Ki Sodeke to fi aiye sile
O fi ohun sile lo
Pe ki ogun maja Ilewo
Ki ogun maja Ijemo
Igbati Sodeke fi aiye sile
Ogun ja Ilewo ogun ja Ijemo
O ko gbogbo ara Ake da sehin odi
Before Sodeke's death, he proclaimed that there would not be an outbreak of war in the two Egba towns of Ilewo and Ijemo. But after the demise of Sodeke, war-ravaged both Ilewo and Ijemo, and the Ake people were displaced contrary to Sodeke's foretelling.
Sodeke was regarded as the founder of Abeokuta. He was considered to be clairvoyant and had foreseen the coming of Henry Townsend the British missionary in 1843 the visitation which Sodeke had seen in his dream a few days earlier. Apart from being a sort of soothsayer, Sodeke was a farmer and warrior and he took credit for winning many victories for the Egbas before he eventually settled them down under the Egba rock now known as Abeokuta.
Sodeke died in January 1845 and the entire Egbas came together to mourn him in Abeokuta.
The above Yoruba chants were rendered in the songs of Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and Lefty Salami when the two artists were serenading their Egba-born patrons, and I began to unravel the interpretation of the story to no avail. I am hoping one Egba historian would help to shed light on this intriguing but hidden Egba history.
(C) Soa Olaribigbe
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