by Kolapo Olapoju

I saw the BBM (Blackberry messenger) ‘personal message’ of a friend this morning and it read, ‘Yoruba people are so loud and absurd’.

As a Yoruba man, who has had several multi-tribal friends, association and relationships, i’ve gotten used to hearing cliché statements like that, hence I didn’t bat an eyelid nor was I in the least concerned about something I’d gotten accustomed to, over the course of my life.

But while I sought to disregard the ‘PM’ and concentrate on my work, a question veiled in mockery and self-chaste popped into my head and I could hardly focus on work again.

The question, ‘Are Yoruba people loud and absurd’ kept repeating itself in my head, and before I knew it, I was already typing to my friend, asking him to kindly elaborate on his ‘Personal Message’ and also give me examples of a Yoruba person being loud and absurd.

As if he’d been waiting for such an opportunity, He readily obliged, giving me seven of such absurd and loud instances. We’ll call my friend, ‘Frank’.

1. Frank said the vocal ability of a Yoruba man is double that of the average human being, in essence, he meant that Yoruba people tend to talk in high pitched tones and converse at the top of their voices.
2. He said the average Yoruba man tends to quickly take off his shirt whenever a fight or melee breaks out, not exactly to show off his amazing biceps and abs, but to be free of encumbrance in the course of the fight.
3. Yoruba people are so over-respectful, that they will kneel down at the ATM machine after receiving their cash and say ‘Oshe sir (Thank you Sir)’.
4. Yoruba people tend to prostrate on the phone when greeting, as if the person on the other end of the line can see them.
5. Yoruba people love to party. They celebrate everything. The tooth of a Yoruba man falls off and he throws a party.
6. Yoruba people are legends in polygamy. They keep marrying and abandoning their children.
7. A Yoruba man would rather rent a one-room apartment or go back to his village than pay 400-500k for a 2-bedroom flat in Lagos.

Unfortunately, my friend was right on a couple of the absurd instances, but he grossly exaggerated on some of them, especially the ‘ATM’ kneeling example.

Really, who does that?

But then, I started thinking, ‘I’m a full-fledged Yoruba man, and I hardly do any of those things he listed’, which led me to the conclusion that although some things are peculiar to some tribes, we simply cannot afford to generalize because generalization doesn’t always paint the true picture.

As much as I’m certain that many Yoruba people truly do some of those things, I’m also sure that other tribes have their own peculiar absurdities, which we can’t exactly say is applicable to every one from such tribes.

Folks, what do you think about Frank’s list? How many do you agree with?

Perhaps, Yoruba people are really absurd and loud. No?

Kolapo Olapoju