Kingmakers in Yorùbá Written Plays

O.A. Adéyẹmọ 

Introduction

            In the olden days, the kingmakers played an important role in the selection of new kings. They were dignified and highly respected in the society. They always selected a new king on merit through the dictate of the Ifá oracle. The Ifá oracle was believed to know ‘yesterday, today and tomorrow’; it was regarded as the Yoruba deity of wisdom, knowledge and divination (Abmibola 1975:4)

            However, as the society grew and expanded and claimed to be more enlightened, the attitude of the kingmakers to their sacred call started to change. They began to be highly interested in taking bribes from candidates who wanted to become king.  During this period, the wealthiest or the richest ones among the contestants were often selected as kings.

            In addition, the educational qualifications of the contestants became the key factors in the selection of kings. To them, it was a very wealthy king that could bring developments into their areas of domain through their connections both at home and abroad. 

            It was not that everybody accepted this change in the attitudes of the kingmakers. Many less privileged people were of the opinion that favoritism in the selection of kings should not be encouraged. To them, the role of Ifá was indirectly been taken over by the kingmakers. With this type of behaiour among the kingmakers in the society, this paper analyses Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán and Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù to see how the kingmakers in the plays selected their kings. We shall start by briefly describing the plays.

Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán

After the death of the king of Ipo, the kingmakers came together to decide on who the next king would be. According to tradition, all the candidates should be presented before the Ifá oracle. The kingmakers, however, failed to do. They presented only their favoured candidate to the Ifá priest. After consulting Ifá, the Ifá priest told the kingmakers that the candidate they brought was rejected by the oracle. Although they heard what the Ifá said, the kingmakers, headed by the Basorun, went ahead to make their favoured candidate, Simisola the king of Ipo. It should be noted here that it was not only the Ifá oracle alone that did not support the enthroning of Simisola as the king of Ipo, the candidate was also not acceptable to the masses.

            On ascending the throne, the new king who was aware that he was not acceptable to the majority of the people he claimed to be governing, made use of different kinds of tactics to deal with those who were in opposition to his reign. The members of various cooperate societies in the town were mostly affected by his tactics.

            When the situation became unbearable to the people, they protested and insisted that the king, together with his chiefs, should swear before the oracle of Ipo to show that the allegations levied against them by the masses were not true.

The Basorun, knowing fully well that the allegations of dishonesty made against the king were true tried to use thugs to stop the king from swearing. He was unsuccessful. The masses came in great number to the place of event and at the end of the day, the king and his chiefs were disgraced.

Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù

This story was concerned with the problems created by the kingmakers when they were trying to fill the vacant stool created by the demise of the king of Tikaloju. Actually, the normal practice was to go through the Ifá oracle for the choice of the right candidate. They failed to do this. Oyekan was the choice of Ifá but Adekanmbi, who was also a contestant, bribed three out of the kingmakers - Aro, Lisa and Odofin - and was eventually installed as the king. Apart from the fact that the normal traditional rites were not made use of, the choice of the kingmakers was not acceptable to nearly all the people of the town.

After Adekanmbi had been installed as the king, he started taking steps which were unbearable and unacceptable to all and sundry. To put his administration on a strong footing, Iyalode was stripped of her title and all those who were planning against his authority were accused of various offences. Adekanmbi’s  ruling with iron hands did not go well with the governed who saw him as not capable of addressing the needs of the people. There was, eventually, an open confrontation between the people and him. Iyalode was the one who led those who rose against the king. This led to the death of the king. The people rejoiced after his death and sang songs of victory.

Powers of the Kingmakers

There were various ways by which the manifestation of the excessive power of the kingmakers occurred in the two selected Yorùbá written plays.

In Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán, after the demise of Onipo of Ipo, the kingmakers called a meeting to deliberate on the selection of a new king. Basọ̀run, at the meeting, informed the kingmakers that the selection of the new king would not follow the normal procedure. He said:

…a níláti mẹ́nìkan. Lónìí yìí sì ni, ẹni tí a bá wá fòhun kò lé lórí, orúkọ eléyìí ùn ni a ó wá sọ fún Ifá láti mọ̀ bí ìgbà rẹ̀ yóò ti rí. (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 8)

(…We must pick someone and it must be done today. It’s the name of that person jointly approved by us that will be presented before the Ifá oracle so as for us to know what his tenure in office will be.)

Suspecting that the usual method of selecting the king has been changed, Alapinni, one of the kingmakers, raised an alarm:

…Basọ̀run, báun wa ni? (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009:8 )

 (Basorun, is that how we normally do it?)

Basọ̀run, who understood him, pretended not to, and questioned him further:

Báwo ni? (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009:8)

(How is it?)

