Michael Afolayan: A tribute
My apologies for the belated greetings both to confirm the message of the Tribute to Ojogbon Michael Afolayan and the greetings of happy birthday to Ojogbon Toyin Falola. 31st. of December to 6th. of January constitute a period of retreat for me. It is a period of reflection on the successes and failures of the past year as well as the wishes for the new. Old habits die hard!
I met Ojogbon Michael Afolayan at the Conference on African Epistemologies put together by Ojogbon Toyin Falola on November 6th. 2015 at the University of Texas at Austin. When my presentation became a source for personal therapy, it was Michael omo Afolayan who came to spiritually fortify me to complete my presentation. Even though that exercise ate into his time for presentation, he was most unselfish.
Intense spiritual energy was needed to unearth wisdom from the deep structural level of the fundamentals of Yoruba epistemology, conceived as a spiritual excursus- a journey. That journey implied and required healing. That healing was so tied to the free flow of tears that academic analysis became a therapy session. It was only upon my reading of Ojogbon Afolayan's appreciation of the tribute written to him by Ojogbon Falola that I fully finally understood why he was so quick to intervene to fortify me during that epistemological moment at Austin. Holiness is built on love as Afolayan reiterated. Love is the foundation and confirmation of our humanity and our mortality – a measure and perhaps the true measure of the worthwhileness of our existence.
Grace to love is built on our nature – the essence of the divine in us. Heaven or hell is an eternal 'now' that is why it is so important for us to enjoy love and embrace hope for a happier tomorrow or as our final feeling before the end which must come to all humans.
Ojogbon Afolayan, as the Latin proverb says, bonum diffusivum sui (goodness diffuses itself) in your actions which are outward signs of your inward essence –sacraments- goodness diffuses itself for others to participate in.
Ojogbon Afolayan you share this quality with Ojogbon Toyin Falola who was born on January 1st. Happy birthday to him too.
Emmanuel Babatunde
1/6/2016
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Professor and Chair
Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Senior Fulbright Scholar
Lincoln University
Pennsylvania, USA
(484) 365-7545
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