The Ethos of Homage-paying and the Assessment of Ethical Issues in Yorùbá Verbal Arts

Abstract

Characteristically, what is foremost in the mind of a typical Yorùbá artiste, whether as oníṣe ̣́-ọnà, òṣèré, apohùn, or òǹkọrin, is to conventionally follow the cultural norms and values of paying homage before embarking on his or her oral performance. However, some artistes, and a number of people, especially the contemporary youths in the modern Yorùbá society seem not to have a thorough understanding of the significance of Yorùbá concept of homage. This is often due to ‘civilisation’, or self-acclaimed knowledge and a sense of personal achievements. Consequently, the recurrent phenomenon of disrespect and disregard for the Yorùbá norms and values is on the increase. With the present ethical problems, a well-organised Yorùbá society might remain a mere proclamation unless the ethical issues of respect are tackled. This paper, therefore, attempts a critical examination of the moral issues involved in Yorùbá homage-paying using seven explicit Yorùbá proverbial sayings on homage, selected Ifá verses, and two oral genres as case studies. The data on homage themes in the selected texts were carefully identified and subjected to literary analysis using the ethical determinism approach. Findings show that the early Yorùbá professional artistes had clear understanding on how germane the Yorùbá concept of homage is in human relation. Findings also show that, in virtually every modern-day community, evidence of moral decadence on disrespect and insubordination to societal norms and values are prevalent. The study makes its contribution by expounding societal knowledge on the relevance of homage in Yorùbá verbal arts and culture as evidenced in the data.