Amala Happiness
Some people have accused me of excessively praising amala because it’s just food. They wonder why I give so much respect to an “ordinary” food and commit scare time and energy to writing about it. They think that my anxiety over the dying of amala buka culture is exaggerated and unnecessary.
Here is one of my brief explanations for my amala-centric behavior: Every kid of my generation had their own fantasies—things they dreamt of doing when they grew up. While some dreamt of owning big homes and cars, I wanted to have enough money to buy amala and lots of meats and still have savings. Just to be rich enough to enter any buka and order amala of any quantity and meats of any assortment. My parents were not poor, so it wasn’t a poverty-driven dream. Rather, it was a dream shaped by an individualized projection of success.
So, whenever I enter that buka in one lungu like that, I’m not just reconnecting with a lost childhood, but also coming to terms with a dream come true. It’s a unique feeling I couldn’t reproduce, even when I wake up in our beautifully big home. Or go on a cruise ship vacation to the Bahamas. Or fly first class cabin. Or receive a standing ovation for speaking big English at an invited public lecture. Or show off my oriki talent, unexpectedly, in public.
You see, entering a buka and knowing you have enough to buy whatever you want creates an unexplainable satisfaction for me. The things that make the biggest difference in one’s understanding of success could be symbolic realities—like having enough money to order as much amala as possible and not worry.
And to cap it all, to declare amala surplus—Iya Sadia, e joor, e ba mi fun buoda to wo jesi Asna yen ni lafun marun, ogunfe meji, ati botu wota, ki won fi step down. He’s going through a lot. Won se CBEX. Tiketi won tun ja because won tun na Asna le ni. Two goals for Asna ni won gbe!
So, next time, don’t tell me amala is just food. When all these greedy developers kick out local bukas and replace them with eateries, lounges, and hotels designed specifically for Yahoo boys and short-time, all in the name of urban “development,” and financial success, what happens to my own feeling of becoming?
Yours Sincerely in Fuji:
Ìsòlá awón bí ogbón
The Okà ò sò’fò of Ibadanland
