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Showing posts with label Yoruba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yoruba. Show all posts
Sunday
Ifá/Afa- A Computer Programmer’s Perspective
By Eyes Sea
For some of us who earn our daily bread from programming computers (I have been doing this for over 2 decades), making the connection between Ifá binary notation and programming is a no brainer.
We programmers write codes/instructions (incantations) on the cpu – made from silicon (sand) to carry out our desires.
The parallel between a Babaláwo and a computer programmer is striking. We write on sand (silicon/cpu), a Babalawo writes on Iyerosun (camwood powder). We chant/write binary codes, a Babaláwo recites Odù Ifá!
In essence, a computer code is àfọ̀ṣẹ par excellence! In Yoruba, àfọ̀ṣẹ means “oun tí a fọ̀ tí ó sì ṣẹ” – something commanded to happen.
Our incantations (computer codes) can animate the entities in the cpu (sand) and make them become whatever we want: a game console, a financial trading system, an air traffic controller, facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon, Bitcoin etc.
How did this come about? Well, the Binary System makes this possible.
The Binary System of Ifá is based on the Yorùbá philosophical duality of Ibi and Ire (Evil and Good); for several millennia, the Yorùbá had been using the binary system before the German mathematician – Gottfried Leibniz formalised in 1679.
These days, the Binary Numeral System (Base 2) is well known in Mathematics and digital electronics and the system underpins how computers work by representing numeric values using just two digits – zero (0) and one (1)
In Computing, a Bit (i.e. BInary digiT) is the smallest unit of storage and can either be 1 or 0
A Nible (also called half Byte or semi-octet) is the grouping of four Bits e.g 0 1 0 1
In Ifá, Odù signatures are marked with “|” and “||”. Where “|” is the binary number “0” and “||” is “1”.
For example Ogbè (0000) has the following signature:
|
|
|
|
Ọ̀sá (1000) is represented as:
||
|
|
|
Òtúrá (0100) is marked as:
|
||
|
|
We can therefore summarise the representation of the first sixteen Odus as follows:
Decimal == Nibble == Odù
00 == 0000 == Ogbè
01 == 0001 == Ògúndá
02 == 0010 == Ìrẹtẹ̀
03 == 0011 == Ìrosùn
04 == 0100 == Òtúra
05 == 0101 == Ọ̀sẹ́
06 == 0110 == Èdí
07 == 0111 == Ọ̀bàrà
08 == 1000 == Ọ̀sá
09 == 1001 == Ìwòrì
10 == 1010 == Ọ̀̀fún
11 == 1011 == Ìká
12 == 1100 == Ọ̀wọ́nrín
13 == 1101 == Òtúrúpọ̀n
14 == 1110 == Ọ̀kànràn
15 == 1111 == Òyẹ̀kú
́
Since Ifá speaks only in binary (Odu Èjì Ogbè says: “Èjèèji ni mo gbè, n ò gbe ọ̀kan ṣoṣo mọ́” i.e “I will only support two, I will not support one”), each Odu must be paired.
For example, after pairing the main Odu, we get the following (see graphic for the main Odu signature)
Èjì Ogbè (also called Ògbè Méjì): 00000000
Ògúndá Méjì : 00010001
Ìrẹtẹ̀ Méjì : 00100010
Ìrosùn Méjì : 00110011
Òtúrá Méjì : 01000100
Ọ̀sẹ́ Méjì : 01010101
Èdí Méjì : 01100110
Ọ̀bàrà Méjì : 01110111
Ọ̀ṣá Meji: 10001000
Ìwòrì Méjì : 10011001
Ọ̀fún Méjì : 10101010
Ìká Méjì :10111011
Ọ̀wọ́nrín Méjì :11001100
Òtúrúpọ̀n Méjì :11011101
Ọ̀kànràn Méjì :11101110
Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì : 11111111
The other 240 minor Odus are derived from the main 16 Odus.
