Ẹ̀kọ́ Yorùbá fún gbogbo ènìyàn: Welcome! 🌿

The Yorùbá language is personal for me. It is not only a passion — it is a calling. Yorùbá is not just a tribe or a language; it is a way of life, a people, and a heritage.

I remember during the early 2000s, the trend in many Nigerian homes was to speak only English to children. Fast forward to today, and we see young adults and children who cannot speak, read, write, or even understand their mother tongue. This loss pains me deeply, because language is identity, and without it, so much of who we are fades away.

My own Yorùbá journey began early. At the age of 7, I started reading Yorùbá on my own. My dad had a library filled with books and magazines in both Yorùbá and English. Being a very curious child, I devoured everything I could lay my hands on — from Akede to Aláròyé. I would read the stories aloud to my friends and siblings in the neighborhood, and sometimes mimicked Yorùbá broadcasters with pride and excitement.

There’s a Yorùbá proverb that says:
“Ọmọ tí yóò jẹ asámú, a ti kékeré ni yóò ti máa ṣe ẹnu sámúsámù.”
“The child who will be talkative starts showing the signs right from a young age.”

Looking back, it makes sense that when I later studied Yorùbá Language and Literature at the university, I felt like I was simply walking the path destiny had already prepared for me. Ìṣe orí rán mi ni mo ń jẹ́ — I am fulfilling what my destiny has assigned to me.

Teaching has always been in me. At five years old, I was already teaching “invisible students” with chalk on the wall of my dad’s balcony. Later, I went on to teach in classrooms for over eight years professionally. And then in 2020 — the year of Covid — I decided to take this gift online, opening my virtual doors to students all over the world who wanted to learn Yorùbá.

This blog, Ẹ̀kọ́ Yorùbá fún gbogbo ènìyàn (Yorùbá Lessons for Everyone), is an extension of that journey. Here, you can expect lessons, stories, proverbs, and cultural insights — all rooted in making Yorùbá simple, accessible, and alive for everyone, no matter where you are in the world.

Ẹ káàbọ̀, once again, to this space. Thank you for joining me on this journey of preserving and celebrating our language.

Mo dúpẹ́. 🙏🏾

– Folakemi 🌺