“ … We can live to the fullest life without using igi gbogboro to court trouble…” a quote from one of my beloved readers in response to my write-up ‘Embracing the Unknown’ . ‘Igi Gbogboro’ is a yoruba phrase meaning ‘Long Stick’ in English.
The year was 1999 and I decided it was time a women of my ‘intellectual power house’ pursues her passion. I applied to one of the top Business Schools here in London to study MBA specialising in Finance ( my favourite subject being Finance). The school will not have any of that, they told me in no uncertain terms that the likes of me do not specialise in Finance and gave me another specialism. The Director of the Programme was adamant I could not cope ( I have no idea how he arrived at that conclusion, I guessed I must have ‘looked’ like someone that will not cope). Well guess what? in June 2000 I graduated with MBA Finance. This is after I got out my ‘igi gbogboro’ or long Stick and I stirred up so much trouble with the school and myself. I studied like my life depended on it. The Director came back to ‘repent’ and said he was Wrong. Of course he was wrong! You don’t argue with a woman with the stick.
As my MBA was ending I decided I wanted to do my internship in a top tier bank. I was not chosen or selected, some of my classmates were, I wasn’t. Some people have the luxury of being chosen, selected for almost any thing in life. Some don’t have to trouble life, life is kind, generous and biased in their favour. Some only need to snap their finger and life is at their beckon and call. Some need just a twig or a short stick to stir things and the business gets done. I have learned not to begrudge the hand that I am dealt and to ignore life’s preferential treatments and unequal opportunities but I am getting what I am getting and if I have to use ‘igi gbogboro’, a long stick or even a whole oak tree to trouble life that is exactly what will happen. After poking and troubling every one including myself, I completed my Intership with Citibank.
I can catalogue hundreds of instances where I have troubled life with ‘Igi gbogboro’ to make any progress. I run a male dominated business, for my sins I am a Property Developer, the only way I have been able to start, sustain and thrive in the business is by troubling life with the Igi gbogboro, but this is not just about me, anyone that has done anything worthwhile in this life, be it Human Right, Politics, Business, Ministry, Fashion, Entertainment etc and even in scripture have had to trouble life. Martin Luther King Jnr, Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg etc all of these people troubled life to show us an example. Jacob wrestled with the angel of God all night and said I will not let you go unless you bless me. Jesus Christ went to the pit of hell, was crucified on an ‘Igi gbogboro’ to redeem lost souls.
I see no other way to do this life dynamically without using “igi gbogboro” to court trouble or trouble life. My respectful conclusion is that we trouble life, poke at it, stir it and as Dylan Thomas admonishes (especially for us of a certain age) we should not go gently into that good night but with ‘igi gbogboro’ we rage and rage against the dying of the light until we receive everyone of our blessings and then we sleep peacefully. Selah!
Beautiful Ivory 