Catch up with Tribalisimo (Naija Edition) here on Twitter every Tuesdays, Thursdays, public holidays, and every other available days. Ìjà wá ìjà òsì, stay guiding ọmọ ìyàmi. Yoruba.
The unpunishable woman (2026)
Styled direction by me
Styling Assisted by @Soma_bree
Model @ la_bakee (ig)
Makeup @ loluwa.x (ig)
Gele @ amex_geleart (ig)
Christians have every right to preach Christianity.
Muslims have every right to preach Islam.
Traditionalists have every right to practice Ìṣẹ̀ṣe.
The issue is something much deeper.
For decades, Yoruba traditional spirituality has occupied a very specific role in many Christian films: the VILLAIN.
The babaláwo is usually the manipulator.
The shrine is usually the source of darkness.
The Òrìṣà devotee is usually deceived.
The traditional priest is usually power-hungry.
The solution is almost always the same: the traditional religion must be defeated, exposed, humiliated or abandoned.
People keep saying, “We are only preaching Jesus.”
Fine.
Then why does preaching Jesus so often require portraying another people’s ancestral faith as demonic?
Christianity does not believe Islam is true.
Yet we do not see an entire film industry built around proving that Allah is powerless, that every imam is serving dark forces, and that every Muslim spiritual experience is demonic.
Christianity does not believe Hinduism is true.
Yet we do not see endless films where Hindu deities are dragged into every plot to demonstrate their weakness.
But when it comes to Yoruba spirituality, suddenly there is an obsession with proving powerlessness.
An obsession with showing defeat.
An obsession with demonstrating that the gods cannot save their worshippers.
An obsession with portraying traditional practitioners as either victims or villains.
That is why many people are questioning the pattern.
And before someone says, “Light versus darkness has no nationality,” that sounds good until you realize that the “darkness” in these stories almost always seems to wear indigenous clothes, speak indigenous languages and practice indigenous spirituality.
At some point people are entitled to ask whether this is evangelism or cultural conditioning.
Nobody is asking Christians to believe in Ifá.
Nobody is asking Mount Zion to worship Òrìṣà.
Nobody is asking them to abandon Jesus.
What many people are asking is much simpler:
Why is respect never enough?
Why must disagreement become demonization?
Why must another person’s sacred tradition always be reduced to an object lesson for your own faith?
You have every right to say, “I do not believe in Ìṣẹ̀ṣe.”
But if for decades your storytelling consistently portrays that faith as darkness, deception, bondage, evil and spiritual inferiority, then don’t be surprised when people start questioning the message behind the message.
Because there is a difference between preaching your faith and making a career out of portraying another people’s faith as spiritually worthless.
So, Punch Newspaper posted about Yetunde, describing it as the first Yoruba indigenous dating app and noting that it has helped connect more Yoruba people. As expected, the usual suspect flooded the comment section. One said that Yorubas were focused on dating apps while the abducted Oyo students were still in the bush. Another one commented that Yorubas marry among themselves because they "don't know English.
You may have 1,000 reasons to vote for Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. E no concern me. The only reason I'm voting for him is because I'm a TRIBALIST and a BIGOT. 😏
The government releases the names of Nigerians funding terrorism in the country “ Ibos dey there “
The government releases the names of people attempting to plan a coup in the country “ Ibos are there “
The person caught cloning the president's voice “ Ibo”
Every 10 people caught posting fake News in the country “ Ibos are 9”
People who demarket Nigeria everyday “Ibos are at the forefront “
People who call Nigeria a zoo “Ibo are the pioneer “
People who brought Mexico cartel into Nigeria to saturate the country with Drugs worth over $300m.. “ Ibos are the culprit “
These same people will claim the victim for things that have nothing to do with them... Just to victimise themselves
Before plastic spatulas and silicon spoons existed, Yoruba people carved the Igbako from calabash to scoop, serve and portion solid food with precision and dignity. Ancient Yoruba people refused to be basic even with their kitchen tools.
Osun Governor Adeleke faces backlash for appointing Igbo climate envoy; critics question her role in local political discourse.
https://t.co/WmWxKKSkqK
I and the team at @afrirootslabs are trying to keep Nigerian dialects alive. If you are very fluent in your dialect and language, sign up here. Let's preserve our heritage. 👇🏽
https://t.co/FToDEEGak3