Yabis, A Nigerian Genre of Insult

Abstract

There are quite a number of African oral literary traditions that boast of aesthetics that come from a culture of competition of verbal insults. Some examples include the Ewe Halo songs of Ghana, Togo, and Benin, the Urhobo Udje dance-song performance of Nigeria, and the Izibongo of South Africa. Outside Africa and the Diaspora, there is the flyting contest popular in Scotland between the fifth and sixteenth centuries and African-American Dozens. All of these artistic forms constitute part of the popular culture of a people because of their origins, performance structure, target audience, and social functions. While modern exigencies and influences of colonialism, postcolonialism, and globalization greatly diminished their practice and popularity over time, some have evolved and taken new forms in tandem with contemporary demands. Yabis falls into this taxonomy. Yabis is a contemporary Nigerian genre of insult that evolved from a line of traditional African oral literary aesthetics based on a culture of competition of verbal insults. This genre admits the use of offensive remarks within a controlled environment even as it discourages physical fighting or the use of supernatural charms for fortification as is the case with other African genres of songs of abuse like Halo and Udje. Participants are expected to be proficient with poetic or metaphorical words and possess mental acuity as these skills when deployed create the maximum effect required to win in such a contest of wording. This study, therefore, examines Yabis as an artistic genre from two perspectives: its evolution, as a medium of social criticism through Afrobeat music, and its prevalence as a more contemporary competition of insults amongst Nigerian youths. Aside the entertainment value, Yabis also yields valuable insights into some rhetorical and performative skills of the Nigerian youth outside the domains of formal education.

Appendices: Video Clips

• 1. BAD MOUTH KID EP 18—HOUSE OF BORO TV (YOUR FATHER // WORDING—YABBING COMPETITION)—Bing video

• 2. BADMOUTH KID—(YAB BATTLE // YOUR FATHER // WORDING—YABBING COMPETITION) HOUSE OF BORO TV—Bing video

• 3. CRUSHER VS SAINT CUBE BADMOUT || EPISODE 1 UNIBEN QUARTER FINAL—YouTube

• 4. WILD ANIMAL VS SIR BOFFIN BADMOUT || EPISODE 2 UNIBEN QUARTER FINAL—YouTube

• 5. A MUST WATCH!!! (BADMOUTH COMPETITION) EPISODE 2 #banter #badmouth #echo—Bing video

• 6. BADMOUTH COMPETITION | EPISODE1 Part 2……#badmout #viralvideo #fyp #brainjotter #comedy #viralvideo—Bing video

• 7. FUTO BADMOUT COMPETITION PART 1 ZOCO VS ROSEMARY—Bing video

• 8. INTRODUCING THE 8 QUARTER FINALISTS FROM UNIBEN EDITION—YouTube

• 9. A MUST WATCH!!! (BADMOUTH COMPETITION) EPISODE 2 PART 1 #Banter #badmout #gbob #hakim—Bing video

• 10. OCENO BLACK VS SIR BOFFIN BADMOUT || EPISODE 4 UNIBEN QUARTER FINAL—YouTube

• 11. BAD MOUT—YouTube

• 12. https://www.google.com/search?q=falz+e+no+finish&client=firefox-b-d&ei=1yOuYvHCD%2D%2DJur4PvoGxwAE&ved=0ahUKEwixio3T2rf4AhXvhM4BHb5ADBgQ4dUDCA0&oq=falz+e+no+finish&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAxKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQAFgAYABoAHABeACAAQCIAQCSAQCYAQA&sclient=gws-wiz(Falz’s “E No Finish”)

• 13. Tekno’s “Rara” https://www.google.com/search?q=Tekno%27s+Rara&client=firefox-b-d&ei=nySuYpzxD8CCur4P1Zir8A4&ved=0ahUKEwjcvLyy27f4AhVAgc4BHVXMCu4Q4dUDCA0&uact=5&oq=Tekno%27s+Rara&gs_lcp=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&sclient=gws-wiz