Yoruba African Harmony In Variety – by Olamijulo S.K.
Published by Hope Africa E-Publisher at
http://www.hopeafricaepublisher.com/yah0105 .html
January 2005
INTRODUCTION
Yoruba World Community, Iran Yoruba, enjoys more harmony in variety than is commonly recognized or stated. If you accept yourself to be Yoruba and live for example in some West African Countries, the Americas,United Kingdom,Europe, West Indies and other places in the world, be nice to the presumed stranger African American ; African European; West Indian or even the African now classified “ Latino” American people down the road from where you live or where you work . They may be more of Yoruba distant cousins than you ever imagined.
Many Africans in Africa and the Diaspora are more interrelated by ancestry than they seem to presently recognize. Africans must deliberately advance beyond current sadly familiar petty counterproductive elite squabbles and cooperate for tangible mutual development at the various levels of EXTENDED FAMILY; TOWN or VILLAGE ; LANGUAGE NATIONALITY ; COUNTRY NATIONALITY; AFRICAN CONTINENT; GLOBAL.
BACKGROUND
Kiriji war was the final war that ended all wars in Yoruba land in Nigeria.
During the last celebration to remember 100 years of peace after the signing of the treaty to end that war in 1886, I was very privileged to be still on staff at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria in 1986. I was a very appreciative friend of many staff members in the then Department of History. I traveled Yoruba land quite a bit with teams preparing the groundwork for the celebrations. I had the until now much appreciated opportunity to learn quite a lot from many people more knowledgeable than me, including Professor Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin renowned Yoruba historian and one time Deputy Vice Chancellor in Ife and other historians in some leading Yoruba Traditional Rulers Palaces.
IMESI-ILE
I related to Professor Akinjogbin and others the fact of Imesi-Ile being composed of extended families originally from very distant parts of Yoruba land in Nigeria.
Imesi -Ile is a very historically significant and cosmopolitan town located on a hill in Ijesha Area of Yoruba land, Nigeria. It is about 31 kilometers from the Oshun State capital Oshogbo at Latitude 7N, Longitude 4E, altitude 455meters or 1489 feet above the sea level. The town is believed to have been founded in 12th century AD. It is made up of the descendants of settlers originally from various Yoruba towns including Igbajo, Ila-Orangun, Iresi, Otan, Esa-Oke, Okemesi, Ile-Ife, Efon-Alaiye, Ijero-Ekiti, Ido-Ekiti, Ikoro, other Ekiti towns, Oyo-Alaafin, Benin and others.
The notorious Kiriji wars did very much havoc to communal harmony among the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria. Kiriji war camps were located on an area of land between Imesi-Ile in Ijeshaland and Igbajo in Oshunland. Igbajo is another historical town, only six kilometers from Imesi-Ile.
The treaty that ended this war was negotiated by Governor Alfred Moloney, then British Colonial Governor of Lagos, assisted by Reverend Samuel Johnson and Reverend Charles Philips. The treaty was dated 4th June 1886 but signed by the principal parties on various days between June1886 and September 1886.
Agbo-Ile or Family Compound identifies all indigenes of Imesi-Ile. Each Agbo-Ile is a large extended family sharing common ancestry. These ancestors were from very diverse places in Yoruba land listed above.
The traditional ruler, the Owa-Ooye of Imesi -Ile, assisted by a council of traditional chiefs, governs traditional affairs. More recent Imesi-Ile traditional rulers include - His Royal Highness Oba Richard Makanjuola Adebiyi II -1983 to 2004; His Royal Highness Oba Rufus Adegbola Fabunmi III -1967 to 1983; His Royal Highness Oba Ajiboye Ariyowonye - 1929 to 1965 and His Royal Highness Oba Ajetumobi who was on the throne in 1900 when Christianity was introduced to and accepted in Imesi-Ile.
YORUBA RELATIVES
Professor Akinjogbin and others shared extensive contemporary Yoruba realities rooted in impressive historical facts with me to indicate that Yorubas were much more related to one another and even to people in neighboring language nationalities than is commonly admitted.
Some of many interesting known examples include but are not limited to
1. Very famous Ibadan families reported to be originally variously from Oshun, Ekiti, Ijesha, Ijebu and Egba areas of African Yoruba land. Ibadan, one time political capital of Western Nigeria is a very large Yoruba native city with a commendable variety in the ancestry of the people components with very impressive operational harmony.
2. Ijebu-Ijesha town and people in Ijesha land.
3. Ijesha-Ijebu town and people in Ijebu land.
4. Very senior traditional chieftaincy family in Ilesha originally from Ondo land.
5. Well integrated long standing Imesi –Ile native extended family with Oriki Agbo-Ile that includes “Omo Oba Ado Ibini “.
6. In Ile-Ife town, some prominent Ife extended families are said to be well assimilated returnees long ago from Iwo, Ido –Oshun, Offa etcetera. Some of their Oriki Agbo-Ile are said to still confirm these facts until today.
