The third edition of Memories of Grandma, a childhood memoir written by broadcaster and trainer, Anike-ade Funke Treasure is slated for release on November on Nov 16th, 2020. The book which was first released in 2013 was published and presented to the public in two Nigerian cities of Lagos and Ibadan, in 2015.
According to the author, this third edition is accompanied with a workbook and a soundtrack album. The workbook offers a platform for children and adults, to grasp the basic concepts in our indigenous culture including our belief system, proverbs, sayings and how to use them. There are teacher-pupil as well as parent-child interactions in the workbook, this is to ensure that the right conversations are being had around the book and about our identity as a people. Hopefully, this should foster interactions between the old and new generations in Yoruba land.
The soundtrack album contains folksongs and chants from the memoir. The author says the soundtrack to the book was conceived as ‘an exciting avenue for children to relive the folktales in the book and make the morals of the story stick with them. According to the author, “The folktales in the book can serve as bedtime stories for our children, they are rich in morals and filled with interesting characters”.
According to Prof Aderemi Raji – Oyelade, Prof of English Language, African Literatures & Creative Writing, at the University of Ibadan, “The narrative structure reads like a compendium of folktales, chants, praises and words that are representative of the pristine Yoruba indigenous society”. “It is exactly what I intended, a representation of Yoruba orature. The soundtrack album further seals the memory of the stories and their songs for the 21st century Nigerian child.”
Three tracks are being released along the book presently, while the full album will be out next year, 2021. The soundtrack to the book is performed by artistes who are renowned for their work as cultural ambassadors. They include performance poet, Akeem Lasisi famous for his Eleleture amongst other poetic renditions; Afrobeat musician and guitarist, Edaoto, the multi talented singer and guitarist, Kent Oxygen, one of Nigeria’s vocalists and rising songstresses, Kayefi. Other outstanding popular artistes in Nigeria and in the diaspora, who lent their voices to the soundtrack will be unveiled with the full album.
It is also to rekindle a revisiting of our values, beliefs, and heritage as an ethnic group. This is in line with the overall aim of the book which is to achieve a more nuanced understanding of Yoruba language by children and adults who have been alienated from their cultural identity. Hopefully, this should kindle a cultural renaissance that will enable the alienated to re-connect or connect at a deeper level with our culture and traditions.
“I have used this memoir to celebrate my Yoruba-ness and promote the Omoluwabi philosophy of the Yoruba people. I hope that it draws as many people as read it, nearer to their roots. I would be thrilled to see comprehensive projects come out from the Yoruba nation that will further concretise our world views in this century and age.”
