At the entrance to the capital city of Osun state,natives and guests alike are treated to the symbolic elevated fish at the City Centre. The fact that you can explain a piece of Art in a million and one ways is one of my major admiration for Artworks, and I think this Artwork holds a number of lessons that will guide me through 2018.

The Water

##A number of strong lessons from the life of the catfish are embedded in its habitat - Water.
The catfish knows its strength and leverages upon it. In one his many prophetic songs, the great Nigerian musical artiste #Fela revealed one of the secrets to successful living for all black men when he said: “Black men, know thyself”. This short sentence, I think, applies to all men that aim for a better life. There is a strength that comes from the true knowledge and acceptance of one’s strengths and weaknesses. As 2018 rolls by, I intend to exploit my strengths as well as improve upon my weaknesses.

if you keep judging a fish by how fast/well it can climb a tree, you will continuously make a mess of it.

Another lesson is the abundance of water. While a catfish depends on water for survival (home, food, and procreation), is there really a scarcity of water?. I believe there is a major shift in our perception of life at that moment we eliminate that thought of scarcity. We can all succeed without pulling others down. @steemit is a very good example where success is truly being treated as a public good that it really is. By calling it a public good I mean, an individual can use or exploit it without rubbing another person of the same opportunity (I always have this tendency to tilt towards Economics, I am working on it). I am always appreciative of the opportunity on @steemit to build a truly plural society in which no one is excluded from wealth.

Stop being Casual.

In conclusion, a catfish is aggressive/committed to achieving its aim of getting food. The food here can be likened to human goals, as I step out into 2018, I am determined to be less casual about my desired goals. “Get Serious” is my watchword for 2018.

Streamline your goals and pursue it will the vigour of a hungry Catfish.

I will keep the rest of my explanation on African Art Symbolism for next time. 2018 holds a lot of possibilities and it is my responsibility @hpabiola to give it a 100%.