Ogundiran’s Full Beam on Yoruba History

Ogundiran’s Full Beam on Yoruba History Page Connoisseur, Ikeja, was the brimful venue for the literati who relished the rich conversations with Prof. Akinwumi Ogundiran, the author of “The Yoruba: A New History,’’ at a reading session moderated by seasoned journalist and former Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Steve Ayorinde. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

Prior to Prof. Akinwumi Ogundiran’s intervention, there had been several documentations on the history of Yorubas. One of the earliest of these publications is the book “History of the Yorubas (1921)’’ by the Anglican minister and historian, Samuel Johnson. In 1973, the scholar, historian and politician, Prof. Saburi Biobaku also wrote and published the book titled “Sources of Yoruba History’’ and so did Professor Akinjogbin with his 2008 publication titled “On Yoruba History & Culture” and Professor Akintoye in his 2010 book “A History of Yoruba People.’’

Given this background, Steve Ayorinde asked the author of “The Yoruba: A New History’’ about the new details and perspectives that he had brought to the fore about one of the largest ethnic groups in human history. As an archeologist and anthropologist, Ogundiran’s research went beyond libraries- he made on-site visits to secure empirical evidence for his book which began as an idea ten years ago.

“I was interested chiefly in regional interactions and how Yoruba political institutions developed. In doing my research, I used the template they have provided to interrogate Yoruba regional interactions and political development. And there are certain canonical researches or topics that we don’t question because we felt they are already settled. But at a point, I realised that the information I was discovering was not consistent with some of the canonical narratives that we have in the template,’’ he recounted.

To even out the inconsistencies found in the historical accounts of the Yoruba people, he repeatedly visited the physical field of research and decidedly traced the history farther into 300BC.

“That is why I titled it ‘The Yoruba: A New History.’ A new history that does not take away from what the pioneer did but has added to it and, at the same time, challenges all the things we think we know or we know as scholars. As scholars, we are always asking questions; we are never satisfied with the answers. New answers lead to new questions,’’ he continued.

The author also made it clear that the Yorubas did not come from Mecca, Sudan or from the Jews. Drawing upon historical linguistics and geochemistry, he made some first-hand findings that are untainted with colonial accounts of the Yoruba history. From festivals to Ogboni temples, Prof. Ogundiran kept his fingers on the pulse of Yoruba history.

“Our history began about 4000BC. That was when Yoruba as a language community began to evolve,’’ he said.

According to him, the migrations led to political innovations with Kingdoms such as Oba, Igbomina and Akure. His most controversial finding is that Ile-Ife, which has been credited for years as the cradle of mankind is actually a product of Ekiti region.

“Some of the innovations that happened in Ile-Ife in the last two centuries of the first millennium between 800 and 1000 AD were already taking place in different places. Ile-Ife was not the first kingdom in Yoruba land. It was the last of the first generation of kingdoms. Ile-Ife benefitted from what other previous kingdoms have been doing.

“For our children, who are learning the history of other people, we need to elevate our narrative and tell believable stories. We are teaching our kids to be rational thinkers, a critical thinkers; our history must also be consistent with what we are challenging and asking people to do.’’

Rather than discredit the previous Yoruba historians, the author acknowledged that their writings were based on the limit of their knowledge at the time of documentation. While agreeing that Obatala was a person who later became a pantheon, the author further read some excerpts from his book surrounding Moremi’s role in liberating the people of Ile-Ife from the Ugbo marauders. For him, the Yorubas had a sophisticated political system and had been global in thinking before colonialism.

“The Yoruba are city people. We are city builders. City builders don’t discriminate. A city is like a corporation. A corporation always celebrates diversity because you want to attract the best talents to come into your city. You will always look for skills that other people have and integrate them into your city. This is what the Yoruba are, and it’s why the Nigerian question is a setback for the Yoruba,’’ he argued.

He added that there are only two Oba (two kings) in Yorubaland that can use the title Imperial Majesty: the Alaafin of Oyo and Ooni of Ife. He added that the Oba can become a deity while still alive.

In the week preceding the book reading, Prof. Ogundiran had invited some culture journalists on a tour of some key towns in Old Oyo Empire where he had left his archeological footprints. He described the Old Oyo people as a “sophisticated civilisation’’ who smelted top-quality iron. Furthermore, he described Ile-Ife as an urban metropolis of the period and a centre of intellectualism which explains the roots in indigenous schools like School of Ifa and School of Orisa-Nla.

He encouraged students of history not to confine their understanding of the Yoruba people to those who occupy the present-day South-Western states in Nigeria but as a people spread across the world in places like Benin Republic, Brazil, Cuba amongst others.