成人快手

Guide For Living

THE ODU ONARA-MEJI ORACLE ON LYING

Lying does not prevent one from becoming rich. Covenant breaking does not prevent one from reaching old age. But the day of death will bring retribution.

African religions provide detailed regulations related to daily life. This very practical side of traditional religion protects the community and strengthens its collective sense of identity. There are taboos, some of which involve food. It is taboo, for example, to eat a certain type of mushroom in the Butiko (Mushroom) clan of the Baganda.

Relations between the sexes are governed by a number of rules. For example, there is often a period of withdrawal from public places demanded of women during menstruation. Sexual relations are forbidden while a woman is still breast feeding.

There are also plenty of hints and advice about getting on with fellow humans and the community at large in the form of sayings and proverbs. Indeed your very name may give you a guide to decent living. Names from the Igbo peoples of Nigeria include:

Somaadina    'let me not exist alone'
Oraka    'the community is greater'
Adinigwe      'it is better to be better'

Hospitality and generosity are prized and essential to the well-being of the community. Respect for parents and elders is universal. But lying, stealing and the act of murder are unreservedly condemned. Where a crime is committed the individual rarely stands alone. The crime and the feelings of guilt will be felt collectively by the family or community.

In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe explores many aspects of morality in a pre-colonial setting. At one point, the hero's father is chastised by the priestess for not striving in this world to make the best of what God has given him:

" 'Hold your peace,' screamed the priestess, her voice terrible as it echoed through the dark void. 'You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.

You, Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your matchet and your hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms; you stay at home and offer sacrifices to a reluctant soil. Go home and work like a man.' "