Fridays are known generally for heralding our indigenous ways of life, especially in dressing and music. This is why I, as an indigene of the Yorùbá tribe presents Yorùbá Proverbs. In this post, I present a yorùbá proverb, it's literal interpretation and it's meaning and significance to the yorùbá people, and at times, Africa at large. The Yorùbá people predominantly live in the South Western part of Nigeria, and they speak the Yorùbá language. The theme for today's proverb is moderation

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Bí iṣu ẹni bá ta, níṣe làá fi ọwọ́ bòó jẹ

Literal Interpretation

If your yam plantation yields a huge harvest, you should not make a public show of it, especially while you eat it.

Ancient African occupation is farming. The farmers planted a lot of crops ranging from subsistent crops to cash crops. Some of the cash crops include oil palm, rubber, cocoa, and so on. These they sold to regions where the demand for it was high. Some of them however were involved in subsistent agriculture to cater for their families consumption. They majorly planted maize, cassava, yams, vegetables and so on. One of the most common crops grown in the southwestern region of Nigeria is yam.

Yam is grown yearly, and its cultivation has a particular form of cycle it operates in. Most farmers therefore engage themselves in its cultivation. Thats why yam is the example used in this proverb. The Yoruba ancestors in trying to preach moderation, creates an analogy of a farmer who has a bumper harvest in a year, compared to what he has been having in previous times. Such a farmer is encouraged to enjoy his increase in yield joyfully, without publicly making a show of it.

This directly relates to anyone who makes a great profit or becomes successful in an endeavor; who has translated from poor to rich or from mediocrity to excellence. This success is not meant to be flaunted or boasted of in public, as it might create a lot of wrong impressions and might also generate a lot of unfavourable reactions, thereby creating enemies or negatively affecting the psychology of others in the society.

Flaunting your success or riches will attract the attention of the needy and less privileged around you, which might eventually become overwhelming and burdensome for you to attend to. Flaunting your riches or success can also create jealously and bad reactions from others, especially if they think you are not qualified for that status. This may then graduate into attempts to pull you down, to implicate or frame you for what you did not do, or other such vices. On the other hand, boasting of your wealth or success can damage someone elses ego or self-confidence, when your actions make such a person feel less of who he actually is.