Masculinities in selected Yoruba proverbs and the complexities of being a man in a changing world

Abstract

This paper explores the complexities of being a man as represented in selected Yoruba proverbs and the implications in a fast-changing world. Proverbs in African parlance is a reflection of a people’s way of life, culture, strength, weakness, dos and don’ts. As a vehicle of communication, a proverb among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa, is meant to give meaning to expression. The study, therefore, discusses the construction of man in the Yoruba socio-cultural milieu and how this construction is reflected in the proverbs of the people. As a qualitative research study, the study relies on masculinity as a framework, especially for the analysis of ten selected Yoruba proverbs. The study discovered that while men are constantly changing in status and role as a result of changing economic and social equilibrium, the proverbs that construct him as a man remain constant. It is, therefore, suggested that some of the proverbs that construct the man against the reality of his existence and changing circumstances should begin to change or be rebranded in order to position him for the only thing that is constant “change”. By so doing, it is believed that so much pressure will be taken off the man in the face of new realities and emerging changes in gender discourse.