"I am Not Yoruba: Rethinking the Entanglements in Femi Fani-Kayode's Disquisition" - By SMB Sesan Johnson
#Prelude:
Recently, as an adjunct I taught a new generation of Nigerian students
of history the theme: SOURCES of HISTORY. It was indeed an exciting
learning curve both for them and I. I showed a hard copy (scanned copy)
of the first Indigenous newspaper in Africa - IWE IROHIN Fun Awon EGBA
ati YORUBA to the students when I was teaching on newspapers as sources
of history. I was flabbergasted when one of the students pointed to the
fact that IWE IROHIN or its author or publisher labelled the Egbas as
different from the Yorubas. This further led to more questions about the
history, myths, legend and traditions of the Yoruba people.
The
other day, Fani Kayode bursted the Twitter space with its salvo that
he's not Yoruba but a son of Oduduwa. This had attracted reactions and
counter reactions.
I opine that the bone of contention is not
the group of people referred to as Yoruba. The argument is on the name
YORUBA, its origin, it's originator, the meaning and its affects
particularly in this current socio-political milieu.
Identity
crisis one may say. Does Yoruba as a word has its root in any of the
dialects spoken by any of the Oduduwa's sons or grandsons or by any
group that falls within the Yoruba category? Reportedly, chief
ElebuIbon, the renown Ifa priest has declared that the word is never
mentioned in any Ifa verse. I am still searching for any other claim.
Extant records had reiterated that the word "Yoruba" was first recorded
in reference to the Oyo Empire in a treatise written by the 16th
century Songhai scholar Ahmed Baba. It was said that it was later
popularized by Hausa usage and treatises written in Arabic and Ajami
during the 19th century...... In all of these, Yoruba was used to refer
to Oyo exclusively. (Ref: Sultan Mohammed Bello's Treatise). Michael
Ajayi Crowther and the likes proliferated and frenzied the notion of
referring to the people of southwestern Nigeria as Yoruba. Arguably,
this had political undertone, partly because they tended to promote the
supremacy of Oyo town, who they claimed as their origin. Without mincing
words, this ideation aligned with the morbid and sordid interests of
the colonial master. Whereas, historians and other scholars will agree
that the general acceptability and usability of the Yoruba
categorisation of the people of southwestern Nigeria is arguably a late
19th and early 20th century phenomenon. Perhaps, this was also partly a
colonial imposition to facilitate colonial rule and was partly accepted
by the people themselves because this also helped to promote
collectivism among the people. However, pre-colonial histories of
different stocks of the people of southwestern Nigeria showed that they
didn't at a time consider themselves as Yoruba collectively. This, in
spite of external usage of the identity for them. For example, at a time
in history (particularly during the Yoruba Civil War), the Ijeshas, the
Ekitis and other other people of Yoruba eastern countryside didn't
consider themselves as Yoruba. They too referred to Oyo people
exclusively as Yoruba. The Egbas too did in the mid 19th century
consider themselves as the Egbas, not Yoruba. A reference is why was the
first and foremost newspaper (IWE IROHIN) titled "Iwe Irohin Fun Awon
Egba ati Yoruba"? By interpretation, the Egbas were distinguished here
from the Yorubas. I agree on the plausibility of other interpretations.
But what's the much ado about this Yoruba label for the people of
southwestern Nigeria? What is in a name? Whereas, the Ashanti were code
named by the French. The Tuareg were named by the Arabs. The Fulani and
Hausa were named by outsiders. Suffice to mention here that other groups
of people of the world are also cut up in this carnage of external
labelling or categorisation or name giving. Britain, France, Germany and
Italy as names had external roots. The people themselves didn't give
these names. Just like Yoruba, outsiders or external factors or forces
directly or indirectly or subtly imposed these names on these countries
and the people. The French saw/see themselves as the Gauls but later
accepted the usage of France (Francais). The case of the Italians has
commonalities with the Yorubas. Until it's unification, the Italians
with their different dialects just like the Yorubas didn't consider
themselves as Italians or one people. But the need for Unification
within the urgency of becoming independent from external suzerainty
foisted on them their externally imposed category.
By and large,
we can't just flog aside the import of names particularly within the
realms of Yoruba's cosmogony. Ile la wo, ka to so'mo loruko...... Oruko
omo, lo n ro omo (apologies to non-Yorubas). The Yorubas believe that
there's more to one's name. Name can be a label or stigma. In all it's
Yoruba name for the sons and daughters of Oduduwa is an exonym but has
become an endonym.
Significantly, the name Yoruba has been
accepted and had been in use for years. Whereas, amidst the convoluted
matrix of cacophony of myths, legends and theories of migrations about
their origin, the Yoruba speaking people are acclaimed to be sons and
daughters of Oduduwa.