For example (note: the binary notation and the marks are read from right to left)
Ogbè-Ògúndá : 0001-0000
| |
| |
| |
|| |
Ọ̀yẹ̀kú-Ìrẹtẹ̀ : 0010-1111
| ||
| ||
|| ||
| ||
Computers also speak in binary and binary numbers can be converted to decimal, hexadecimal, octal etc.
Without getting into too much math, below are the decimal values of the 16 main Odu:
00000000 = 00
00010001 = 17
00100010 = 34
00110011 = 51
01000100 = 68
01010101 = 85
01100110 = 102
01110111 = 119
10001000 = 136
10011001 = 153
10101010 = 170
10111011 = 187
11001100 = 204
11011101 = 221
11101110 = 238
11111111 = 255
i.e. 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 = 55
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In Ifa, the patterns of bits above translate to…
ọ̀wọ́nrín-ọ̀sá èjì-ogbè èjì-ogbè
ọ̀wọ́nrín-ọ̀sá ogbè-ọ̀sá ogbè-ọ̀sá
ọ̀wọ́nrín-méjì ogbè-ọ̀sá ogbè-ọtúrá
ọ̀fùn-ọ̀sá ogbè-òtúrùpọ̀n ogbè-ọtúrá
ọtúrá-méjì ogbe-ọtúrá ogbè-ògúndá
ìrẹtẹ̀-ọ̀wọ́nrín ogbè-ọ̀sá èjì-ogbè
ìrẹtẹ̀-ọ̀sá ogbè-ọ̀sá ogbè-ọ̀sá
ọ̀sá-ogbè ogbè-ọtúrá èjì-ogbè
èdì-ọtúrá èjì-ogbè èjì-ogbè
This was how programmers used to write computer programs before high level programming languages like Fortran and Lisp were created in 1957 and 1958 respectively.
For programmers, entering these patterns manually was a laborious, tedious and error-prone task. Even for a seasoned programmer, it could get dizzy and nauseating after assembling a couple of these patterns.
However, a competent Ifá priest can commit to memory 256 of these patterns without breaking a sweat and able to recite close to 4,000 Ifá verses by heart!
Effectively, the meaning of the 1s and 0s in the code above is as follows:
- Store the number 0 in memory location 0.
- Store the number 1 in memory location 1.
- Store the value of memory location 1 in memory location 2.
- Subtract the number 11 from the value in memory location 2.
- If the value in memory location 2 is the number 0 continue with instruction 9.
- Add the value of memory location 1 to memory location 0.
- Add the number 1 to the value of memory location 1.
- Continue with instruction 3.
- Output the value of memory location 0.
Using names in place of numbers for memory and instruction locations, we can do the following:
Set the value of “total” to 0.
Set the value of “count” to 1.
[loop]
Set the value of “compare” to the “count” value.
Subtract 11 from the value of “compare” .
If “compare” is zero, continue at [end].
Add “count” to the value of “total”.
Add 1 to the value of “count”.
Continue at [loop].
[end]
Output “total”.
In a modern programming language like Python, we can write the following:
total = 0
count = 1
while count <= 10:
total = total + count
count = count + 1
print total
In 2017, I wrote series of programming tutorials on this wall using the Python programming language. In the coming series of articles, I will translate the posts into Yoruba so stay tuned.
Ire o.
Credit:Ifá – Olobe Yoyon
SOURCE: rymcitigh
Saturday
Monday
Amọtẹkun: Why it is here to stay and may end up being the defining issue on the continued corporate existence of Nigeria
 |
| Western Nigeria Security Network (Amọtẹkun) |
Nigeria is a great nation. In the history of the world, there has never been such abundance of natural wealth, talent, ingenuity, resourcefulness and dogged resiliency assembled within the borders of one nation.
Nigerians are an extremely resourceful, prideful and accomplished people but one thing, yes that one main thing, the key ingredient that serves as the penultimate fulcrum for moving a nation to the next level, has always been missing...... LEADERSHIP!
Leadership is and will always be key to the success of an organization or a people. True leadership is equipped with vision, empathy, compassion and a servant spirit. It is the glaring lack of leadership or the rudderless nature of it that has brought Nigerians, the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria in particular, to the realization that they must take their future into their own hands. The central government of President Muhammadu Buhari has essentially abdicated its responsibility under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to safeguard lives and property within the borders of the country.
