Soul Sista of Nigeria Village Square: The Controversial Interview

By WayoGuy On Wednesday, April 4, 2007, I sat down, in New York , for an exclusive interview of Soul Sista, the controversial contributing writer on the premier Nigerian-interest website called NigeriaVillageSquare. A rather charming lady, she surprised me with some candid opinions, spiced with Yoruba proverbs, on matters of interest to the villagers. Without wasting much time, here is the interview, unedited:

WG: It is generally known that Big-K is the proprietor of the website Nigerianvillagesquare. Do you think Big-K should have been consulted before this interview today considering that the village will feature prominently in this interview?

SS: Well, Wayo, before a decision is reached in any matter, you must hear from all parties in interest. This is why we say, in Yoruba, Aki fa'ri leyin olori (You don't shave someone's head when he is not present).

WG: I am not talking about shaving Big-K’s head. I am not a barber.

SS: You are not a good interviewer either, but here you are. Next question, please.

WG: Why should Big-K be consulted? He doesn’t know everything, does he?

SS: Frankly, when you secure the participation of the right people, you are bound to get the right results. Agba ki wa l'oja k'ori omo tun tun wo. An elder cannot be present at the marketplace while a new born babies’ head is misshapened). But let’s go forward.

WG: The rumour on NVS is that you and Big-K don’t get along. Why are you still hanging around this village?

SS: One may be forced by life's vicissitudes and challenges into the humiliating situation of operating below or outside one's normal station in life.   Ojo to ro lo k'eyele p'omo adiye (It is the rain that caused the pigeon and the chicken to share the same space).

WG: So you really think Big-K is below your station …?

SS: Have I not answered your question? Please don't publish that last answer.

WG: What about the rumor that you and tatafo are one and the same person operating under two handles? Can you lay that rumor to rest for good?

SS: Ema f'adaba we tolotolo (Don't compare a dove to a turkey).

WG: That was not nice.

SS: Whatever! What are you yourself doing on NVS, anyway?

WG: What is your view on these JJC villagers who crop up overnight like toxic weeds and start claiming rights and demanding attention, as if NVS was set up by the United Nations? These JJCs don’t even know how a website operates.

SS: I think a majority of the JJCs are ingrates. I mean you don't just appropriate benefits to yourself in a manner that suggests that you gave no thought to the work that went into procuring such benefits. E ba efon l'abata, e y'obe tii, e ro bi omi lo mu ku ni? (You found a water buffalo at the edge of the river, and you put a knife to it and started carving it up, do you think it drowned to death?).

WG: So you think the rights and participation of JJCs should be limited until they have observed real villagers in action for at least one year?

SS: Absolutely, Aimete mero lo je ki omo iya mefa ku si oko egbe efaa (Not knowing their left from their right is what caused the six children of the same mother to die in the farm). Being ill prepared for an assignment, not taking time to observe and learn what you ought to before embarking on something can result in very devastating but avoidable consequences on you and your life.

WG: So Big-K should be required to train the JJCs before unleashing them into the village?

SS: Oro aro l'omba omo k'ale (The words you speak to a child in the morning will remain with him till the night). Train your child up from when he is young so that as he grows older, the training will serve as a light to mould him into a good person. That’s how I would answer that.

WG: I agree with you that the JJCs have caused too much trouble in the village. Do you have any plans for checking their heads for head lice before they can fully join the villagers?

SS: Ile njo na, ebere irugbon baba (The house is burning and you are asking about Baba's beard). Please move on to another subject.

WG: One more on JJCs please. How about the very few JJCs who come with proper respect for their elders?

SS: Those can be excused. Doors that might not otherwise be open to someone of your station in life will be opened to you if you give a good account of yourself through your manners and conduct.  Omode to ba we owo e, a ba agba jeun (A child that washes his hands will eat with elders). I’ve told you to move on to another subject. Now move on.

WG: Sorry about that your sistaship. Did you hear the rumour that senior villager Abraxas has abandoned his first wife and married another without even divorcing the first?

SS: That’s gossip. Why is that important for me to answer?

WG: As a respected villager, what is your advice to Abraxas’ younger wife?

SS: If a person treats someone else badly, don't ever be fooled into thinking you will receive better treatment from the same person.  Egba ti won fi naa iyaale, o dele de iyawo (The cane used to beat the senior wife is waiting patiently for the junior wife).

WG: Thank you for that gem. There is a rumour that Big-K is considering between Auspicious and Sabella, two troublesome villagers, which one should be permanently banished? What is your take?

SS: Ai fi aran sile lo ma wo lapa lapa (One does not leave leprosy to treat guinea worm). A wise person tackles major problems before dealing with minor ones.

WG: Which one of the two is leprosy and which is guinea worm?

SS: Please ask your next question.

WG: Sorry about that your soulship.

