MYTH AND PROVERB AS A VEHICLE OF MORAL EDUCATION AMONG TRADITIONAL YORUBA

Moral regeneration of the (Nigerian) youths is not to be hinged solely and wholly on formal pedagogy. Traditional African (Yoruba) people taught their young ones to be morally upright by devising effective and pragmatic ways of imparting certain ideals and virtues in them. Two of these media of moral education were myth and proverb. The act of story telling fostered communal spirit and unity among the people. It also encouraged closeness among people of some clans and tribes, parents and children, as well as respect and awe for what was believed to be sacred. Myth and proverb were designed to teach the young minds why they should emulate certain characters (deed and alive) and how to go about achieving this objective, as well as why they should shun certain actions and characters. The soul-searching questions often asked at the end of each story were meant to prick the conscience of the listeners (youths) to enable them discern what was believed to be good from what was evil. This traditional (Yoruba) mode of teaching morals, with little modification, may go a long way in stemming the tide of moral decadence in any contemporary society of the world.