Iwa (Character): The Thrust of Yoruba Traditional Ethical Discourse

Abstract

The state of immorality in human society is alarmingly contributory to the spate of the insecurity of life and properties, the marital disharmony and every form of evils being witnessed in the society nowadays. The negligence of the society on the moral upbringing of its members occasions this alarming rate of immoral acts in the society. Unlike the ancient traditional society which stipulated ethical standards, preached and enforced its ethics, rewarded the adherence and punished the violation by its members and ensured a society maximally secured in all ramifications, the present day society is negligent about these and witnessing the attendant consequences. This work examined the unequivocal roles and emphasis on Iwa (character) played among the traditional Yoruba to ascertain a morally upright society as against the morally decadent society we have now. The work is qualitative in nature and made use of hermeneutical approach.

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