The ancient palace of the Alaafin of Oyo has lost one of its most revered relics.
Baba, the 420-year-old tortoise believed to be the oldest animal in Yorubaland, died on Monday after a brief illness. He has since been buried inside the palace.
Confirming his death, the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin of Oyo, Bode Durojaiye, said Oyo has lost a part of its oral history.
He said Baba fell ill on Monday, refused to eat and died hours later.
“In Oyo, Baba was regarded as the oldest indigene. It was the Alaafin’s most besotted pet. The incumbent paramount ruler met it in the palace, as Baba was nourished by a succession of kings, who inherited him as part of the relics of their ancestors. Baba was more than a tortoise in status. He represented a part of the oral history of the Yoruba race. Now, the Alaafin has lost an ageless companion.
“On Monday, Baba fell ill, just a little sickness and couldn’t eat anymore. Then he died. Just like that.
“Baba was not just a reptile. In life, he was venerated and celebrated. His abode inside the Alaafin’s palace was a major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from far and near who trooped to Oyo to see the ageless creature.
“He was fondly called Baba because of his length of years. No one dared call him by his name, hence the adoption of Baba, indicating that he was regarded as a male elder.”
Strong and friendly, Baba was said to be the reason many people visited the ancient palace.
Oral history revealed that Baba was brought from Oyo-Ile, the seat of the old Oyo Empire, to the present palace in Oyo town. He outlived many Alaafins, serving as a living relic inherited by successive kings.
While alive, two palace officials were specially assigned to cater to his well-being. His favourite meals were watermelon, corn pap wrapped in leaves, and grass.
The death of Baba recalls the culture captured by Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, in his classic play, Death and the King’s Horseman, where he wrote about the connection between the world of the living, the world of the dead and the world of the unborn.
In the play, based on real events, Soyinka narrated how it was a norm for the Elesin Oba, the king’s horseman, the king’s horse and the king’s dog to die in a suicide ritual after the king’s passing to serve him in the afterlife.
But Baba, unlike the horseman, the horse and the dog, defied that tradition. He connected the three worlds, outlived many kings, and remained a symbol of continuity in the Oyo Kingdom.
According to the statement by the palace, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade I, who met Baba in the palace on his ascension to the throne, is said to be making plans to preserve the remains of the ancient tortoise for posterity, to give it a chance to remain for another century.
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