To this, Alapinni answered:

Mo ṣe bí orúkọ àwọn mẹ́tẹ̀ẹ̀ta ni a óò wò lọ́dọ̀ Ifá? Èyí tí Ifá bá sì wá mú… (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 8)

(I thought the name of the three scontestants will be presented before the Ifá oracle, and the one that the oracle selects…)

To show that, truly, there had been some compromise, Samu said:

Ohun tí a bá fún Ifá ṣe ni yóò ṣe (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 8)

(Ifá oracle can only work on what is presented before it.)

To support the above speaker and to show or affirm that money had gone round the kingmakers, Basọ̀run, the head of kingmakers, said:

Taa ni wọn ò tíì wá bá nínú yín? (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009:10)

(who out of you has not been settled by the contestants)

This meant that the contestants had been going round to the kingmakers to bribe them so that they could be selected, pronounced and installed as king; Basọ̀run even reminded them of their earlier agreement thus:

A à gbọdọ̀ gbàgbé ibi tí a fi ọ̀rọ̀ sí. (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 10)

(We must not forget what we have agreed upon).

This meant, that they had already made up their minds about whom to install as king out of the three contestants.

            The decision of the kingmakers was presented before the Ifá priest through the Basọ̀run as follows:

Ṣé ẹ rí ètò kí á máa kó gbogbo wọn wá síwájú Ifá yẹn, a ti paádà. A ti yẹ àwọn ọmọyè wò fínnífínní. A ti mú ọ̀kan tí ẹ ó bá wá bi Ifá léèrè lé lórí.    (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 12)

(We have changed the method of presenting all the contestants before the Ifá oracle; we have considered and interviewed the contestants, we have equally picked one that you will present before the Ifá oracle.)

By this statement, the kingmakers, through Basọ̀run, made it clear that the former method used for selecting new kings was no longer being used.

The Ifá Priest did as advised by the Basòrun but the Ifá oracle was not in support of their candidate. To show that the only candidate presented was not fit for the throne, the Ifá priest said:

Ohun tí Ifá wí ni pé, kò lẹ́bọ kò létùtù, kéèyàn má ṣe é lòògùn irú nǹkan bẹ́ẹ̀. (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 15)

(What Ifá oracle said was that it has no sacrifice or rituals, the only thing is that such person must not be installed as king.)

Having said that, he left but the kingmakers were not comfortable with what was pronounced by the Ifá priest hence their determination to damn the consequences. As far as the Basòrun was concerned:

 Gẹ́gẹ́ bí ìlérí ti Simisọ́lá ṣe, oúnjẹ wà lọ́dọ̀ rẹ̀, àjẹpẹ́ ni. (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 17)

 (Just as Simisola’s promised, he has plenty to offer that will last for a long time).

With what Basorun just said, the kingmakers decided to install Simisola as king of Ipo land. The kingmakers, thereby,  single handedly picked the candidate of their choice as king, rejecting Ifá oracle’s directive. This was a reflection of what was happening in our society also where, sometimes, the richest got to the throne even when he or she was not qualified.

In Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù, also, after the demise of the king of Tìkàlójù, the kingmakers, who were five in number, assembled to deliberate on how to install a new king. The kingmakers requested for the names of the candidates from the royal house. Oyekan and Adekambi were presented as the two contestants to the throne. After all deliberations, Iyalode suggested that Ifá oracle should be consulted as usual:

Ohun kan tí ó kù lójú mi ni pé kí á má ṣe gbé ọ̀rọ̀ náà gba ẹ̀hìn Ifá. Nítorí wọ́n ní Ifá làá ké sí bí ọ̀rọ̀ bá dojúrú. Ẹ jẹ́ kí á ṣe é bí wọ́n ti ń ṣe é, kí ó ba à lè rí bí ó ti ń rí. (Fánílọ́lá, 1991: 5)

(The only outstanding issue in this matter is that we must not bypass the Ifá oracle. The belief is that Ifá is to be looked up to when there is confusion. Let’s do it as it ought to be done so that the right decision could be taken.)

The confusion at this level was about how to get the right candidate out of the two contestants. Based on this, the Ifá priest was invited to consult the Ifá oracle. In doing this, the Ifá Priest spoke in parable:

Ẹnìkankan kò gbọdọ̀ bá onínú tútù àti oníwà ìrẹ̀lẹ̀ du oyè náà. Àìṣe bẹ́ẹ̀, ìlú ò le rójú bẹ́ẹ̀ ni kò ní ráàyè. (Fánílọ́lá, 1991: 5)

(No one must compete with the subtle and humble person in the race for the kingship position , if this is not adhered to, the town will not be at peace.)

Aro, one of the kingmakers, did not get the parable right. Jagun, a member, clarified it by saying:

Ta ni kò mọ̀ pé Oyekan ni onísùúrù…           

(Fánílọ́lá, 1991: 13)

(Who doesn’t know that Oyekan is being referred to as the subtle minded person.)

