When God gives you talents, it flows. I’m married to a Yoruba man who loves his culture and music so much. I also love music and that’s one of the bases of attraction between us. My husband is an amazing teacher and he was the one who stirred my interest in singing in Yoruba language. Singing in Yoruba enables one to pass a lot of messages that some other languages may not be able to accommodate. My husband writes the songs, we arrange them together, and I perform them.”
At a time when there are fears that the Yoruba language may become endangered soon because the new generation of its people are not being taught the language, a Dutch-Nigerian, Dorien Jacob, aka Oyinbo Jesu, has chosen to sing entirely in Yoruba language.
On the reaction of her family to her decision to marry a Yoruba man, Oyinbo Jesu said, “I come from a close-knit home; so, we never had any problem as my family totally supported our marriage. However, they had to get used to the cultural differences because the Nigerian culture is very strong,” she said.
