“Life started here in Ile-Ife!” The tone of his voice was firm, sure and non speculative.
“We have an Ooni at one time that ruled for 456 years.”
“How is that possible Kabiyesi?” That was Benji my friend, with his curious mind of a journalist.
The Ooni looked at him and responded: “But you believe the Bible when it said Methuselah lived for 956 years?”
We were stunned.
All these while we sat at his feet, on well polished Italian marble, resting our hands on a rug of exquisite white fur. Everything about His Imperial Majesty’s meeting room smacks of premium luxury and power, yet the man who is a global icon and cultural leader of over 60 million Yorubas worldwide, is so simple and amiable.
We have been having liaison with the palace for the past two months, discussing a pan-African project. This day we came to directly review plans with the Ooni. The one and half hours we spent with him made up for the over four hours we waited to meet with him. Kabiyesi is a man with great charisma but more intriguing is the depth of his intellect and knowledge. He took us on a long lesson about the black race, aboriginal Africans and how technology has enabled scientific projections to validate the origin of species and races.
“By analyzing blood today, we know that there are races that existed over 60,000 years ago … long before Christians and Muslims.”
He insisted that the Yorubas, the Igbos and Bantus existed within this period and that civilization and life started from Africa. He told the story of how the Bishop of Canterbury in the UK affirmed this truth when they met years back in London.
What went wrong? How did what was then the “first world” suddenly end up as the “third world?”
I thought deeply about this question as we drove back to Lagos from Ife, having attended an unplanned executive masterclass with the respected Ooni of Ife. Could it be that God’s destruction of Egypt by the plagues caused genetic mutation, giving rise to superior races? I have made a mental note to study the history and evolution of the Caucasian race. It may be a doctored history because I believe the West maintains a conspiracy of silence regarding the truth of history.
For whatever it’s worth, I am determined to go beyond what I know to make progress. When we live within the boundaries of limited knowledge, our progress will be contained by our naivety. One way to widen our horizon is to increase in knowledge. Make this your mantra in 2021: go beyond what you know to learn more. Knowledge is virtue, please share the value!
Nwamadi is a multi-talented writer, motivational speaker and entrepreneur