WG: Soul Sista, how many times have you told Uche Nworah to translate to English all his Igbo proverbs before posting them on NVS?

SS: Oro abo la so fun omoluabi, t'oba de inu a di odidi (You only need to tell a person with good character only half of what you want to say; the discernment that accompanies good character will ensure that this person gets the full import of your statements).

WG: Are you charging that Uche is a person of bad character? That will not go well with his supporters?

SS: WayoGuy, please move to your next question.

WG: One final question: good or bad, big and small, JJC or villager, Big or small K, don’t you think we all need to work together for a better village?

SS: Every member of society has his or her own role to play to enable the society to operate in an orderly manner beneficial to all. Owo omode o to pepe, be t'agbalagbe o wo kengbe (A child's hands are too short to reach a high shelf, but the elder's hands too are too big to enter into a narrow gourd).

WG: Are you still practicing law considering how big you are now on NVS?

SS: Abeg, commot here, Washington lawyer, my [deleted].

WG: Thank you, your soul sistaship.

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 04.04.2007 22:44

aiksmart  Villager

# 2 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA:lol: OMG MAKE UNA HOLLO DIS LADYOOOO B4 HIN SPOIL SOMETHING... WG: Thank you for that gem. There is a rumour that Big-K is considering between Auspicious and Sabella, two troublesome villagers, which one should be permanently banished? What is your take? SS: Ai fi aran sile lo ma wo lapa lapa (One does not leave leprosy to treat guinea worm). A wise person tackles major problems before dealing with minor ones. Auspicious, I have always quietly suspected that you may be one or the other(shifting b/w "L" & "GW".... hahahahahahhahaahhaha Na waoooooooo Wayo Guy & SS deserves to be aired as standup commedians... U`all just capped my evening, bless the both of you. Warm regards Ike Posted by aiksmart| 04.04.2007 23:31

Anon  Villager

# 3 =Robot;166004>...Read the full article. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: Wayo Nwanna... this your interview is the funniest I have ever read! I thought Uche's letter to Tatafo took the thread today, but this your interview with Soul sista na real wayo sha. It was spot on in so many respects! Posted by Anon| 04.04.2007 23:37

Auspicious  Villager

# 4 Wayo Allah! Carey time o, Odawise I go call dem boys (they know themselves) make dem come and give this thread 2cc of Ethnoquin Injection in orda to Derail it. Na 'alf word dem dey tell small pikin o, if di word reash eim bele, 'e go turn to Big-Big words. (Helf a Werd is Enef fer deh Weiz) Ehn-hen! Auzpy. Posted by Auspicious| 05.04.2007 00:11

Mikky jaga  Villager

# 5 I realise the fact that I just graduated from the JJC club, and seeing the desperation of Wayo guy to wipe out all JJCs from the forum, and the non commitant attitude of SS to rescuing the endagered creatures, I have decided to tread softly lest the welcomer in chief revert my new chieftaincy title - Villager back to JJC Based on this premise therefore, I reserve my comments. Posted by Mikky jaga| 05.04.2007 06:06

beambolla  Villager

# 6 WHOW !!!! :wink: THAT WAS FUN TO READ I HOLD MY COMMENTS:lol: SINCE I AM A REAL JJC SO IT MAKES ME FEEL I SHOULD BE SEEN BUT NOT HEARD I GUESS:cool: BUT I ENJOYED THE INTERVIEW I LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE HONEST WITH THIER VIEWS AND THAT WAS SOUL SISTA'S OPINIONS ONE IS ALLOWED AND IT SEEMS SHE HAS PAID HER DUES I LOVE A WOMAN WHO SPEAKS HER MIND AND IT ALL IS FUN AND GAMES . I AGREE ONE HAS TO WALK BEFORE ONE RUNS BUT STILL WE ARE THANKFUL THE VILLAGE IS DEMOCRATIC AND EVERYONE'S VOICE IS HEARD .......:r:) :) :) :D> THAT IS WHAT I ENJOY AND LIKE Posted by beambolla| 05.04.2007 08:22

Auspicious  Villager

# 7 Hi, Beambolla! (Na wa for dis ya 'Ajeborta' name sef!) First of, have you 'jubad' (paid obeiscance) at the 97th Floor of the Village Twin Towers? I am not sure you have so here's a word of advice: Don't let Don Juan Carlos Abraxas II run into you O! I don tell you o! Abo oro la n'so fun omo l'uabi o! (Half word is enough for de wize o!). Ehn-hen! Meanwhile, wetin make yu tink sef say na ein mind Soul Sista dey yarn for dat Wayo Interview? "Infact", wetin make yu tink say na Soul Sista eimsef dey dat interview? What if na eim Kari-Kachop (caricature) Wayo dey interview? Hmph! Shildren of Nawadayz..(Respects, Abraxas). Oh yeah, I heard you were doing Yanga for one Agbalagba Tisha di oda day. Eh-eh! Shiiiiildreeeeen of Nawadays! Na all di Borta (Blue Band, Planta etc) wey dem dey give una chop for Oyiboland dey make una jump like Puppy wey jus suck eim Mama boby finish.. Oya, before I count TIRI, proceed to Village Square and find UncleTisha and beg him before I vex for yu. OOOOOOONE!, Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 05.04.2007 08:57

