On 23 May 1888, Alfred Moloney, the Governor of the Lagos Colony, wrote to Alaafin Adeyemi requesting for a treaty between the British and the Yoruba. The letter gives the clues and rationale for their recognising the Alaafin as Head…
The Yoruba word for calabash is Igba. The calabash plant (Lagenaria sireraria) is a member of the cucumber family. The fruits are large, round and soft-skinned when young; with aging the skin matured into a tough, woody shell. The Yoruba…
Coherent economy refers to the economy in which the primary sector (acquisition of raw materials) was proximate and seamlessly integrated with the secondary sector (transformation to finished products). The ancient Yoruba of Western Nigeria were exemplars of the Coherent economy.…
Apparently there was a ‘treaty’ in 1893 concluded between Mr Denton, Acting Governor of the Lagos Colony, and the Baale of Ibadan. This treaty has been disseminated recently on the social media in the attempt to discredit the 1888 Britain-Yorubaland…
The meaning of the name Oduduwa is thought to hold the key to explaining myths surrounding the man. Samuel Johnson thought it to be ‘Odu’ (‘large pot’) combined with ‘ti o da iwa’ (that created character). To Olumide Lucas, Oduduwa…
Iṣẹṣe is a word commonly associated with the Yoruba religion. It has been translated to mean ‘the original tradition’. August 20 is the Iṣẹṣe day in parts, but not all, of Yorubaland. Iṣẹṣe they say is closely aligned to Ifa;…
Some day we Yoruba will realise the genius of our forefathers. The Yoruba did not write but they developed a language that was similar to writing. The language was descriptive. Words meant exactly what they said. Ajayi Crowder has described…
The infinite ability of the Yoruba to adapt is both a blessing and a curse. Yoruba is the most successful of all of Africa’s races as a consequence of their adaptability. The problem is that the Yoruba over the centuries…
The Yoruba Party in the UK (YPUK), political voice of the UK Yoruba community, has gone to court by way of judicial review to seek a mandatory order to compel the British government to act in accordance with promises it…
The Administrative Court in London has given the title ‘The King (on the application of Yoruba Party in the UK) v Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’ to the Judicial Review claim that YPUK lodged against the UK government in regard…
