Olumo rock, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nigeria, West Africa, sits in the ancient city center of Abeokuta – a name which means “under the rock.” Abeokuta was originally inhabited by the Egba people who found refuge at the Olumo rock during inter-tribal
wars in the 19th century.
Voice of *Olumo has long been heard
*Lisabi is a lonesome pathway dried
Saliva tires to return to the called
I know this for the yearns of the spirit aged
*Egba calls her child
Those both near and far in the wild
Sojourners in the wild
I will to you — the ancestors —
Return a valiant frost
Coming to terms with the harmattaned floors
For tales to tell of rigor
And hurdle, lakes as acid
And evidenced scars from journeys arid
I will to you — the mothermost —
Return a man-made
Proof of my long-lined descent
Leaves part the tree
Yet many sprout after the shed free
Each at its turn new or weary
I at mine
To be a green
I am still at sea
*Olumo – the name of the rock under which the Egba dynasty originated.
*Egba – ancestoral name for Abeokuta
*Lisabi – name of Egba’s ancestoral mother, the origin
