Understanding Yoruba Life and Culture [Paperback]

Nike S. Lawal (Editor), Matthew N. O. Sadiku (Editor), Ade Dopamu (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004 | ISBN-10: 1592210260 | ISBN-13: 978-1592210268

With a population of about thirty million, the Yoruba people constitute one of the largest single ethnic group in sub-Saharan Africa. They are internationally acclaimed for their high art, complex system of government, religion, and philosophy.

This multi-authored book written by distinguished scholars like Ayo Bamgbose, Toyin Falola, Stephen Akintoye, Omofolabo Soyinka-Ajayi, Emmanuel Babatunde, H.O. Danmole, Akinbiyi Akinlabi, and Agbo Folarin, is the first of its kind to cover all the important topics and issues in Yoruba culture. Who were the early Yoruba? Where did they come from? What is Yoruba society like? What is the role of women in the society? What is the nature of their art forms? What is Yoruba philosophy? These questions and many more are answered in this significant book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nike S. Lawal earned her Ph.D. in theoretical linguistics from the University of Essex, Colchester, U.K. She has taught linguistics and Yoruba in universities in Nigeria and the United States.

Matthew N. O. Sadiku was an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University and a professor at Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. He currently works with Avaya Communications.

P. Ade Dopamu is a professor of African religion and comparative religious studies at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and was the former head of the Department of Religions and the dean of Faculty of Arts there.

Product Details

• Paperback: 705 pages
• Publisher: Africa World Pr (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592210260
• ISBN-13: 978-1592210268
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,144,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best textbook available on Yoruba Civilization, December 26, 2006

By 

The Djeli (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Yoruba Life and Culture (Paperback)

In this text, written by Yoruba scholars, we are given scholarly information on the origins of Yoruba Civilization in Southwestern Nigeria and the Benin Republic from both the archeaological evidence and the traditional historians of Yoruba Civilization.

Also included alongside state formation is the religion of the Yoruba and how it is related to the origin of the Yoruba.

Though the medieval Yoruba states are thought to have been established around the year 1100 CE, Yoruba culture is surely older, with roots in the Nok Civilization of Central Nigeria which thrived between 900 BCE and 200 CE. It would of been better if the authors discussed more of the origins of the Yoruba but it is still a good introduction to the culture as a whole.