CHAPTER TWO : THE PROBLEM OF EVIL IN YORUBA THOUGHT SYSTEM

CHAPTER TWO

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL IN YORUBA THOUGHT SYSTEM

2.0      INTRODUCTION

The problem of evil is certainly the greatest obstacle to belief in the existence of God. When we ponder on both the extent and depth of suffering in the world whether due to man’s inhumanity to man, or to natural disaster, then we may find it difficult or hard to believe that God exist.

The problem of evil has been extensively debated in western philosophical and theological literatures. The problem arose to western scholarship because of the doubt that allegedly surrounds the existence of God, who is believed to be Omnipotent, Omniscience and perfectly good. The problem probably never started until some thinkers,’ philosophers and non-philosophers began to perceive some sort of incompatibility between these attributes of a supreme being “God” and the existence of evil in the world. They argued that a God with these attribute and evil in nature are strange bed fellow.

“The problem of evil is then often stated as the problem whether the existence of God is compatible with the existence of evil”1

2.1. GOD AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL IN THE YORUBA THOUGHT SYSTEM

However, the problem of evil in the western world is quit different from that of the Yoruba thought system, though the Yoruba also face the problem of the existence of God and the problem of evil, but it is not as the same as that of the western world such as Christianity. The Christian view on the problem of God is that which is more complex than that of the Yoruba thought system. They are of the view that God is attributed to an all powerful, all-knowing and all-loving God but yet we still find evil in the world. This was where the origin of the problem of evil came in. Why will a all-knowing, all-powerful and all-loving God allow evil to betray his beloved ones? If he is all power, all good why then permit evil? These are some of the fundamental questions the Christian Philosophers and non philosophers try to get answers to.

But not of the Yoruba thought system who believe that Olodumare is a supreme being who is associated with both good and evil, he is the creator of good and evil itself. Olodumare has all attribute of been a all-knowing, all-good, all-powerful God, Olodumare is the creator, cause and origin of all things.

“We have learnt that the divinities were brought into being by Olodumare and that the work of creating the earth was commissioned by him. Everything in heaven and on earth owes it origin in him in the capacity as creator”. He is known as Eleda “the Creator”, the maker. He is the origin and giver of life, and in that capacity, he is called Elemi – “The Owner of Spirit or “The owner of life”2

“He knows more than we do, but unlike Christian

God, he does not know everything. He is more powerful

than we are, but he is not powerful, God in Africa is more

benevolent than we are but he too can do evil and

therefore not Omni-benevolent in short God in African

Religion is not transcendental”.3

Thus, the Yoruba will say “Onje e yan kan, majele ni fun elo mi” that is one man’s food is another man’s poison. What is good for Mr A may not be good for Mr B, what may be good for Mr B may not be good for Mr C and so on. This makes us understand that evil in another sense is a matter of individual choices, what is evil to one person may be good to another.

We can then say that whatever happens either for the good of it or for the bad or evil. The Yoruba thought system also have a saying which says “Olorun O kin se Ibi” that is God which is Olodumare does not do evil, though His works or actions may seems evil by bringing calamity upon an individual. This does not mean that Olodumare is an evil doer. Everything he does is for the good of it.

The Yoruba also have a saying “Owun to ba le, bo wa di ero” or “Ko si ohun to le ti kin ro” meaning, No matter how hard things are, things will still come easy”.

To this end we can see evil work with good. Some Yoruba sees the problem of evil in another entire view such as the relativist position as regards the problem of evil which can be advanced from another angle mainly by asserting that what is evil to one may be good to another. This seems to be the implication of the Yoruba saying that “ti te enikan ko ba baje, ti elomi ko le dara” meaning, if it does not go wrong with someone it cannot go well with another. In Nigeria while the family of the Late Musa Yar’adua mourned the premature death of their son, father and husband, some members of Goodluck Jonathan’s family may have thrown a secret party at their son’s assumption of presidential duties. Nelson Mandella earned immortality in forth African history for facing the evil of twenty-seven years behind bars. Furthermore a smaller evil could be viewed as a way of forestalling a greater evil.4

“A good person at times cannot avoid bringing about a genuine evil. A teacher at times allows his students to fail as he fulfils his responsibility to show them the ideal and how far they are from it. The high rates of failure in medical school are the result of measures taken to insure that in competent doctors do not harm the public. The examiner who fails an airline pilot who is not physically fit or up till date on the plane he is flying bringing us from greater evil. The work of a doctor is to heal the sick, it is only when the sick visit the hospital the doctor can earn money to feed his or her family and if patience did not come they will say or put the blame on God that he his not helping them bring patient or to make a living, with these Yoruba will say God is doing evil because he does not help them in times of their needs. Logically, in the Yoruba thought system when people face calamity, disaster or any form of evil, that is when some people are happy. People like the doctors, the lawyers, the musicians and so on.

