Ongoing Project – Ceyoleng

Project Title: Animated Cartoon Series in The Medium of Yorùbá Language Based on Yorùbá Folktales about The Crafty Tortoise.

The Rationale for the Project

Worried by the real possibility of the Yorùbá language becoming endangered as a result of the following reasons (among others):

literate speakers’ unwillingness to use it
its use in a restricted number of communicative domains
parent having a tendency for not passing it on to their children, and determined to reverse the ugly situations noted above, CEYOLENG has been making concerted and ceaseless efforts to not only preserve the Yorùbá language as a vehicle of the Yorùbá people’s vital and living cultural heritage but also promote the use of the language in all domains of national life. One of such determined efforts is the production of animated cartoon series purely in the medium of Yorùbá language focusing on Yorùbá folktales about the crafty tortoise.

The Rationale for Choosing Folktales and Tortoise Stories for the Project

Folktales serve as an important means of handing down Yorùbá traditions and customs from one generation to the next, and they are passed down by words of mouth. Today, however, the tradition of oral story-telling is vanishing in the Yorùbá society.

Yorùbá children are no more accustomed to gathering together by moonlight to be told stories that centre on human and animal character types by the adults, and by that reducing to a great extent their connection to the cultural values of the Yorùbá people. The rationale for the choice of folktales for the Centre’s cartoon project, therefore, is to help connect the kids (as well as adults) to the cultural values of the Yorùbá people.

Focus is on tortoise stories because the tortoise is an important and most recurring character type in Yorùbá folktakes.

The Aims of the Yorùbá Cartoon Series

to strengthen the Yoruba language by bringing it to the generation of our children
to connect children and adults to the cultural values of the Yorùbá people (as noted above)
to preserve and increase the prestige of the Yorùbá language
to discourage the Yorùbá language prejudice harbored by those (for instance, the elite class) who are ashamed to use the Yorùbá language as a medium of expression particularly in formal settings or for official purposes, waking them up to the reality of an adage in Yorùbá which translates as “No one points to his father’s house with the left hand”.
to use electronic or digital technology as a strategy for preserving, protecting and promoting Yorùbá folktales as a vital form of the Yorùbá people’s indigenous knowledge system and living cultural heritage
to use animated cartoons as an instrument for Yorùbá language engineering and revitalization. Indeed, a revolutionary strategy in that regard.
to use animated cartoons as a useful audio-visual tool for teaching and learning Yorùbá language and culture at the (pre)primary and secondary levels of education and as a second or a foreign language.

The Scope of the Project

The Yorùbá folktales about the tortoise on which suitable storylines are to be prepared for the Centre’s cartoon project include (but not limited to) the following:

Ìjàpá tan Erin wọ ìlú

The tortoise used his wiles to get the Elephant to town

Ìjà láàárín Ìjàpá àti Erin

The fight between the Tortoise and the Elephant

Ìjàpá ká eyín Erin

The Tortoise yanked out the Elephant’s teeth

Ìjàpá àti Bàbá Oníkàn

The Tortoise and the Native Bitter Tomato Farmer

Ìjàpá la ohùn Bọ́lá Ọmọ Ọba tó ya odi

The Tortoise made Princess Bọla who was dumb able to speak

Ìjàpá, Ẹkùn àti àwọn Ẹranko mìíràn

The Tortoise, Leopard and other Animals

Ìjàpá àti Ajá

The Tortoise and the Dog

Ìjàpá àti Ẹyẹlé

The Tortoise and the Pigeon

Ìjàpá àti Ọmọ Alákàrà

The Tortoise and the Akara Hawker

Ìjàpá àti Ìgbín

The Tortoise and the Snail

Ìjàpá àti àwọn Ọmọ Ìyá Mẹ́ta

The Tortoise and Three Sibling Brothers

Ìjàpá àti Ọmọkùnrin kan

The Tortoise and a Boy

Ìjàpá àti Òrìṣà Oko

The Tortoise and the Goddess of Agriculture

Ìjàpá àti Ọ̀bọ

The Tortoise and the Monkey

Ìjàpá àti Kerebùjé (Ọmọdébìnrin arẹwà)

The Tortoise and Kerebuje (a beautiful girl)