This suggested that the Ifá oracle made itself clear to the kingmakers. After the meeting and to confirm further, Lisa said:

Gbogbo wa la mọ̀ pé Oyekan ni onísùúrù tí Ifá mú. (Fánílọ́lá, 1991: 13)

(Everybody knows that Oyekan is the subtle minded person that the Ifá oracle has picked.)                     

Having known the truth as dictated by the Ifá oracle, it could be recalled that some of the kingmakers recollected that they were not comfortable with the manifesto of Oyekan when he was interviewed. He vowed to deal ruthlessly with the corrupt ones and also with those that were nominated to do community work but squandered the money given to them. Since Lisa and Aro knew that they had skeletons in their cupboards, they both blocked Oyekan’s chance and installed Adekanmbi as king after receiving bribes in cash and kind from him. Odofin was lured into the game and he was given his own bribe too. Only Iyalode and Jagun were not carried along because they had been known as people that money could not buy over. No wonder, Aro said to Adekanmbi:

Lórúkọ mi, Lisa àti Ọ̀dọ̀fin, mo bá ẹ yọ̀ Adékànḿbí pé o kú oríire náà. (Fánílọ́lá, 1991: 28)

(On behalf of myself, Lisa and Odofin, I rejoice and congratulate you, Adekanmbi.)

Based on this development, Adekanmbi was installed as king without taking the views of Iyalode and Jagun into consideration. To them, the majority had carried the vote because three out of the five kingmakers approved the crowning of the new king. This taught us that, at times, the majoritys might not be always right.

The Aftermath of the Excessive Power of the Kingmakers

There were consequences that followed the excessive use of power by the kingmakers in the selected plays. Foe example, the prediction of the Ifá oracle came to pass.  In Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán, it was said of Simisola, who was solely presented by the kingmakers, that

Báyé bá yẹ wọ́n tán ìwà ìbàjẹ́ ni wọ́n ún hù. (Ìṣọ̀lá, 2009: 13)

(When they are fully satisfied they will eventually misbehave.)

As expected, king Simisọla misbehaved. He was accused of various wrongsoings ranging from non-fulfillment of promises, embezzlement, flirting with others men’s wife, etc. At the end, the king and some of the chiefs were compelled to go and swear before the oracle of Ipo to confirm their allegiance to those whom they claimed to govern. The king and his lieutenants were disgraced at the end.

In Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù, when the two contestants were brought before the Ifá oracle, Oyekan was picked as the right person to become the king. After his selection, the Ifa oracle said

Àìṣe bẹ́ẹ̀, ìlú ò leè rójú bẹ́ẹ̀ sì ni kò ní ráàyè. (Fánílọlá 1991: 13)

(Without that, the town will not be in peace  and it won’t be stable.)

In as much the directive of Ifá was set aside by the majority of the kingmakers, various problems arose after the installation of Adekanmbi as king. People reacted negatively against his unacceptable situation and he still continued to increase the burden of the people despite the austerity measure that was already being experienced by the people. The condition of living of the people was nothing to write home about. Women were compulsorily involved in the payment of tax. These and others constitute problems for the administration of the town by the king. Iyalode was stripped of her title because she did not support the king. At the end, the people rose against the king with Iyalode leading in a face-to-face confrontation with the king. At the end, they overpowered the king and the supporters of his tyrannical rule.

Comparison of the Selected Written Plays

From our discussions of the two selected plays, we noticed a number of similarities and differences. Before we go further, we would first want to compare the kingmakers in the two plays. In Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán, only one candidate was presented for kingship position before the Ifá oracle as against the normal procedure while two contestants were put forward before the Ifá oracle in Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù.

In Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù, only three out of the five kingmakers pronounced Adekanmbi as king. In Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán, all kingmakers agreed to present a single candidate, Simisola. The number of kingmakers in Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù is less than the number of kingmakers in Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán.

Although there were differences, we equally have similarities in the selected plays. For example, both kingmakers in the selected books agreed that Ifá oracle must be consulted hence the Ifá priest was invited. The kingmakers in the plays deviated from the directives of the Ifá oracle and went ahead to install the wrong candidates. Bribes were offered in Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán by the contestants for kingship position to the kingmakers. Although in Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù, bribes were also involved but it was only one out of the two contestants that offered bribes to three out of the five kingmakers to buy his way. At the end, both kings and their supporters, in the selected plays, were disgraced and humiliated to the joy of the people.

Conclusion

As shown above, the two plays, Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán and Orì Mẹ̀kinnì, have a lot in common as far as kingship issues are concerned. This is not to say that they do not differ in certain ways but the two plays go a long way to show what is happening in many places and among many kingmakers in our society today.

Refernces

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Fánilọ́lá, K. (1991), Orí Mẹ̀kúnnù. Ìbàdàn: Royal Printers Industries Limited.

Ìṣọ̀lá,   A. (2009), Ayé Yẹ Wọ́n Tán. Ìbàdàn: Agoro Publicity Company.

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