Has the doctor pray for people to get sick, the casket builder will also pray for people to die, only for them to have customers who will come and patronize them all for the sake of making a living. There is a Yoruba saying which has been said earlier, which says the fall of an individual or person give rise to the greatness or success of another individual that is “ti te enikan ko ba baje, ti elomi ko le dara”. For instance if a person loose his or her job, loose his/her family or lose a huge sum of money in Yoruba society the people will say that such is a form of evil, some may even go further to say “aye lo se” that is it is evil that befall such person, some also may say “ o le je a fo wo fa ni” that is where one is the cause of his own problem.

The Yoruba have different views on evil depending on how or the way evil takes place. In a case of an individual losing his or her job, a huge sum of money, or when a pregnant woman looses a child. Some of the Yoruba society or people will believe or come to a conclusion that “everything always happen for a reason either good or bad. In most cases they believe when evil happen they believe, it is a sign of warning that could bring or lead to bigger evil or calamity on a person. In this process people accuse the supernatural spirit, divinity or even Olodumare himself, some will better give him praise than saying unpleasant words to Olodumare.

When a person loses or lost a huge sum of money “The Yoruba may say “aye lo se” that is it is the devil hand work, which may take any type of evil either by nature which is natural, super natural spirit or from divinities or physical evil which comes as form of evil from man to man. However, the Yoruba believe that when a man fall another will rise that is If Mr A fail Mr B will rise, if Mr A loses his job, Mr B may get employed. This to me is immoral because it claims that Yoruba therefore accept evil as a beneficial entity.

Yoruba immediately accept there faith when they are in a crude state, they rather say or praise olodumare for such evil may be because it does not have much effect on them, sometimes they refer or compare such evil with that of there neighbour. They will say “O dupe lowo Ori or Olodumare wipe ajalu yi o to ti lagbaja” which means you should be thankful to Olodumare “God” that the evil that befall you is not much than that of your neighbour.

This some times gives the Yoruba hope of a limited evil that befall them. In the case of a pregnant woman who loses her child the Yoruba’s will say “ Omi lo danu, akeregbe o fo” meaning , it is the baby who died but the mother is still alive. This kind of statement is a word of hope among the Yoruba people. Only because evil has not taking a total negative action, but if it happens to be that in that same situation when the mother loses the baby and after words the mother died eventually, soon or later the father heard about what happened and then collapse and died, this is a very big disaster and calamity upon the family and also upon the people of the land. The Yoruba people of the society will exclaim “Iru Ajalu buruku wo leyi”. However we have said earlier that Ajalu is a form of evil which could come in any type of way either physical or natural by developing from state to a worse state. The Yoruba people will then blame God for such evil which befalls the family or society at large. In the Yoruba thought system evil may come in any ways or kind. Sometimes it happens has a disaster or calamity that ends up as a blessing or praises and sometimes it end up in sorrow, while sometimes its happen for the benefit of another person and sometimes it worsen the case the more.

Evil could be disastrous, but end up in greater blessing or praise for instance a man seeking for employment and was appointed a date for an interview by 10am on the day of his interview he then develop a serious headache by 9:15am which he ought to be at the interview by 10:00 am, however he eventually missed the interview due to the serious headache, he eventually loses the job opportunity. In this situation, to him Evil has taken place by the process of having a severe headache which make him lose the job, by this he blamed God “Olodumare” that why should such thing happen to him in that very crucial stage of his life. Afterward he later realized that if he had gone for the interview he may have end up to be a dead man, he later knew that the car which is to take him there later had an accident where so many life’s where lost. In this situation, an headache which he thought was of evil later turn in to praises for good by this the Yoruba will say “Olorun o kin se bi” or  “atori ikan se kan ni olorun” that is God never does evil  or ever evil is a blessing in disguise, this is when God Olodumare is mostly appreciated for his good work but if it happens the other way round when the situation get worse by which the man went for the interview and eventually died in a car accident the Yoruba will put the blame on olodumare that, why did he allow such calamity to befall such a person. This is where such evil leads to sorrow. But when it is beneficial to one and takes the negative side on the other person. This make such a person which the evil befall to exclaim “Why me” “Olorun ki lo de to fi je emi” by saying this, it is a way of accusing olodumare for such pain conflicted on man.