Ìjàpá kógun ja Odídẹrẹ́

The Tortoise waged war against the Parrot

Ìjàpá àti Ìgbín dẹ Ọṣọ́

The Tortoise and the Snail set a Snare

Ìjàpá àti Jìgo, Ọmọdékùnrin Ọdẹ

The Tortoise and Jigo, the young Huntsman

Ìjàpá àti Èrò ọjà

The Tortoise and the Sellers and Buyers in the Market

Ìjàpá fi Ọgbọ́n Ẹ̀wẹ́ fẹ́ Ọmọ Ọba Mẹ́ta

The Tortoise used his Wiles to marry Three Princesses

Ìjàpá àti Ìyá Ẹlẹ́pà

The Tortoise and the Woman Selling Groundnuts

Ìjàpá àti Àdàbà jọ dá oko kan

The Tortoise and the Turtle Dove jointly made a farm

Ìjàpá àti Àbọ̀n Ẹyìn

The Tortoise and the Unripe Palm Fruit

Ìjàpá àti Ajá lọ jí iṣu wà

The Tortoise and the Dog went to steal some yams by digging them up.

Ìjàpá, Àgbẹ̀ àti àwọn Ọmọ rẹ̀

The Tortoise, the Farmer, and his Children

Ìjàpá, Àgbò àti Igbá

The Tortoise, the Ram, and the Calabash

Ìjàpá lọ jẹun lọ́dọ̀ Ìyá Ajá

The Tortoise went to the Dog’s Mother’s place to eat

Ìjàpá àti Alákàn

The Tortoise and the Crab

Ìjàpá, Ìgbín àti Abuké Ọṣìn

The Tortoise, the Snail, and the Ọṣin’s Hunchback

Ìjàpá, Asín àti Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́

The Tortoise, Asin (Rat) and the Squirrel

Ìjàpá àti Àáyá

The Tortoise and the Red Colobus Monkey

Ìjàpá jí omi pọn nínú kànga àwọn Ẹranko

The Tortoise stealthily drew water from a well dug by the Animals

Ìjàpá àti Àkèré

The Tortoise and the Slender Edible Frog

Ìjàpá àti Bàbá Adẹ́mu

The Tortoise and the Palm wine Tapper

Ìjàpá àti Ajá

The Tortoise and the Dog

The Anticipated Impact of the Project

It is anticipated that the Centre’s animated cartoon series will appeal to viewers of all ages worldwide. They will also make a huge impact on the teaching and learning of Yorùbá language not only at the pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels of education but also as a second and a foreign language. Besides, they will act as a catalyst for changing the people’s negative mindset (especially the elite class) regarding the use of Yorùbá language in various communicative domains and specialized fields.

Progress Report

The Centre for Yoruba Language Engineering (CEYOLENG), University of Ibadan, Nigeria, is currently using animated cartoons, purely in the medium of Yorùbá, as an instrument for Yorùbá language revitalization, and vigorously applying digital technology as a strategy for preserving, protecting and promoting Yoruba folktales as a vital form of the Yoruba people’s indigenous knowledge system and living cultural heritage.
CEYOLENG’s animated cartoon series are also a useful audiovisual tool for teaching and learning Yorùbá language and culture at the pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels of education, and as a second or a foreign language.
The first five episodes of the folktale entitled ‘Ìjàpá tan erin wọ ìlú’ (The tortoise used his wiles to get the elephant to town) are now available on Youtube – click on ceyoleng.
The episodes are characterized by traditional narrative techniques of the Yorùbá people, funny animal character types mingling with humans, rich vocabulary and good diction, beautiful songs, lyrics and melodies, an informative traditional mode of administration, instructive morals or lessons, etc.

Click here to watch the videos

Cartoon Project, Plan of Action

The CEYOLENG Yorùbá cultural cartoon video project is in phases. Phase 1, with emphasis on folktales based on tortoise stories, intends to resurrect, in a digital format, the now virtually abandoned traditional practice of children gathering together by moonlight to listen to stories that centre on human and animal character types thereby intimately connecting them to the cultural values of the Yoruba people. Folktales as we all know, are important means of handing down Yorùbá traditions and customs from one generation to the next as well as a vital form of the Yorùbá people’s indigenous knowledge system and living cultural heritage. This explains, in part, why phase 1 of the project focuses on folktales. Also, emphasis is on tortoise stories because the tortoise is an important and most recurring character type in Yoruba folktales. In phase 2 of the project, digital technology will similarly be used as a strategy for promoting other societal issues embraced by the concept of the YORÙBÁ ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ as well as various modernistic issues. CEYOLENG is fully committed to the idea of using electronic or digital technology for executing its Yoruba language engineering and revitalisation agenda.