have a proverb for every situation. They have a way with words and can convey deep meanings and wisdom through their proverbs. I grew up in the western part of Nigeria. Like every other part of Nigeria, the Westerners are also known for their rich and diverse knowledge of proverbs. Although my parents are from the eastern part of Nigeria, as fate would have it, I was born and brought up in the western part of Nigeria. Over time, I got used to their ways of life- mode of dressing, food, language, and so on.
In Yoruba culture, respect is earned by birth. Anyone older than you is your elder and should be accorded and treated the deserved way. Our parents are our elders. According to the culture, parents are always right. In economics and business ethics, the customer is always right. But in Yoruba culture, elders are always right. To support this theory, there are lots of proverbs that back it up. “Ti omode ba laso bi agba, kole ni akisa bi agba.” In the English language, this means a child can have more clothes than an elder but can't have more rags. As I mentioned above, there are lots of proverbs that support this theory. Of all these proverbs my favorite is; what an elder sees while sitting a child can not see even if he climbs the tallest tree.
These proverbs stress the fact that parents/elders are more experienced than we are and this is why we should listen to them. I’m not against this “theory.” I support it. However, everyone makes mistakes. Just because someone is old or has more experience doesn’t mean they are infallible.
There’s no doubt that parents are important. The importance of having a mother and father in one’s life cannot be overemphasized. However, in my opinion, parents cannot always be right. The world is evolving. New things are coming up every day and sometimes our parents cannot relate to these things. Sometimes, we can be our parents’ teachers. “You cannot teach me what I know,” this is what my dad always says whenever I try to explain things to him. My dad believes that just because he came to this world before his kids, they cannot outsmart him on any subject/topic. To a point, he is right. However, what he doesn’t know is that the world is evolving and the things that were current during his time are now irrelevant.
This happened three years ago. A naive young teenage boy gained admission into the university. For the first time, I left my parent’s shed to start schooling in a new place. An unknown land very far from where my parents lived. One thing about me is that I enjoy my privacy. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with me being an introvert. I love staying indoors, alone. Don’t quote me wrong, I love friends. But, sometimes I prefer staying alone.
I have discovered that I’m a person who enjoys solitude. Having a space for myself is essential for my well-being, which is why I don’t like sharing my living space with someone. I don’t like roommates- I’m not a fan. When I gained admission, I told my parents that I wanted to stay alone because I didn’t have the energy to deal with roommates. Despite my strong preference for living alone, my parents were determined to have me live with a roommate. They insisted that they knew better. So, I started living with my roommate. Everything was fine until he started smoking. He joined the wrong gang and started going to parties, and playing loud music, to worsen the case, he’d also smoke in the room till he knocked himself out. I had to bear with him till my rent expired.
Again, parents are more experienced, but they are not always right.
During my time in secondary school, I had to take an external exam that was held in a state not too far from where I lived. The exam was scheduled for 3 pm. I was young at that time and I had also never been to the state. So, my mum decided to follow me. My mom wanted us to go as early as 7 am, but I felt it was too early since the exam was scheduled for 3 pm.
I grumbled so many times, but despite my initial hesitation, I eventually agreed to leave early for the exam. We arrived at the garage by 8 am and managed to reach my destination before 9 am. However, when I got to the exam center, I was informed that we had to submit six passport photographs. Six passport photographs? “How? When? Where? What” These were the questions hustling and bustling in my head at that time. This was not something I was aware of. It was out of my plans. Thankfully, my mom was there with me. My mom and I had to scramble to find a place to take the photos. We were able to get the necessary things done and I was able to take the exam. If I had not left for the exam center early, it would've been so hard to get things done. Who knows if I would have missed the exam?
Thanks for reading.