A Year Today!

A year ago today, this blog went live on line. And what a year it's been! 

To celebrate, we are unveiling a newly designed Blog,
 a brand new Yodaai Logo,
 and our winning Tagline.

Drum Roll Please...

Ta daa! 
From an original idea & a rough concept drawn on scrap paper...

...to the final product, 
with the contents of the imagination fully materialized on screen...

It's amazing what can be done...
when we put our minds to it 
and all contribute
as we did with the tagline! 

The circular design signifies continuity and perpetuity. 

The green in the circle represents our fertile land 

and the white is for peace and unity amongst us yoruba people.

 These symbols are taken and adapted from the Nigerian flag.
Inside the inner white circle is the new tagline. 

There are 2 women engaging in the very traditional act of pounding yam for food, carrying their 2 children on their backs - We hold our children close to us. 

There are 3 men displaying another aspect of our cultural heritage - the tradition of drumming at events hence the video illustration of the drum and dance yesterday - A ha! it all makes sense now!

The total of 7 people in the circle represent the 7 children of Oduduwa, who according to Yoruba Mythology dispersed to start the various yoruba kingdoms.

 We are also declaring the winning words of the tagline contest:


Yodaai: Keeping Yoruba Traditions Alive!

Is the tagline one of yours that you submitted? 

 If you are one Mr Babajide Charles Thomas, then congratulations! - You won the $100 gift certificate!

 Happy Blog anniversary to all our readers 
who have kept on coming back and making it worth the effort 
to continue writing...Ajose wa o ni baje o.

Do you like the new Logo and tagline?

Here's some more dancing to celebrate...

Celebrate digitally and comment below!

where it says "post a comment " in green.

Funke Abolade, M.D. 

Social/Publicity Secretary

A Happy friday and ...

...how about some early traditional Yoruba celebrating with our onilu

 with some dancing thrown in

 ahead of the 1 year blog anniversary tomorrow? 

The blog has been newly re-designed too - did you notice?

Do you all remember this from the October meeting last year (2011) in Montgomery? I was going through what all we've been able to achieve and do together over the last 365 days.  Some fun fellowship, vibrant discussions and yes, we dance too! That's what we do when we are happy as Yorubas.

We share each other's joys and commiserate with each other when needed. 

We all succeed when we come together as one 

for a common purpose, 

be that for fun or in a serious discussion

about the future of the association..

Ajose wa o ni ba je o. Amin o.

It's all fun and games and a baby shower at the next meeting so please come one, come all.

Check back on the blog tomorrow for the new blog Logo and tagline.

Click on the green "comments"  to leave a comment below.

See you soon...

Funke Abolade, M.D

Social/Publicity Secretary.

Congratulations to "two of us..."

There is a statement in our Yodaai constitution that says something about us that I really like - "awa omo ile kaa ro, o ji ire, where all yoruba people are our family and all children are our children ..."

Today I'm claiming 2 yoruba men as one of ours - really two of ours.


The first is Rotimi Babatunde, a Yoruba man who on the 2nd of July, 2012, won the 13th Caine Prize (equivalent to the Booker Prize) for African literature. It was for a short story book he wrote -"Bombay's Republic' which retells the story of the main character "Bombay",  a Nigerian soldier who fought alongside the British colonial masters during the Burma campaign of world war II. The Caine Prize is open to writers from anywhere in Africa for work published in English. Its focus is on the short story, reflecting the contemporary development of the African story-telling tradition. 


Mr Babatunde won the equivalent of $16,000 and a 1 month writing residency in George town university and several speaking engagements and other media opportunities.



Did you see the President of the United states at the 4th of July Naturalization ceremony at the white house? This was the setting for the 2nd man I'm claiming as one of ours this week.

 25 service personnel were becoming American citizens. One of the U.S service members to naturalize and become an American citizen was a Yoruba man - Oluwatosin. K. Akinduro, seen in uniform, whom the president mentioned by name, with President Obama saying "...We salute a young man from Nigeria who came here as a child. "I left Nigeria," he says, "with the dream that we all have a destiny in life and we are all born with the resources to make a difference."  We are confident he will make a difference. We congratulate Oluwatosin Akinduro."

Oluwatosin was born in Lagos, Nigeria, graduated high school in Houston, Texas. He then joined the Army National Guard in search of new opportunities and a new challenge to lead by example.

We are proud of this yoruba man, serving in the U.S millitary, willing to fight and die for this country when it was not yet his own, and now fully recognized as an American citizen.

Congratulations sirs!



Funke Abolade, M.D.



Social/Publicity Secretary

Invitation reminder!

From Mrs Popoola,  (Our V.P. Yodaai)

It's a green or yellow Gele affair! Ladies, pls see below:

Mrs Popoola and Family

Invites you to 

          Please Join us as we celebrate a life well-lived 

and a mother and 

grandmother well-loved

Mother Felicia Aina

Date: Saturday, August 11, 2012

Time: 5pm – 11pm

Location: Opelika Civitan Club

1307 W. Point Pkwy, Opelika, AL, 36801

Opelika, Alabama

   RSVP

  Sola Popoola

    334-663-0537

Ladies, Mrs Popoola has requested that we please wear green or yellow gele for this celebration.

Thank you.

Funke Abolade, M.D.

Social/Publicity Secretary

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence day

 to our adopted Country of Residence - good ol' U.S.A!

"...Land of the pilgim's pride..."

 that's referring to you and I and every other pilgrim that has come to seek a better future...

It honors the birthday of the United States of America and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It's a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks, and a reason to fly the American flag and sing a patriotic song or two.

My country, 'tis of thee, 

Sweet land of liberty, 

Of thee I sing; 

Land where my fathers died, 

"Land of the pilgrims' pride," 

From every mountain side 

Let freedom ring.

Funke Abolade, M.D.

Social/Publicity Secretary

And the winner ...

...Of the proverb of the month of July is Mr Ayodele Babatunde proverb #91 - "A ini ora Ogonogo, a kii fi we ti Adigbonanku".  See it published on the left on top of the flag? There! Your prize will be given out at the next meeting at the Lawals in August.



Funke Abolade, M.D.


Social/publicity Secretary