Hate Speech Between the Yorùbá and its Neighbours: An Exposition of Inter-Tribal Yoruba Proverbs

Abstract

The thrust of this work is to examine the role of oral literature, most especially proverbs in the dissemination and propagation of hate speech among ethnic tribes in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to highlight the root causes of hate speech among ethnic groups using oral data sources. The theoretical framework for this research is the theory of sociology of literature and the model adopted under this theory is the mirror image approach. Data for this research were gathered from primary sources which include traditional chiefs, religious leaders, artisans and government workers in Ilorin and Malete, both in Kwara State and Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria; and secondary sources such as published texts on Yoruba proverbs. Through this work, it has been discovered that the primary causes of Yoruba's proverbial hate speech are inter-tribal rivalry, historical animosity, farmers-herders clashes, climate change and environmental degradation, and majority cum minority tribes discourse. It was also discovered that hate speech in Nigeria could be classified into traditional and modern hate speech, while oral-sourced hate speech is traditional hate speech, and online and social media-sourced hate speech is modern hate speech. Evidence of this is obvious in that Yoruba people have different names, that is, exonyms which are termed derogatory by the speakers of these languages. For example, the Hausa are known as Gambari, Fulani as Àdàlọ, Ogu as Egun, Ebira as Igbira, Nupe as Tapa, and the Ijaw as Òkòló. In conclusion, it is discovered that social media is not the architect of hate speeches among rival tribes in Nigeria; it is just an amplifier as evidence from oral sources shows that hate speech is as old as human existence.