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…
The incorporation of Yorubaland into Nigeria on 1 January 1914, in the act of amalgamation, is null and void, and of no legal effect, because the British government exceeded its powers when it appropriated the resources of Yorubaland to develop…
The Yoruba word for tradition is ‘afowodowo’. By tradition the Yoruba meant a long-established custom or way of living passed down from generation to generation. To the Yoruba, tradition was a specific practice, symbolic of important values or social norm.…
It has been estimated that Britain in the 1800s concluded nearly 100 treaties with individual Yoruba towns and cities. These treaties have since been shoehorned into the ‘Protectorate treaty’ category. The 1888 Britain-Yorubaland Treaty was different and unique in that…
On 23 July 1888, Britain and Yorubaland signed a non-cession treaty of friendship and exclusive, preferential trade, that is, the 1888 Britain-Yorubaland Treaty. At the time of the signing of the treaty, Nigeria did not exist. Nigeria became a colony…