In some cases when the Yoruba had tried put the blame on one another, the supernatural being or olodumare, but could not get any positive result they then develop a strong faith by saying “ti ko ba se iwo, tani e ba se” meaning if it does not happen to you then who else should it happen to. That is it is one’s fate to face such challenges in life.

MORALITY AND HUMAN FREE WILL

The ethics of African traditional philosophy in general is a transcendental ethics. It is transcendental in that, it is ultimately founded on a transcendental moral order, an objective moral that is not an intention of man, nor is it within man’s power to alter it. This means that African traditional philosophy; morality is not something invented or established by the society, much less by the individual man. Moral values are not the creation of the society, but rather the expressions of a moral order which transcends both the society and the individual and which obliges both. It is not a cosmic moral order emanating from an impersonal, blind cosmic force, but rather, a transcendental moral order established by God. Man is obliged to conform to this moral order and conformity to it demands good character. Goodness of character implies the rejection of certain ways of behavior as vices, and the adoption of central to the ethics of African traditional philosophy. The vices include killing, stealing, adultery, and disrespect for elders, telling lies, ridiculing deformed or unfortunate people, incest, causing harm in any way to other people and so on. Goodness of character demanded by the transcend entail moral order implies the avoidance of those vices. But goodness of character does not consist in the avoidance of the vices alone. It also consists in the positive cultivation of virtues, such as kindness, generosity, hospitality, justice, respect for elders, virginity before marriage, honesty and so on.

Man cannot flout the transcendental moral order and go free for it includes within it an imminent justice which ensures that goodness of character is rewarded and wickedness is punished. No violation of the transcendental moral order even in secret can escape the divine Justices, for sooner or later after the offence Justices will have its turn. To flout the moral order us to incure punishment for oneself. 5 What to do at any given time. Hence, there is a strong institution of punishment and reward in the society.

Beside, they do not hesitate to blame anybody who violates the rules or ethical norms of the society, either as an attempt to deter others or as a positive measure while rewards are given to morally upright individuals. Also Olodumare is considered as the Ultimate Judge of things. He is referred to as “Oba a dake dajo” one that judges in silence, “Oba-Arinu rode, Olumoran-okan”, The King who sees and searches the heart of every man. Thus if Mr A is caught sleeping with Mr B’s wife the society will impose the necessary sanctions for doing so. If on the other hand the facts of the situation are not clear, the case will be referred to Olodumare who is the final arbiter and judge of all things.6

CONCLUSION

Ethics is a mode of conduct that brings about conformity, sanction in the aspect of either natural or legal law. But in the Yoruba thought system the natural law is the most supreme law among all. It brings about moral order which controls human’s freewill and actions toward committing atrocity which is an evil act. Man cannot flout the transcendental moral order and go free; misuse of freewill is one of the challenges of the problem of evil in Yoruba thought system.

REFERENCES

1B.J. Balogun, “Ibi: An Examination of the Yoruba Traditional Existentialist Concept of Evil, Thought and Practice”, In Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK), New Series, Vol.6, No.2, Obafemi Awolowo University, 2014. P.57.

2J.A.I. Bewaji, “Olodumare; God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil,” Vol. 2, Issue 1, London: African Studies Quarterly, 1998. Pp. 7-8.

3O.A Balogun, “The Nature of Evil and Human Wickedness in Traditional African Thought; Further Reflections on the Philosophical Problem of Evil”, Vol. 20, No. 2, Lumina, 2009. Pp 5-6.

4B.J. Balogun, Op. cit., P.60.

5J.I.Omoregbe, Knowing Philosophy; A General Introduction, Lagos: Joja Education Research and Publishers, 1990. Pp 28-29.

6. E.O. Oduwole, “The Yoruba Concepts of Ori and Human Destiny; A Fatalistic Interpretation”, in Journal of Philosophy and Development, Vol.1, No. 1& 2, 1996. P.51.

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