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RE-INVIGORATING AND REJUVENATING YORUBA MORAL VALUES THROUGH AGGRESSIVE SENSITIZATION

Akinwumi, Olatunji Samuel

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Abstract

                The Traditional Yoruba value system expressed through myths, proverbs, songs, folklores and taboos does not only offer transforming possibilities in societal development but is also geared toward sustainable human habitation. Mouths however remain ajar in surprise to see the havoc that the double edged sword of Damocles that the Westerners and the imported civilization placed on Yoruba moral values has wrecked in the recent times. The values of respect, self-discipline, righteousness, diligence and faithfulness that the Yoruba are noted for have been seriously obliterated. The thrust of this paper is to explore how the dying and eroded moral values of the traditional Yoruba can be resuscitated and revitalized through aggressive sensitization. As the paper employs historical method in its analysis, the findings unequivocally reveal that Yoruba ethical values are intended to guide social and moral behaviour and that the concept of good, bad or evil, right or wrong feature prominently in African moral thought. The findings of the study further reveal that the erosion of Yoruba moral values has hampered and inhibited its self-reliance. The paper submits that reinvigorating the traditional Yoruba value system can be achieved through aggressive sensitization and by reflecting on the past.

Key words: Reinvigorating, revitilizing, moral values, aggressive sensitization, traditional Yoruba, eroded