The Cotonou Times had a conversation with Ṣíná Fádáre, Editor of the Yoruba language newspaper Gbélégbọ́ who gave us the honor to respond to our questions.
The Cotonou Times: Can you please introduce yourself?
Ṣíná Fádáre: My name is Ṣíná Fádáre. I am the Editor for the newspaper Gbélégbọ́ which is published once a week in Nigeria on Mondays precisely.
The Cotonou Times: What is your state of origin?
Ṣíná Fádáre: I am from Èkìtì State. The motive behind the creation of the Gbélégbọ́ newspaper is to prevent the extinction of the Yoruba tribe, custom and tradition.
The Cotonou Times: When was Gbélégbọ́ newspaper established?
Ṣíná Fádáre : It was established four years ago. During the COVID-19 pandemic we had a one year waiting period. But the paper has officially been out for the past three years.
The Cotonou Times: Is Gbélégbọ́ available in all Nigerian states?
Ṣíná Fádáre: Actually when we first started, The Nation newspaper who is our motherhouse and who is widespread across the 36 states of Nigeria allowed Gbélégbọ́ to be available in the 36 states. However when the COVID-19 crisis started it became a bit difficult to reach all the states because of the printing costs and the lack of advertising revenues. We were just publishing the newspaper for our love for Yoruba culture, tradition and language . So for now Gbélégbọ́ newspaper is only available in seven states as well as in Kwara and Kogi State.
The Cotonou Times: Is it available in Abuja?
Ṣíná Fádáre: Not yet,but it will be available in Abuja in June by God’s grace.
The Cotonou Times: Do you have an idea of the profile of Gbélégbọ́ readers?
Ṣíná Fádáre: The readers of Gbélégbọ́ newspaper are mostly market women and men,some scholars as well as primary, secondary and university students. For example the University Of Ibadan Department of Yoruba Studies use Gbélégbọ́’s newspaper as an educational tool.
The Cotonou Times: How many copies of Gbélégbọ́ are printed every week?
Ṣíná Fádáre: Around ten thousand copies.
The Cotonou Times: Can you please explain why most Yoruba language newspapers in Nigeria do not insert the tonic accents on the vowels ?
Ṣíná Fádáre: Those who started the Yoruba newspaper business had difficulties to write articles including accents. They were supposed to do some background research but they didn’t. The reason why Gbélégbọ́ newspaper is different from the other Yoruba publications is because we took our time to do some research and we were able to determine what was missing in other Yoruba newspapers which enabled us to be different given the fact that the tonic accents are included on all our headlines.
The Cotonou Times: Do Yoruba language newspapers have an Association in Nigeria?
Ṣíná Fádáre : We have come together to start a group named Yoruba Newspapers Association, which has just been registered. It would probably be operational in June 2023, so that we will all be under one umbrella.
The Cotonou Times: How many Yoruba language newspapers exist in Nigeria?
Ṣíná Fádáre There are approximately six Yoruba publications.
The Cotonou Times: Does publishing a Yoruba language newspaper is easier or harder than publishing an English language newspaper in Nigeria ?
Ṣíná Fádáre: It’s hard because the inflow of money is a bit slow, people are not really patronizing us because we have not been around for long. So an English language newspaper is easier than that of the Yoruba.
The Cotonou Times: Can Yoruba newspapers write articles that English language newspapers many not want to publish because of censorship or fear of the government?
Ṣíná Fádáre: It is easier for Yoruba newspapers to write articles because when it’s in Yoruba language, the authorities find it hard to comprehend. When the paper gets to them it can take them up to two weeks before they actually understand given the Yoruba language has very deep idiomatic expressions so we get away with a lot of things using them what the English language newspapers can’t afford. .
The Cotonou Times: But when you publish an article and it gets to the hands of Yoruba political leaders do they understand?
Ṣíná Fádáre: They understand it very well. According to the emails I receive every week, one realizes that they understand. For example,the article I wrote and published about The Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́ reached so many people both home and abroad that we received a huge number of emails.
The Cotonou Times :Is it dangerous to be a Journalist in Nigeria?
Ṣíná Fádáre: It can sometimes be dangerous . Although we have freedom of expression, everybody is scared of being interrogated about what they have published. Gbélégbọ́ on the other hand is special,we can write anything without being questioned about it.
The Cotonou Times: Are you owned by The Nations Newspapers?
Ṣíná Fádáre: Yes.
The Cotonou Times: Is it easy for you to get advertisements jobs?
Ṣíná Fádáre : It’s quite difficult given the fact that those who are interested in advertising their products prefer the English language newspapers.
