The Yorùbá Concepts of Ìgbàgb ´ and Ìm `: Understanding Human and Nonhuman Species Interactions

There is a growing scholarship that shows how myths, mysteries, common sayings and beliefs aid the advancement of a sustainable future for human and nonhuman species. This article takes one such example, the Yorùbá concepts of Ìgbàgb ´ and Ìm `, and explores their relevance for contemporary global discourses on sustainability that extend beyond the context of one local community. The article argues that the myths, mysteries, proverbs, common sayings and beliefs circulated about human and nonhuman species within Yorùbá communities (classified as Ìgbàgb ´) reinforce the relevance of the global agenda for a sustainable future for all. The article shows that the encoded ideas in the Yorùbá myths, mysteries, proverbs and other narrative forms on human and nonhuman species complement the extant philosophical and ecological thoughts in global scholarship. This complementarity speaks to the importance of collaborative efforts for the mitigation of an undesirable future for human and nonhuman species and thus is of relevance for the agenda of a sustainable future grounded in a non-discriminatory global partnership.