#ob1anuju

[ob1anuju]

Exu, come and cover us with blessings.

[ob1anuju]

We are not humans

Our purpose is to study heterogeneous cosmologies: Igbo, Guarani Mbyá, Fon, Yanomami, Yoruba, Macuxi, Hausa, Guajajara, Bantu, and so on. For example, back in the 18th century, during the Western European Enlightenment, rationalist thinkers were all about classifying stuff, putting everything in neat little boxes. So Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, in 1758, during the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, named our species Homo Sapiens. Yeah, the same name that’s still used today. He used this binomial nomenclature system, which basically slaps together the genus (Homo, meaning "man") and the species (sapiens, meaning "wise" or "intelligent"). So what do we get? "Wise man," "intelligent man", which implies an inherent segregation of gender and of planetary ecosystems, as it justifies environmental degradation resulting from the Anthropocene logic—"man dominant over other forms of life." Man, look, MAN. An entire species reduced to a sneaky, insidious strategy of domination!

Now, let’s flip that around and look at the Yoruba worldview, which has a whole different approach to understanding life and our species is named using a rich vocabulary with variations and nuances. When referring to ourselves individually, we generally say: Ènìyàn, ènì (one who) + yán (act of choosing), which means "one who is chosen," and we can add, "one who is chosen to fulfill a destiny," given that Yoruba cosmology incorporates predestination. While, when referring to ourselves as a species in a group, we say: Aráyé, ará (one who physically inhabits, physical body) + áyé (Earth), thus we have "inhabitants of Earth" or "bodies on Earth." And it is just because I didn't talk about how many names one Ènìyàn can have depending on their characteristics. Because Ènìyàn is a general term, but to the yoruba, our species are an ecosystem, like lots of different kinds of flowers. So yeah, way more thoughtful than just "man."

To someone who smells good, for example, the term is olóorùn (oní + òórún). Oní (sometimes shortened to "olú") means "the one who has" or "owner of," indicating possession or association with a specific characteristic. Olóòrun (oní + òórún): A person who has a scent. In this case, "òórún" means scent, and the combination gives the meaning of "a fragrant person" or "the one who has a scent."

In the Yoruba language, there are a variety of prefixes used to refer to someone of our species, each with a specific meaning that highlights characteristics, qualities, or relationships. These prefixes are a rich way to identify someone's qualities or roles within society. Examples:

Ìgìrìpá (someone who is strong)

"Ìgìrì": Can mean something "heavy" or "resistant."

"Pá": The act of striking or hitting with force.

Opolongo (someone who does gossip)

"Opo": Means "a lot" or "large."

"Longo": Can refer to something spread out or disseminated.

Opolongo refers to someone who spreads a lot of information, especially gossip. It is a personality that talks a lot about others, spreading news or rumors.

Do you see? Different kinds of flowers.

***In this 2D animation, I show you my grandfather. I saw him walking on a hill 17 years after he had passed away. Then, there's my encounter with Damballah (who looks like a sperm, lololol), and finally, an obvious accusation of who are the real thieves of this planet.