Examining the Art of Wickedness with Ifa Corpus

Òtítọ́ ba’lẹ̀ ó di omi

Ìkà balẹ̀ di yangí

Díá fún Ọ̀wọ́nrín

Níjọ́ tó n lọ̀ó ya àpò ikà danù

Ẹbọ ni wọ́n ní kó wáá ṣe

Ó gbẹ́’bọ, ó rú bọ

Ká ya àpò ikà danù

Ká mú òtítọ́ ṣe

Oore ló pé

Ikà kò yẹ ọmọ ènìyàn – Ọ̀wọ́nrin Ìká

Truth landed and turned to water

Wickedness landed and turned into laterite

These were Ifa’s declarations for Ọ̀wọ́nrín

When going to tear the bag of wickedness into pieces

He was advised to offer ẹbọ

He complied

Let us tear the bag of wickedness

And uphold truthfulness

Benevolence is profitable

Wickedness has no profit for human beings

The phrase “You shall reap what you sow” rings a bell here as we witness the art of wickedness being perpetrated to self, family members, strangers and animals on earth. It roars like a raging turbulent wave, like a volcano that erupts suddenly, like the earth splitting up all of a sudden, like a heat wave that starts brush fire. It could start anytime among friends who were together laughing just yesterday. Wickedness also means deriving pleasure in other people’s misfortune. When people suffer due to no fault of theirs, a wicked person rejoices and thinks that he/she is winning. When people feel pain, the wicked feel pleasure. When others grief, the wicked grin. A wicked person sees no reason why he/she should render any helping hand in ameliorating the suffering of others. Instead, he/she will find ways of prolonging the suffering. Let’s examine through IFA, this act, this boiling, this turbulence that momentarily turn we humans into heartless and irrational creatures. Let’s discuss..