7. Dr. and Mrs. Yemi Ogunbiyi our family friends excitedly shared with me their own insight in some enquiring discussions I had with them on this subject. Some current well settled , well assimilated "natives" of Shagamu in Remo land, Oshu in Ijesha land and Ado in Ekiti land have been confirmed to be blood relatives in their ancestry.
8. Some other Obafemi Awolowo University Academicians confirmed to me the same phenomenon as relatively common in Ekiti land citing as examples well known Oyo –Ikere, Oyo-Ado all in Ekiti land.
9. Fairly distinct component parts originally from Ijebu, Remo, Owu, etcetera in Egba land together are a very commendable example of operational unity in diversity.
10. Lagos is the most cosmopolitan, most positively accommodating, and most progressive of all Yoruba African large cities. Well known Lagos families were originally from virtually all known subsections of Yoruba African land. They have been very well assimilated into a well harmonized Lagos traditional and modern political system.
11. It is very common knowledge in Yoruba land that many of the leading Obas in Yoruba land, the Oba of Benin in Edo land, the Olu of Warri in Itshekiri land, the Obi of Onitsha in Igbo land, The Alaketu of Ketu to Benin Republic and some other rulers to the East, West and North of Western Nigeria are blood relatives .
THE IMPORTANT FACT
The important issue properly must never be which Yoruba or Yoruba related ruler or people were or are superior or inferior. The issue must never be about land grabbing. It must never be about any meaningless expansionist political agenda in this global era. The important issue was and must always be that THESE RULERS AND THEIR PEOPLE ARE KNOWN TO BE FAMILY.
This fact of family relationships is what must always be constructively emphasized and celebrated by the rulers and the people, not sometimes very strange acrimonious personal short term politically motivated divisive posturings.
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This book encourages a much needed framework to be widely accepted for Constructive African People to People Cooperation throughout the world, at the complimentary levels of EXTENDED FAMILY; VILLAGE OR TOWN; LANGUAGE NATIONALITY; COUNTRY; CONTINENT; and GLOBAL for effective individual and group mutual development.
2. Yoruba- Population, Language, Products, and Services on Computers and Internet-An Update by Olamijulo S.K.
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3. Yoruba African Keyboard- Do It Yourself Technique by Olamijulo S.K.
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4. Yoruba Language Development-Emerging Consensus by Olamijulo S.K.
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5. Yoruba World Population - July 2004 Estimate by Olamijulo S.K.
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6. Yoruba World Family - Iran Yoruba by Olamijulo S.K.
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7. African Nations Federation - Some Suggestions by Dr. Samuel Olamijulo
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8. Yoruba Reference Bible Online : Bibeli Yoruba Atoka - Announcement by Olamijulo S.K. Family
http://www.hopeafricaepublisher.com/yrb062505.html
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November 2004
SUMMARY
I humbly suggest and strongly appeal for serious discussion and ongoing action by Africans everywhere towards the realization of an African Nations Federation soonest possible. It is one of some fundamental, useful things that could help African people secure much needed, more constructive, mutually respecting, more secure, conducive environment for much more productive African people development pursuits than obtains at present.
IMMEDIATE GOALS INCLUDE
Facilitating People Cooperation for African Development better than at present.
Motivating to productively deploy the vast human and material resources of Africa for the development of Africans everywhere, better than at present.
NATURE
The people themselves from the start must firmly agree on the nature of this Federation. For optimal results for example, the Federation must by constitution and in practice always be unambiguously an Accommodating, Secular, Multilingual and Multiracial Federation of a Complimenting Variety of Nations.
FEDERATING NATIONS
These shall be viable, stable entities that unite single large or willing small contiguous language nationalities for mutual development. There should be, for example, six of such African Federating Nations created from present day Nigeria based on already established Six Geo-Political Zones. At least two of such Federating Nations can be created from each of present day Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Sudan, South-Africa etcetera. All Federating Nations shall be established in a way to overcome potential or ongoing mutually destructive local sectarian conflicts unfortunately still so rampant across the continent. Africans people must preach and practice more of pragmatic constructive United African Nationalism driven by the people themselves for their own development.
CAPITAL TERRITORY
Eventually, a new, dedicated well planned, uniting capital territory shall be established in a central location on the continent. This shall be a stand alone territory ALL Africans everywhere shall be entitled to call their own and positively identify with.
MODUS OPERANDI
Serious discussion for action can and should begin in earnest among African people everywhere. This could start with us the readers of this appeal who in turn shall encourage others to do something at every present and future opportunity.
Implementation could be under the auspices of present African Union with encouraged thoughtful inputs by African people everywhere. Any conscientiously and consistently articulated will of the people, should sooner than later prevail for the common good.
Please see and share this and related publications with others from
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2. Constitutive Act of the African Union at
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Thank you.
Olamijulo S.K.
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