OlayemiOniroyin.com The Yoruba Blog Carrying The Nigerian Message

The advent of western values has informed our writing
style, our medium of communication and its evolution
overtime. English Language has become the popular
medium for many with less recognition for indigenous
language in Nigeria. However for Olayemi Olatilewa, a
Nigerian, who blogs in yoruba language, the dialect has
far more to offer. In this interview, he shares his
inspiration, and exciting passion in curating news in a
local dialect, on our Blogger Series.

1. Who is behind OlayemiOniroyin.com?
My name is Olayemi Olatilewa. Some people call me
Olayemi Oniroyin, or Olayemi Dakewi. I graduated from
Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun state, where I
studied Yoruba Language and Literature. I am a yoruba
poet, I also write news. When I chant poems, people call
me Olayemi Dakewi, and when I am into the media,
people call me Olayemi Oniroyin. I am also a Broadcast
Journalist, and also a content writer for a Yoruba
newspaper.
2. At what particular moment did you conceive the idea
or what event brought the idea? I have been writing for
long. It has been part of my abilities and talent since
birth. I started writing in English before I moved to
blogging in yoruba.
3. Why blog in Yoruba? What's the motive behind the
blogging? Before Blogging, I have seen different kind of
people going online, and do all sort of things here in
Nigeria. I noticed the flaw of copying and pasting news
contents, so I said within myself to stand out, and not
tagged among the 'regular' ones. Secondly, I love
creativity. I love to do my things in a very special way. I
believe that this is me, and this is where I would be
different and stand out. I decided to blog in yoruba to do
something new, that has not been done in the industry. I
found this out to be true before I started – that no one
has ever blogged in yoruba.
4. What impacts do you think your blogging style will
have or has had? I have made a lot of impacts. I have
been able to connect a lot of people in diaspora to their
roots here in Africa, especially in Nigeria. People call me
everyday from UK, US, Sudan, Honduras, etc. This gives
me joy that so many people read my blog even though
they are far away from home.
5. How far do you think your blogging style will go? How
sustainable will it be in the next few years considering
the Language style? The reason why I blog is because
that is part of me while other things are secondary. The
trend of things now dictate that yoruba language has a
great future in comparison to any other languages in
Nigeria. We have numerous publications in yoruba, and
even extended to movies in yoruba, igbo, and hausa. I
do say to myself that if these people are still in
business, and making it, then I will also make it and be
relevant. I do say that if Alaroye (a yoruba newspaper
that has been around for a very long time) is still in
business, then I will also be relevant. There is really a
lot to hope for.
6. What's your performance in yoruba language in
Primary and Secondary schools? Was your performance
a major influence to own an indigenous blog? (Laughs) I
studied Yoruba Language and Literature. But right from
my primary and secondary school, I have had interest in
yoruba language and did excellently. The people that I
have moved with are also a major influence. Dele
Momodu is a great inspiration for me. Dele Momodu
studied Yoruba Language at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, and so inspired by his success and the way
he makes use of words. According to him: 'As a yoruba
person, you conceive your thoughts in yourba and later
translate it into English. If you are so good in yoruba,
you'd be so good in expressing yourself because yoruba
language is so rich. And if you are able to put your
thoughts together in yoruba, expressing yourself in an
articulative manner acceptable by all would be very easy.
So simply, Yoruba has been a basic part of my life.
7. What's your view about the dwindling usage and
teaching of yoruba language in schools? Do you have a
solution for this? If we are not proud of our language, it
will fade off. What we do is to promote the language,
and tell the public of its importance. When we make use
of it in writing, people will see the reality of what we are
talking about and embrace it. And it is ongoing. If we
don't promote it, people won't take it serious. We need
to tell our teachers, and parents that yoruba should not
be considered as vernacular but equally important as
other languages. A look at China – with the
technological innovations inform us of the dynamism in
indigenous language.
8. Are people allowed to make comments in languages
other than yoruba on the blog? If such arises, how do
you manage it? Why not? People drop comments on my
blog both in yoruba language and English. The simple
act of leaving comments reflect that you read and
understood the content. We cannot rub off the fact that
there are some people who cannot write in yoruba.
Irrespective of the language used, I appreciate leaving
comments, and I give responses to them. Some people
cannot write in yoruba but they love it, read it, and
learn.
9. Do you blog all alone? Or with staff? I blog all alone
for now. As it is with English, we have grammatical rules
in Yoruba. People think yoruba language is easy, but it
is not. Not everyone can write in yoruba.
10. Yoruba is diverse; we have Oyo, Ijebu, Ijesa, Ilaje etc
with different tongues, if you were to choose one as
Oduduwa lingua franca, which one will you settle for? To
go by the way we were taught in school, the general
yoruba language acceptable in classroom is the
combination of all yoruba dialects, but the combination
is closer to the one spoken in Oyo. So we want to
believe that 'Oyo' yoruba is the general language. But,
this does not mean Oyo language is the ultimate
best,but Oyo language is the one academics believe is
closer to the general formed language in yoruba land.
11. What has surprised you most since you have started
Olayemioniroyin.com? Successes and failures? What has
surprised me most is people calling me from different
countries. It amaze me that they have read different kind
of things on my blog and keep up the excitement to call
me from Paraguay, Sudan, Costa Rica, and so many
countries that I have never been before. This gives me
joy that we have a wide reach, and spur us to do more.
No failures really, but challenges. I have written some
certain things that got me into trouble. The notable one
was of a musician. I didn't balance the story well,
instead I allowed my emotions to come into play but I
am very okay now. I later deleted the post because it
sparked a lot of controversies.
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Olayemi Olatilewa blogs at [OlayemiOniroyin.com]OlayemiOniroyin.com , and
you can tweet at him: @olayemioniroyin