The Story⚡
In the unscripted series produced locally, gaming meets culture as contestants take the hot seats and stand a chance to win the prize of 1 million naira.
They just have one rule that must not be broken – “No Use of English Words”
Tell Me More
Masoyinbo is a popular YouTube web series hosted by Olalekan Fabilola to encourage Yoruba speaking amongst Nigerians and showcase the beauty of Yoruba culture to the world. As the name implies Masoyinbo (meaning Do not Speak English), this web show involves the host asking the guest ten questions in Yoruba without using English to win N1 million naira. Any attempt to speak English during the session will attract a reduction in price.
Olalekan Fabilola describes Yoruba as his oxygen and CO2. “I have been doing Yoruba since i became aware of myself. I love Yoruba. I used my pocket money to promote Yoruba. I went into debt doing Yoruba. I came out of debt teaching Yoruba”.
“I rather do Yoruba or I do Yoruba” – He added.
There’s also a co-host known as Olofofo, on his Abetiaja wears who does not talk but makes funny advances to distract the guest. He’s also responsible for erasing (reducing) the price on the board using any English word.
With a total of 26 videos (episodes) of Masoyinbo on YouTube, Olalekan has been able to grab the attention of the Yoruba audience and people from other cultures and tribes.
The particular episode of Masoyinbo that made it go viral on TikTok and Twitter was episode 18 on YouTube. The audience marvelled at the guest command of Yoruba speaking that many had to rush down to Masoyinbo’s YouTube channel to see the complete episodes.
As captured below, viewers shared positive feedback on why they loved
“I’m encouraged I don’t even know how to speak Yoruba or know the meaning despite being a Yoruba man I can now say I’ll keep watching this program and I pray it gets even bigger and better”.
“This show is so good. I hope an ibo version is made. I don’t even understand Yoruba o”.
“This brilliant guy has given this show huge visibility. He deserves some accolades If you got to know this show through this intelligent young man, gather here and take your flowers”.
Many more comments show that the particular episode is thrilling.
Despite the brilliance of this particular guest, he only went home with N40,000, all the way from N1 million. It was such a beautiful episode and many viewers mentioned that the guest deserves more.
In the viral post, advised the producers of the Masoyinbo show to adjust the punishing formula of their prize so that guests who did better could leave with a tangible amount of money.
Key Background
Olalekan Fabilola is a graduate of Covenant University, a researcher, content creator, author and a Yoruba educator. The author of ‘The Ancient Wisdom- Òwe Yorùbá, a compilation of 500 Yoruba proverbs with an English translation and extensive further explanation’. He also teaches Yorùbá language and culture via Zoom live class in private and group sessions.
In Summary
In a country like Nigeria where English speaking is so polished that our language is referred to as vernacular, a program such as Masoyinbo displays the beauty of our culture and the joy of speaking our dialect.
Masoyinbo’s show has grown massively for a show that started two months ago, hosted by an unpopular passionate Yoruba man which has earned over 271,000 views on the most watched episode. There is no doubt that the numbers may double up in the coming months.
We need more of these shows in our entertainment industry which is healthy for young and adults for the continuity of culture.
