The Reading Nook

Family.

How many people make up a nuclear family? Who are those that are your extended family?

In yourba families, we have:
Baba - father
Iya - mother
Awọn ọmọ - children

Ọmọ - child

In an extended family however, we have everyone in the nuclear family and these ones:

Baba iya/baba- Grandfather
Iya iya/Baba- Grandmother

Ẹgbọn Baba/iya lọkunrin- uncle (older)
Aburo baba/iya lọkunrin - uncle (younger)

Ẹgbọn baba/iya lobinrin - aunt (older)

Aburo baba/iya lobinrin - aunt (younger)

Ọmọ aburo / ẹgbọn iya lobinrin ati ni ọkunrin - cousin

E.t.c

How many else can you mention and name correctly?

Connection in many languages Do you feel disconnected from a person? Learn to read and write their language with WOAKA: The kasahorow Dictionary

A Yoruba traditional wedding (Ìgbéyàwó) is rich in culture, and what’s “needed” can vary slightly by family and region, but here’s a clear, practical breakdown of the essentials:

🎎 1. Introduction & Family Involvement

Families of both bride and groom must be involved from the start

Elders represent both sides during discussions

Groom’s family formally expresses intent to marry (knocking/intro visit)

💍 2. Bride Price & Negotiations

Known as “Ìdána”

Not necessarily a commercial payment, but a cultural requirement

Items may include:

Money (agreed amount)

Drinks (canned and bottled)

Kola nuts

Palm wine

Gifts for the bride’s family

Exact list is usually given by the bride’s family after the introduction

📜 3. List of Requirements (From Bride’s Family)

Typical items include:

Kola nuts (obi)

Alligator pepper (ataare)

Palm wine or drinks

Yam tubers or food items (varies)

Traditional fabrics

Envelopes of money for elders

Items for blessings and rituals

👗 4. Attire (Aso-Ẹbi & Traditional Wear)

Bride: Often wears Ìró and Bùbá, head tie (Gèlè), and coral beads

Groom: Agbádá or Senator wear with fila

Family members: Coordinated Aso-Ẹbi fabric

🎤 5. Ceremony Highlights

Presentation of the bride

Prostration by the groom (dobale)

Asking for the bride’s hand

Acceptance by the bride’s family

Breaking of kola nuts (symbol of unity)

Blessings from elders

Exchange of vows (sometimes included in modern setups)

🍽️ 6. Food & Hospitality

Traditional meals are served (e.g. jollof rice, amala, pounded yam, etc.)

Drinks are shared among guests

Hospitality is a big part of the celebration

🎶 7. Music & Entertainment

Talking drums (dùndún)

Live band or DJs

Cultural dance performances

Praise-singing (oríkì)

💡 8. Key Cultural Meaning

Ìgbéyàwó is not just a wedding, it’s:

A union of two families, not just two individuals

A celebration of respect, tradition, and community

A process that honors ancestry and shared values

WHEN THE DRUMS CALL

✨ SYNOPSIS:-

Adéọlá, a successful but emotionally distant architect in the UK, returns to Nigeria for the first time in over 20 years; his father has passed away, and he must oversee the final rites in his ancestral village near Ìjẹ̀bú. He plans a quick visit: sort things, say the right words, fly back to his life.

But Nigeria has other plans.

At the burial, a group of elderly women begin chanting his oríkì; one he hasn’t heard since childhood. The words trigger vivid dreams, strange flashbacks, and an inner restlessness that begins to unravel him. Even the bàtá drums during the funeral rites seem to beat in sync with his heart.

His plans to leave quickly fall apart when an old babaláwo tells him: “Your father didn’t die. He passed something on.”

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