The History of the Yorubas

Abstract

Samuel Johnson (1846–1901) was an Anglican minister and historian renowned for his magisterial history of the Yoruba people. Born in Freetown in Sierra Leone and educated by the Church Missionary Society, Johnson was sent with his family to Idaban in Nigeria in 1857. He was ordained in 1880 and by 1897 had finished the manuscript for The History of the Yorubas. However the original publisher mysteriously misplaced the manuscript. After Johnson's death his brother, Dr Obadiah Johnson, recompiled the text from Samuel's notes. This volume, first published in 1921, contains that reconstructed edition. This pioneering volume brought together various oral and recorded accounts of Yoruba history, describing not only political history but also social customs, language and laws. Although recent analysis of the text has revealed some inaccuracies, this volume remains the standard reference for the history of the Yoruba people.

Transmuting historical antecedents for mass reaction in Osofisan’s selected plays

“…In the above, Osofisan distinguishes between the romantic approach to history (Johnson, 1973) and the analytical perspective to capture the true situation of things (at present) as springboard to the future, because the task requires the old moral order to accomplish. The artistic concept of history by Osofisan, as explicated in The Chattering and the Song, lends credence to the existence of past and vibrant revolutionary experience that could be drawn from, to stimulate people to react to modern oppressive tendencies that have engendered poverty and diseases.…”

“…Leje, the leader of the farmers' movement, gets involved, in his bid to scout for recruits into the banned movement. Osofisan's version of Abiodun's story in the play is an inflection from the existing version (Johnson, 1973). The historical records portray Abiodun's execution of Bashorun Gaha as panacea to political instability in the empire.…”

Slaves, Government and Politics in Ibadan, 1835 – 1893

“…He also proposed that never should the slaves be entrusted with messages of importance to the interior, for having nothing to lose, their conduct would not be marked by moderation or discretion [4]. In fact, it can be argued that if Bale Orowusi's warnings were heeded, the sixteen years' war, probably, would have been averted.…”

“…But despite the expensive treatment these unwanted visitors received, cruelty and debauchery were their reciprocity. The women and girls of their hosts were cohabited with by force and at the end of their visits, they generally returned to Ibadan with assorted valuables including slaves [4]. But the irony is that messengers who were perpetrating all the mischief were mainly the Ijesa and Ekiti slaves of Ibadan, who had been sent with messages to their own native towns.…”

“…This situation got to a head that the mention of Ibadan stank in the nostrils of all the Ijesa and Ekiti, thus, they waited patiently for an opportuned time to smash the yoke of Ibadan. In fact, the belated action of some young chiefs in Ibadan to check these overzealous messengers, by executing about three [4] of them had only slight and transient effect, as the feelings in the provinces were by no means allayed. The circuit was indeed, complete and the expected spark was only a question of time.…”