Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-dwq4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T08:54:45.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Yoruba Writers and the Construction of Heroes1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2014

Toyin Falola
Toyin Falola*
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

In 1986 the University of Ife (later renamed Obafemi Awolowo University) unveiled a wood statue of Oduduwa, the mythical founder of the Yoruba nation. Present at the occasion was Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the most famous Yoruba politician of the twentieth century. Either for political gain, or to celebrate or praise him, an Ife intellectual told Chief Awolowo that the statue looked exactly like him and that, in trying to represent the image of Oduduwa, the carver, the highly distinguished Chief Lamidi Fakeye, had simply used Awolowo as a model.

Chief Awolowo was very happy with this comparison, and gladly affirmed it. The story spread like wildfire. As the statue came to be interpreted, Awolowo and Oduduwa had the same physical build, elegance, and cap which they wore in the same style! Here indeed was the modern Oduduwa. To those in search of heroes, the Yoruba now had two “national” ones—Oduduwa, the progenitor and Awolowo, the modernizer—and a host of other aspiring and local ones. If Oduduwa founded the nation, Awolowo would unite it, after a period of internal division.

Both in Yoruba popular and intellectual discourse, the hero commands prominent attention. The Yoruba appear to be seeking the equivalent of a Mahdi, the reformer in Islam, a cultural, folk, and political hero. The ambition of many Yoruba elite, especially the politician, is to become a hero of the nation. Many have tried in vain—men such as Chief Adisa Akinloye, a longtime veteran politician, and the Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria during the Second Republic, and, until recently, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the business magnate and politician who was denied the presidency of the country by the military regime in collaboration with powerful civilians.

Type
Research Article
Information
History in Africa , Volume 24 , January 1997 , pp. 157 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1.

Research for the essay is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Generous comments on the draft were obtained from Steve Salrn and Vik Bahl, both of the University of Texas at Austin and Teju Olaniyan of the University of Virginia.

References

Notes

2. See for instance, Awe, Bolanle, “Ogedengbe of Ilesa: An Introductory Note,” Proceedings of Seminar, School of African and Asian Studies, University of Lagos, 1968/1969.Google Scholar

3. See, for instance, Oyemakinde, Wale, “Michael Imoudu and the Emergence of Militant Trade Unionism in Nigeria, 1940-1942,” JHSN, 7 (1974), 541–62Google Scholar; and Haruna, H. B., “Sodeke: Hero and Statesman of the Egba,” JHSN, 12 (1983/1984), 109–31.Google Scholar

4. Ayandele, E. A., Holy Johnson (London 1970).Google Scholar

5. Idem., “The Task Before Nigerian Historians Today,” JHSN, 9 (1979), 8.

6. Johnson, Samuel, History of the Yorubas (Lagos, 1921).Google Scholar

7. Ibid., 187.

8. Ibid., 642.

9. Ajisafe, A. K., Iwe Itan Abeokuta (Bungay, 1924)Google Scholar; Losi, J. B., Itan Eko (Lagos, 1916)Google Scholar; idem., Itan Abeokuta (Lagos, 1917); Akinyele, I. B., Iwe Itan Ibadan at Iwo, Ikirun and Osogbo (Ibadan, 1911).Google Scholar

10. Fagunwa, D. O., Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale (Lagos, 1950)Google Scholar; idem., Igbo Olodumare.(Lagos, 1949); idem., Ireke Onibudo (Lagos, 1949); idem., Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje (Lagos), 1954; and idem., Aditu Olodumare (Lagos, 1961).

11. See, for instance, Odundipe, Molara, “The Palm-Wine Drinkard: A Reassessment,” Ibadan, no. 28 (July 1970), 22–26.Google Scholar

12. For a summary of Tutuola's writings see Lindfors, B., “Amos Tutuola” in Klein, L. S., ed., African Literatures in the 20th Century (New York, 1986), 139–41.Google Scholar

13. Ogunmola, Kola, The Palmwine Drinkard. (opera by Kola Ogunmola, translated by Armstrong, R.G.) (Ibadan, 1972).Google Scholar

14. Fagunwa, , Ogboju Ode, 47.Google Scholar

15. Ibid., 54.

16. Ladele, T. A. A., Mustapha, O., Aworinde, I.A., Oyerinde, O., and Oladapo, O., Akojopo Iwadii Ijinle Asa Yoruba (Lagos, 1986), 293.Google Scholar

17. There are many accounts and different versions in most Yoruba chronicles and literature and language books—e.g., Ibikunle, Supo, Iwe Ijinle Yoruba (Ibadan, 1969).Google Scholar

18. For instance, “The Origin of the Yoruba,” The Lugard Lectures, Lagos. 1955.Google Scholar

19. E.g., Owolabi, E. O., Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala (Ibadan, 1977)Google Scholar, and a successful stage and television drama by Eda on Ogbori Elemeso on the founder of Ogbomoso.

20. See Ladipo, Duro, Oba Ko So (The king did not hang), transcribed and translated by Armstrong, R. G., Awujoola, Robert L., and Olayemi, Val from a tape recording by R. Curt Wittig (Ibadan, 1972).Google Scholar

21. Falola, Toyin and Oguntomisin, Dare, The Military Systems in 19th Century Yoruba Politics (Ile-Ife, 1984).Google Scholar

22. See Toyin Falola and Dare Oguntomisin, Yoruba War Heroes, forthcoming.

23. Yemitan, Oladipo, Madame Tinubu: Merchant and King-Maker, (Ibadan, 1987).Google Scholar

24. Rotimi, Ola, Kurunmi (Ibadan, 1971).Google Scholar

25. (Ibadan, 1973).

