YORUBA, A National Language of Nigeria
The most populous country in Africa,
Nigeria accounts for approximately one-quarter
of West Africa's people or about 120 million
people. Although less than 25% of Nigerians are
urban dwellers, at least 24 cities have
populations of more than 100,000. The variety
of customs, languages, and traditions among
Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups gives the country a
rich diversity.1
Nigeria is an oil-rich Cinderella state that
never quite made it to the ball. During the 1970s, when oil prices rocketed,
Nigeria looked set to become the shining example of a prosperous and
democratic West African republic but perversely managed to snatch defeat from
the jaws of victory. It has had the odd moment of oil-induced triumph but its
history is littered with dictators, massacres, bloody civil wars, human rights
abuses, and horrific famines. It is now a country that is saddled with a soaring
crime rate, massive unemployment, overpopulation; and it's still recovering from
a military government run on bribery and corruption. With the election in 1999 of
former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo, there were hopes Nigeria may
enter a new period of stability. Sadly, the elections restored democracy in name
only.
But the very thing that has made Nigeria so ornery and difficult to unite
into a single peaceful republic is also its attraction. There are over 250 different
peoples, languages, histories, and religions all rubbing shoulder to shoulder in
this hectic, colorful, sometimes cockeyed republic. It is also the place to go if
you're into music. Nigeria is constantly pounding to the rhythms of traditional
African juju music, Afrobeat and reggae. It's not the most pleasant or relaxing
place to visit, but if you're looking for a challenge it's the place to be.2
Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups but
three stand out; the Hausa in the north, the Ibo (or
Igbo) in the east and the Yoruba in the west.
Religions tend to follow these ethnic lines with
Muslims dominating the north, Catholics the east
and animists the west. There are also countless
numbers of smaller sects that are a mélange of
two or more religions combining, for example,
Christianity with local spirits and guardians.
Animism has strong connections to ancestral
spirits that protect the land and ensure tribal wellbeing, and many of the sacrificial rituals and juju
ceremonies that use animal skulls; bones and
dried insects are a way of contacting these spirits to ensure good fortune.
Charms such as the ibej (twin dolls that are adorned with beads) are also an
important part of Nigerian life and are worn to bring good luck and prosperity.
Nigerian art forms reflect their occult and animist origins. 3
Yoruba is the second largest
language group in Africa. The Yoruba live
mainly in southwest Nigeria and
neighboring Benin and Togo, a region
known as Yorubaland consisting of over 20
million
people.
The
term
"Yoruba"
encompasses about twenty-five separate
groups, each one culturally different from the
next. Islam, Christianity, and the "traditional"
Yoruba pantheon, the orisa, are all
embraced in Yorubaland. The bond shared
by all Yoruba peoples is the centrality of
ritual to special occasions, as well as to
everyday life.4
The term Yoruba describes a number
of semi-independent peoples loosely linked
by geography, language, history, and
religion. The Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria (see white area of map) and
neighboring Benin and Togo number over 15 million people. Most live within the
borders of the tropical forest belt, but the remnants of the powerful Oyo kingdom
include groups that live at the fringes of the northern savanna grasslands.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the ancestors of the Yoruba may have
lived in this same general area of Africa since prehistoric times. In the mid-18th
century, the slave trade to the Americas dramatically affected all of West Africa.
Slaves of Yoruba descent were resettled in Cuba and Brazil, where elements of
Yoruba culture and language can still be found.5
The main occupation of the Yoruba
people is farming. The Yoruba that are
farmers live in villages that are surrounded
by high fences. Their farms are outside of
town and the farmers travel to their farms
daily to work. Yoruba farm crops are yams,
corn and cocoa. Cocoa has become an
important cash crop for the Yoruba people.
Some Yoruba live in large cities and work in
factories. Many Yoruba specialize in crafts
such as weaving, carving, leather work and
brass work.6
Traditional Yoruba religion is centered around a pantheon of deities called
orisha. When a child is born, a diviner, or babalawo, will be consulted to
determine which orisha the child should follow. As
adults, the Yoruba often honor several of these
deities. According to oral tradition, the high god,
Olorun (Olodumare), asked Orishala to descend
from the sky to create the first Earth at Ile-Ife.
Orishala was delayed and his younger brother,
Oduduwa, accomplished the task. Shortly
afterwards, sixteen other orisha came down from
heaven to create human beings and live on Earth
with him. The descendants of each of these deities
are said to have spread Yoruba culture and religious
principles throughout the rest of Yorubaland. 5
The religion of the Yoruba people in West Africa, who live in Nigeria and
Benin, is an ancient tradition of nature and ancestor worship. While in the New
World the spiritistic Yoruba religion is in a period of slow growth, in Nigeria itself it
is being replaced by forms of Islam and Christianity, especially evangelical
protestantism.7
Since the first missionaries arrived in Nigeria in the late 19th century,
Christianity has flourished. Much of the credit for the spread of Christianity, and
the preservation of African Culture of the tribes of Nigeria is accredited to the
Christian churches of Nigeria.8 The national Church in Nigeria is in a period of
rapid growth.
Please lift up our missionaries and all Christians in Nigeria. Even though
the national Church is in a period of rapid growth, it is also the home to some of
the most violent Muslim extremists in the whole world! Pray that translation
teams will be safe and strong as they go about the task of translation, typesetting
and preparing the “FIRE Bible” for reaching into this part of Africa.
Footnotes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
http://www.traveldocs.com/ng/people.htm
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/nigeria/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/nigeria/culture.htm
http://www.fandm.edu/departments/Anthropology/Bastian/ANT269/yoru.html
http://www.fa.indiana.edu/~conner/yoruba/cut.html
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/anijen/background
http://members.aol.com/ishorst/love/Yoruba.html
http://www.wowessays.com/dbase/af1/nyv151.shtml
Map of Nigeria taken from:
http://www3.iperbole.bologna.it/mca/africa/cat54.htm
Map of Yoruba language area taken from:
http://www.yakscorner.com/stories/yoruba.htm
Photo of Nigerian mask taken from:
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/AFRICA/AF_rit_cerem_mask_maiden.html
Photo of Yoruba village taken from:
http://beaugrande.bizland.com/Yoruba%20Village.jpg
Photo of drummers taken from:
http://www.batadrums.com/background/oshogbo2.jpg