akuluouno  Villager

# 8 SS and WG, Thanks for the interview which revealed a lot of inter but not much view about certain issues especially on Uche, Auspy and Sabella. These are grand elders in NVS and any attempt to banish them will be met with an appropriate fatwahooo. Big K may be the father of NVS but JJC s will grow to be villagers one day. We were all JJCs bfore we grew up. I love your proverbs seeing that it reminded me of the ones in T M Aluko,s His Worshipful Majesty which I read to have an insight into the early Yoruba interaction with the white man. WG keep up the good work of conducting virtual interviews afterall we are on the net. :D Posted by akuluouno| 05.04.2007 09:10

beambolla  Villager

# 9 <<B>COLOR="Blue">HEM HEM OGA AUSPICIOUS!!!! I HAVE BEEN TO THE 97TH FLOOR AND UNCLE AND I DEY KOOL NOW NO BE YANGA I DO I JUST LET YOU KNOW SAY BEAMBOLLA IS IN THE VILLAGE{LAUGH} AND YES I AM NOT SURE IF SOUL SISTA WAS TRULY THE ONE BUT I STILL RESPECT HER VIEWS ABI WETIN DEY WRONG WITH THAT .NO BE PLANTA I DEY CHOP NA ANCHOR BUTTER BUT OGA I BET I FIT FINISH IYAN AND EGUSI SOUP BEFORE YOU FIT SAY JACK I BEG OH I DON DO THE RIGHT THING I HAVE PAID HOMAGE TO THE ELDERS OF THE VILLAGE BUT IF I NO PAY YOU HOMAGE YET I THROW YOU SALUTE!! I HOPE SAY I MEET YOU WELL YOU SEE I BEG OH MAKE YOU NO VEX SAY I BE WOMAN WEY DEY STAND MY GROUNDS UNCLE NO VEX ANYMORE WETIN BE YOUR OWN EVEN SEF"!! LET SLEEPING DOGS BE!! AS I GO PAY YOU HOMAGE SMALL I GO STILL SAY MY OWN TOO!!!!! {LAUGH} Posted by beambolla| 05.04.2007 10:03

tatafo  Villager

# 10 :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: WG: What about the rumor that you and tatafo are one and the same person operating under two handles? Can you lay that rumor to rest for good? SS: Ema f'adaba we tolotolo (Don't compare a dove to a turkey). WG: That was not nice. SS: Whatever! What are you yourself doing on NVS, anyway? :lol: :lol: I was about to comment on this... when I came across the one below WG: What is your view on these JJC villagers who crop up overnight like toxic weeds and start claiming rights and demanding attention, as if NVS was set up by the United Nations? These JJCs don’t even know how a website operates. SS: I think a majority of the JJCs are ingrates. I mean you don't just appropriate benefits to yourself in a manner that suggests that you gave no thought to the work that went into procuring such benefits. E ba efon l'abata, e y'obe tii, e ro bi omi lo mu ku ni? (You found a water buffalo at the edge of the river, and you put a knife to it and started carving it up, do you think it drowned to death?). WG: So you think the rights and participation of JJCs should be limited until they have observed real villagers in action for at least one year? SS: Absolutely, Aimete mero lo je ki omo iya mefa ku si oko egbe efaa (Not knowing their left from their right is what caused the six children of the same mother to die in the farm). Being ill prepared for an assignment, not taking time to observe and learn what you ought to before embarking on something can result in very devastating but avoidable consequences on you and your life. WG: So Big-K should be required to train the JJCs before unleashing them into the village? SS: Oro aro l'omba omo k'ale (The words you speak to a child in the morning will remain with him till the night). Train your child up from when he is young so that as he grows older, the training will serve as a light to mould him into a good person. That’s how I would answer that. WG: I agree with you that the JJCs have caused too much trouble in the village. Do you have any plans for checking their heads for head lice before they can fully join the villagers? SS: Ile njo na, ebere irugbon baba (The house is burning and you are asking about Baba's beard). Please move on to another subject. Wayo you just stole my thunder oh... I've been compiling my list of people to profile since my open letter yesterday from Uche and now you go ahead and profile SS. Okay maybe I should recruit you for the profiles team... Yes, now as for Tatafo and Soul Sister being the same people ... I like the ans Soul Sista gave, but please who is the dove and who is the turkey between the two now? :rolleyes: :eek: :D Posted by tatafo| 05.04.2007 11:28

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