26. Recent titles include Jakande, L.K., The Action Years. Books 1-3 (Lagos, 1988)Google Scholar; Mamora, Yomi, Born To Rule: The Biography of Oba Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo Erinjugbo II (Lagos, 1991)Google Scholar; Omoboriowo, Akin, Awoism: Select Themes on the Complex Ideology of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (Ibadan, 1982).Google Scholar

27. Biobaku, S.O., The First 150 Years of the Egba at Abeokuta, 1830-1980 (Lagos, n.d.).Google Scholar

28. Ajayi, J. F. Ade, “Foreword” in Olorunnisola, Funmilola and Akinbami, Demola, eds, The Royal Eagle of the Yoruba (Ibadan, n.d.), ix–x.Google Scholar

29. For one well-circulated and contentious book see Dr.Tejuoso, Oba Adedapo, Ripples on so far so Memorable: Egba History in Focus (Ikeja, 1991.Google Scholar The same king has a tell-it-all memoir, The Ultimate Honour (Lagos, 1989).Google Scholar See also Awoyinfa, Dele, Ooni oflfe in Yoruba History (Lagos 1992)Google Scholar, for the attempt to make modern Ooni of Ife into Yoruba heroes.

30. See for instance, Falola, Toyin, “Macht, Status and Einflub von Yoruba-Chiefs in historischer Perspektive” in Periplus 1994 (Münster, 1992), 51–67.Google Scholar

31. Delano, Isaac O., Oba Ademola: A Great Alake of Egba (Ibadan, 1969).Google Scholar

32. Idem., Josiah Ransome-Kuti: The Drummer Boy who Became a Canon (Ibadan, 1968), jacket.

33. The Beloved Bishop: A Biography of Bishop A. B. Akinyele (Ibadan, 1969)Google Scholar; Obafemi, Olu, Oshoffa, Pastor S. B. J.: God's 20th Century Gift to Africa (Lagos, 1986).Google Scholar

34. Ojo, Adeyeye, Hero of an era: A Short History of Late Chief Ojo Ajofoyinbo (Ilawe, 1993).Google Scholar

35. Akinwunmi, Dickson and Mamora, Yomi, Legacy of Service (Ibadan, 1993)Google Scholar; and Omole, Wale, Tai Solarin's Footprints (Lagos, 1994).Google Scholar

36. See Coker, Folarin, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola: A Biography (Lagos, 1972).Google Scholar

37. See, for instance, Adewoye, O., “The Lawyer and the Public Servant,” JHSN, 6 (1971), 47–66Google Scholar; Olusanya, G. O., “Julius Ojo-Cole: A Neglected Nigerian Nationalist and Educationist,” JHSN, 7 (1973), 91–102.Google Scholar

38. E.g., Rev. Ogunmodede, Fr. Francis I., Chief Obafemi Awolowo's Socio-Political Philosophy: A Critical Interpretation (Rome, 1986).Google Scholar

39. E. g., Tinubu, S. A., S.L. Akintola: His Politics and His Nation (Ibadan, 1992)Google Scholar; Ige, Bola, Kaduna Boy (Ibadan, 1991).Google Scholar

40. Adeniyi, Tola, The Jewel: A Biography of H.I.D. Awolowo (Ibadan, 1993).Google Scholar

41. Yemitan, , Madame Tinubu, 78–79.Google Scholar

42. Ibid., 78.

43. (Bungay, 1921).

44. (Bungay, 1923).

45. Iwe Iwa Lewa (n.p., 1930).

46. Delano, Oba Ademola, 49-50.

47. See Babalola, Adeboye, Awon Oriki Borokinni (Ibadan, 198)Google Scholar, and Barber, Karin, I Could Speak Until Tomorrow: Oriki, Women and the Past in a Yoruba Town (London, 1991).Google Scholar

48. For a longer version, see Ayorinde, J. A., “Oriki” in Biobaku, S. O., ed., Sources of Yoruba History (Oxford, 1973), 66–73.Google Scholar

49. Adegoke Adelabu, November 1957, cited in Post, Kenneth W. J. and Jenkins, George D., The Price of Liberty: Personality and Politics in Colonial Nigeria (Lagos, 1973), 394.Google Scholar

50. Fagunwa, Ogboju Ode, 54.

51. For a discussion of traditional religion in modern Yoniba society see, among others, Matory, J. Lorand, Sex and the Empire That is No More: Gender and the Politics of Metaphor in Oyo Yoruba Religion (Minneapolis, 1994).Google Scholar

52. (Ibadan, 1962).

53. E.g., Booth, James, Writers and Politics in Nigeria (London, 1981).Google Scholar

54. See, for instance, Soyinka, Wole, Opera Wonyosi (London, 1981)Google Scholar; idem., A Play of Giants (London, 19).

55. Omole, Lawrence, My Life and Times: Reflections (Lagos, 1991).Google Scholar

56. Among others, Thompson, Adewale, Reminiscences at the Bar (Ibadan, 1991).Google Scholar