The ancient Africa, was surrounded by myths; myths on different mysteries of how certain things came into existence. The African myth on the creation of the world has many accounts, by different tribes and tongues.
In western Africa, the Yoruba gave an account of how God sent a particular god to the earth to create, teach and help the world.
According to the Yoruba account of the creation, the earth was filled with water, when God decided to create something out of nothing.
God sent a messenger of His called Obatala. Obatala was given a task to create the world and breath life into it.
Obatala, before leaving for the great task, called his messenger Oduduwa to prepare and follow him. Obatala also got a calabash of earth and a fowl.
Obatala and Oduduwa, with the fowl and calabash of earth, embarked on the journey to the world by descending with a rope.
On their way, they decided to rest at a place of feast. Obatala got drunk and his messenger, Oduduwa, left him behind and continued the journey on the rope with the fowl and calabash of earth.
Oduduwa got down to the world filled with water, opened the calabash of earth and sprinkled the content over the waters. He also dropped the fowl; the fowl helped in spreading the earth all over the waters, until the waters were no more. Oduduwa, who has succeeded in fulfilling the task from God, stood on the grounds and called it Ife.
Obatala woke up from his drunken state and realized that the task from God has been fulfilled by Oduduwa his own messenger, he got angry.
He was given a second task of creating the people to dwell on the earth; he moulded humans and called on God to give them life, it was done; and he thought them how to dwell on earth.