Igbo Daily Drops

Yvonne Mbanefo

Under 10 minutes a day of Igbo language, culture, and devotional reflection. Designed for the busy Diaspora, this is a daily homecoming without the apps or the overwhelm. Reconnect with your heritage through bite-sized lessons, storytelling, and spiritual grounding.

Episodes

  1. 3H AGO · BONUS

    The Courage to Ask: A Father’s Promise (Day 4)

    Send a text Across Africa, we say that when an elder dies, a whole library burns. But what if the seeds of that library are still alive? In this deeply personal Foundation Week episode of Igbo Daily Drops, I honour my father, Chief Richard Neife Tagbo (Ọchịnanwata of Ụmụagba, Imezi Ọwa, Enugu State), whose life embodied the proverb: Onye ajụjụ anaghị efu ụzọ. One who asks questions does not lose their way. At nine years old, orphaned within three months, he stood before a room of adults and did something radical — he named his need. He asked to study. Years later, during the Biafra war, exhausted in a hospital corridor, he did it again:  “Agụụ na-agụ m.”  I am hungry. Because he spoke, someone could answer.  That someone became my mother. In this episode, we explore: • The power of naming your hunger  • Igbo philosophy and the Umunna (community responsibility)  • The meaning of Mmadụ bụ chi onye • And 3 practical Igbo phrases you can use today:  – Agụụ na-agụ m (I am hungry) – Mmiri na-agụ m (I am thirsty) – Ike gwụrụ m (I am tired) Every sentence you learn is a drop.  And every drop feeds the Ocean of Igbo Knowledge. Download the Foundation Week Workbook at LearnIgboNow.com Join the Igbo Village — our 12-month fluency journey for adults and families — opening soon. Ka chi gị duo gị ọfụma taa. This has been Igbo Daily Drops with Yvonne Mbanefo. FREE RESOURCES: - Igbo Heritage Family Kit: https://learnigbonow.com - Main Channel: @learnigbo on YouTube Kids' Channel: @learnigboforkids on YouTube Our Mission: Raise 10,000 more next-generation Igbo speakers by next year. Be one of them. Every sentence you learn is a drop. And every drop feeds Oké Osimiri Mmụta Igbo — the Ocean of Igbo Knowledge. Subscribe now. Foundation episodes begin today.

    13 min
  2. 20H AGO · BONUS

    The Sacred Soil (Day 3)

    Send a text In the Igbo world, the ground beneath your feet is not just dirt. It is Ala — the red earth, the soil of our ancestors, and the most powerful deity in Igbo cosmology. Today we explore the sacred ritual of Ili Alọ (umbilical cord burial) and why every Igbo person is literally planted into the soil before they can even walk. From Obinna's first visit to his grandfather's compound in Umuahia to the "grounding mats" we buy in the diaspora, we discover what it means to be Nwadiala -  "sons and daughters of the soil." Today's Proverb: "A naghị ebu ala ebu" — You do not carry land on the head. The land carries you; you do not carry it. Today's 3 to Use: Ala Igbo — Igbo land / Our homelandAna m ala ụlọ — I am going homeỌ dị n'ala — It is on the ground Scholar's Spark: Christian Onyenaucheya Uchegbue (2010) on infancy rites and the burial of the umbilical cord as an act of dedication to Ala, the ancestors, and the community. Victor Uchendu on the "naval complex" as the foundation of social status. Today's Blessing: Ka ezigbote ikuku kuo na ndụ gị taa — May pure air blow in your life today Ya gaziere gị — May it go well for you Free Resources: Download your FREE Igbo Heritage Family Kit at LearnIgboNow.comFoundation Week Workbook with "Ancestral Map" activityOur Mission: Raise 10,000 next-generation Igbo speakers by next year. Be one of them. This has been Igbo Daily Drops with Yvonne Mbanefo. FREE RESOURCES: - Igbo Heritage Family Kit: https://learnigbonow.com - Main Channel: @learnigbo on YouTube Kids' Channel: @learnigboforkids on YouTube Our Mission: Raise 10,000 more next-generation Igbo speakers by next year. Be one of them. Every sentence you learn is a drop. And every drop feeds Oké Osimiri Mmụta Igbo — the Ocean of Igbo Knowledge. Subscribe now. Foundation episodes begin today.

    9 min
  3. 2D AGO · BONUS

    The Test of the Akwaete Cloth (Day 1)

    Send a text "Nnọọ." It is a word that means "Welcome," but in the Igbo world, it carries the weight of acknowledging a long journey. In this opening episode of Foundation Week, Yvonne Mbanefo invites you to stop being a lone observer and start becoming a steward of your heritage. Using the profound proverb of the "wearer and the washer," we explore why your Igbo heritage—much like a precious hand-woven Akwaete cloth—only retains its brilliance if you choose to wear it with pride. In this episode, you will discover: The Philosophy of Welcome: Why Nnọọ is the first step in the "Stewardship of Relationship".The Wearer and the Washer: A deep dive into the Igbo proverb of value and preservation.The Scholar’s Spark: Insights from Victor Uchendu’s 1965 study on the 'reciprocity' at the heart of Igbo social life.The Nkume Method: Learn and practice your first three "drops" of the language.Daily Proverb: Ị yiri akwa gị ka ọ na ọ bụghị gị ga-asụ ya, onye ga-asụ ya asụọ ya ka ọ na ọ bụghị ya ga-eyị ya. If you wear your clothes as though you won't be the one to wash them, the person who washes them will do so as though they aren't the one to wear them. Claim your FREE Igbo Heritage Family Kit: LearnIgboNow.com (Includes the Igbo Family Pledge, Fridge Sheet, and Foundation Week Workbook) This has been Igbo Daily Drops with Yvonne Mbanefo. FREE RESOURCES: - Igbo Heritage Family Kit: https://learnigbonow.com - Main Channel: @learnigbo on YouTube Kids' Channel: @learnigboforkids on YouTube Our Mission: Raise 10,000 more next-generation Igbo speakers by next year. Be one of them. Every sentence you learn is a drop. And every drop feeds Oké Osimiri Mmụta Igbo — the Ocean of Igbo Knowledge. Subscribe now. Foundation episodes begin today.

    10 min

About

Under 10 minutes a day of Igbo language, culture, and devotional reflection. Designed for the busy Diaspora, this is a daily homecoming without the apps or the overwhelm. Reconnect with your heritage through bite-sized lessons, storytelling, and spiritual grounding.