Love in Yoruba
Some people erroneously believe that Africans are not romantic people. But the evidence –especially in our language– simply does not bear that out. In several Hausa, Fulani and Touareg songs, you will notice one main thread: love. True, public displays of affection (PDA) are not really our thing, but why should they be? Africans are generally very traditional, conservative, private people – as are several other non-Western societies. We are not forced to restrain ourselves from expressing their love in public –though many simply choose not to (although they will hold hands). So what is love, if not expressed? Here is one definition we like:
“Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.”
Quote by Ann Landers
An enduring memory I have from my childhood is that of my beloved, late, paternal grandmother, Mama Gabi, showering my father with tender affection and the most beautiful Yoruba terms of endearment. My father was never just ‘Gabi’: he was ‘okàn mi’ (my heart), or ‘oko mi’ (my dear) or ‘ifé mi’ (my love). She absolutely adored her eldest son, a feeling that was absolutely reciprocated. Sure, this was the natural love of a mother to her son, but in the Yoruba tradition, romantic partners are afforded the same terms of endearment. Below are a host of romantic, loving words the Yoruba use to express their love, along with their approximate translations.
Ifé mi
Meaning: my love
Ayanfé mi
Meaning: my beloved
Ifé okàn mi
Meaning: the love of my heart
Ifé ayé mi
Meaning: the love of my life
Eni tί okàn mi yàn
Meaning: my heart’s desire
Enìkejì mi
Meaning: my soulmate
Adùn
Meaning: sweetness
Oyin
Meaning: honey
Idùnnú mi
Meaning: my happiness
Arίdunnú mi
Meaning: the one who makes me happy when I see him/ sense is ‘the one who makes my eyes light up’
Tèminìkan
Meaning: mine alone
Odòdò mi
Meaning: my flower
Ayànfé mi
Meaning: my beloved; also Enitèmi (mine/my beloved)
Adé orί mi
Meaning: the crown on my head (literal)/ one who enobles me
Olá mi
Meaning: my riches/ all that I need
Iyò ayé mi
Meaning: the salt of my life
Imólè ayé mi
Meaning: the light of my life
Ayò mi
Meaning: my joy
Eni bίi okàn mi
Meaning: my heart
Ayànmó mi
Meaning: my destiny
Eémi mi
Meaning: my breath
Ayé mi
Meaning: my life (sense is ‘external’ life)
Emί mi
Meaning: my life ( sense is ‘internal’ life)
Alábárò mi
Meaning: one who empathises with me
Alábárìn mi
Meaning: my partner on the journey of life
Olùdàmòran mi
Meaning: my counsellor or my advisor
Olólùfé mi
Meaning: my love
Iyàwó mi
Meaning: my wife
Oko mi
Meaning: my husband or my dear
Feel free to suggest any additional terms of affection – add to the comments section.