Enter then now Amọtẹkun (Cheetah or Panther), the Western Nigeria Security Network established by the six states in the South-west, for the purpose of self-defence and self-protection in the face of unending attacks by criminals, especially the terrorist Fulani Herdsmen responsible for ethnic cleansing across much of Western Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria and the Middle-Belt. This would not have been necessary if President Buhari and the Nigerian Service Chiefs (most of whom are from Buhari's Fulani ethnicity) had not consistently turned a blind eye to the persistent killings of innocent citizens mostly women and children by the rampaging Fulani Herdsmen; a group that has been designated as one of the five most deadly terrorist organizations in the world behind only Boko Haram and ISIS.
The response to the establishment of Amọtẹkun has been as expected with the Attorney General of the Federation (of Fulani extraction) and various Northern leaders and organizations including Miyetti Allah (essentially the silent partners and benefactors of the Fulani Herdsmen) voicing their disapproval of the security unit. The hypocrisy of the Northern leaders can obviously be seen with the fact that they created the Hisbah and other community policing and paramilitary outfits to counter the trend of insecurity in their region, but then have a problem with a parallel existence of such outfits in other parts of the country.
Perhaps, there is an inordinate reason for their objection since the law is actually on the side of the creation of such units with a view to having them also work in conjuction with the police and the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is no secret that the Nigerian Army under the current Chief of Army Staff, General Buratai has been found wanting when it comes to protecting and safeguarding the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army has also been accused of sectional/ethnic bias. The high-handed treatment of IPOB and Shia group members in comparison to that of the rampaging Fulani Herdsmen is evidence that this current administration has a clandestine internal colonization agenda.
The fact remains that the precedent of the implementation of full fledged Sharia by the Northern Nigeria State of Zamfara (with 11 other Northern States then following suit) gives credence and legal muscle to the creation of Amọtẹkun, as the latter is an extension of Yoruba Customary Law as entrenched in the Nigerian Constitution. Furthermore, Chapter 1 Section 4 [6,7(a)(c)] of the Nigerian Constitution states as follows:
(6) The legislative powers of a State of the Federation shall be vested in the House of Assembly of the State.
(7) The House of Assembly of a State shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the State or any part thereof with respect to the following matters, that is to say:-
Furthermore, Chapter 1 Section 5 [2 and 3] of the same Constitution vests executive and legislative powers to create laws and maintain order within States of the Nigerian Federation in the hands of the constituted bodies of that State in as much as they ensure a good faith synergy with the Nigerian Constitution.(a) any matter not included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution.(c) any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
I will defer further to the legal luminaries that abound in Western Nigeria and other parts of Nigeria, but on the surface of it, the Attorney-General of the Federation is playing with fire by putting his ethnic and personal feelings above the good of the nation. If Amọtẹkun is illegal, then Hisbah and every other community security outfit (including the Civilian Joint Task Force working with the military against Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria) is illegal as well and should be proscribed with immedate effect.
There are those in the Southwest who are supposedly waiting for the "approval" of Bola Tinubu on this matter. The truth is that much like Nnamdi Kanu's opinions do not matter here (as he has an inordinate agenda that Amọtẹkun is no part of), that of Tinubu should not, as the latter is prepared to mortgage the future of the Yoruba race for his own personal ambition. That is just who he is.
In concluding, let me state categorically and without equivocation that Amọtẹkun is here to stay and any attempt to outlaw the outift will be steeped in unconstitutional chicanery.
According to the Constitution, the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice. Furthermore, sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through the Constitution derives all its powers and authority. In so much as the Federal Government of Nigeria has abdicated its primary responsibility of ensuring the security and welfare of the people, that power then naturally devolves to the States to ensure that the security and welfare of the citizens within their domain is assured.
The blood of the women, children and men that have been shed in their thousands, with the heinous acquiescence of this current administration, will be on the heads of the Western Nigeria leaders that accede to the unconstitutional demands of an over-reaching central government with an inordinate agenda.
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