Griot Knowbot (2024)

Upon answering

a lobster phone,

a small-biz

kinetic artist

found himself speaking to

Oba Oduduwa

,

the great Yoruba orisha

,

who asserted he

admired the thought

,

but then politely

asked for that tradition back.

"

And for the metal arokin

,

which really just a talking piggy

bank

,

isn't it?

A naked Furby

-

Pez for colonizer

money?

'Ah-AH. Need food.'

"

Oduduwa engorged

his eye sockets and

blinked twice

mechanically

,

pursing his

handsome

lips over his

white teeth and

chomping like

PacMan with

his flat tongue

out

.

"

A very poignant

and ironic neocolonial symbol.

"

But you did not need me to fourth-wall

break it to you so plainly

;

you may suffer a concussion.

"

Oduduwa sighed.

"

Erect the thing

in Lagos!

"