Olabiyi Babalola Yai

Olabiyi Babalola Yai (1939 – 2020) was a Beninese-Yoruba philosopher, linguist, literary scholar and diplomat. He was a leading scholar of African oral literature, Yoruba studies and African intellectual traditions. He served as Benin's Ambassador to UNESCO and was known for his writings on African languages, decolonization, oral traditions and the relationship between language and knowledge. 1 Quotes "African languages are repositories of second order thinking." Decolonization without a linguistic turn is like drinking sugar without tea: Ọlábíyìí Babalọlá Joseph Yáì (Journal of the African Literature Association, 2021). Olabiyi Babalola Yai discussing the philosophical importance of African languages and concepts. "Decolonization without a linguistic turn is like drinking sugar without tea." Decolonization without a linguistic turn is like drinking sugar without tea: Ọlábíyìí Babalọlá Joseph Yáì (2021). Olabiyi Babalola Yai discussing the necessity of language in African intellectual liberation. "Tradition is not opposed to creativity; tradition is the condition for creativity." In Praise of Metonymy: The Concepts of Tradition and Creativity in the Transmission of Yoruba Artistry over Time and Space (Research in African Literatures, 1993). Olabiyi Babalola Yai discussing Yoruba artistic traditions. "Oral literature is not a lesser form of literature." African Oral Poetry Criticism: Some Epistemological and Methodological Considerations (1994). Olabiyi Babalola Yai discussing African oral traditions as intellectual systems. "The study of Africa must begin from African categories of thought." Decolonization without a linguistic turn is like drinking sugar without tea (2021). Olabiyi Babalola Yai discussing African-centered approaches to knowledge. External links