I can trace my origins down to
the village, hamlet and even the hut in which my forbears lived. My hamlet is
called agbole-aiyekoto, which means the Parrot’s Compound, and if you
read on you will find out why.
The last time I went to my roots,
the old folks began to recite our family praise-poetry the moment they spotted
me; and they didn’t stop until my eyes were teary from a swelled head. After a
heavy meal of boiled cassava and steamed vegetables, I took a seat under the cashew
tree and listened to the oldest family member recount how our hamlet name was
derived. The story is quite pertinent for you and me today even though it happened in the
era of my great-great-great grandfather. Of course, I can’t put a date to it
but since members of my family tend to live long (Grandma just passed on at 99
years old), you can be sure it was a very long time ago.