23rd September is the anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty that ended the almost 17 year Yoruba civil war, also known as the Kiriji war.
The warring factions were the western Yoruba; Ibadan/Oyo against the eastern Yoruba; Ekiti in alliance with Ilesa.
The Ibadan/Oyo were supported by Modakeke and Offa, while the Ekiti were supported by most other Yoruba groups; the Ijebu, Ife, Egba, Akoko, Igbomina, Ilorin, Egbe and Kabba along with some other sub Yoruba groups.
It was the first war in these parts that involved the use of ‘sophisticated’ military weaponry; breech loading rifles and cannon, hence its name Kiriji, an onomatopoeic mimicking of the terrible sound of cannonry.
The Ibadan forces were led by the then Are Onakakanfo, Obadoke Latosa of Ibadan. While the Ekiti forces were led by Fabunmi of Imesi, and later joined by Ogedengbe of Ilesa and Karara of Ilorin.
In all, over 100,000 men were involved on both sides.
Ogedengbe of Ilesa, who after the war, became Obala of Ilesa.
The war was basically caused by the instability occasioned by the collapse of Oyo authority, the inordinate attempt by Ibadan to fill the power vacuum created and attempts to expand its influence into the eastern parts of Yorubaland.
This involved appointing and posting administrative prefects or Ajélè to towns and villages. They effectively operated as taskmasters levying heavy taxes. The immediate cause of the war was a revolt which resulted in the coordinated massacre of Ajeles in all towns and villages.
The battle took place on at least five fronts but the main ones were in the hills and fields in the area between the the Oyo camp in Igbajo and the Ekiti camp in Imesi Ile, both in present Osun State. There were pitched battles involving trenches and battlements atop the rocks.
The war dragged on. It seemed no one side could win a decisive victory. Sensing a stalemate, the Revs Samuel Johnson and Charles Phillips(later Bishop Phillips) negotiated a cease fire agreement which was signed in Lagos. They were also assisted by Ekiti returnees in Lagos.
One of these was Fredrick Haastrup; he later became Owa Ajimoko I of Ilesa. A peace treaty was eventually signed in 1886, but didn’t result in immediate end of hostilities. Fighting & skirmishes continued in some places for some time after. The war finally ceased totally in 1893.
Revs. Samuel Johnson and Charles Phillips.
The major immediate aftermath of the war was the colonisation and annexation of the rest of Yorubaland by the British into the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria. Prior to this only Lagos was under British control, with Abeokuta having special status as semi autonomous territory.
The September 23rd formal end of hostilities has for the past few years been marked as a day of Yoruba unity.
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This is Amos Shackleford, 1887-1954, aka The Bread King of Lagos.
Amos Shackleford was a Jamaican. He first came to Lagos in 1913 to work for the Nigerian Railway, living at Ebute Metta.
He returned to Jamaica at the end of his three year contract with Nigerian Railway in 1916.
He returned to Nigeria two years later in 1918 and became head clerk for the Nigerian firm of S. Thomas and Co.
The firm S. Thomas & Co was owned by PJC Thomas one of the leading Nigerian businessman of his time, and the first president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce.
Shackleflord with his wife later set up a bakery that produced bread under the brand Shackleford Bread.
It is from this that he earned his monicker, Bread King of Lagos.
Shackleford Bread became successful & soon expanded to other Nigerian cities & into the Gold Coast (Ghana).
In 1854 Chief Ogunbona, Balogun of Ikija, generalissimo of the Egba & patron of the Christian mission threw a European style dinner party for all the Europeans & missionaries in Abeokuta.
It was to settle some very difficult problems between Christians & traditionalists.
In 1854, Christianity was just about a decade among the Egba, so there was still issues.
The following are two accounts by two of the invitees, one focusing on the setting and the other Ogunbona’ speech.
As found in Religious Encounter & the Making of the Yoruba, By J.D.Y Peel.
1. Thirteen sat down to table, Ogunbona* being flanked by Chief Sagbua & Basorun Somoye** on one side, and Mrs Townsend, to carve the meat, on the other; and the meal was witnessed by thirteen friends and retainers of each chief.
He started as an Education Officer in the Colonial Service; his choice of posting was to Nigeria.
He landed Marina , Lagos, on the on the 4th September 1950.
His first posting was to the Provincial Education Office, Abeokuta, where he served under Mr. J.M.M.Osimosu.
By April 1951, he made his first appearance in Government College Ibadan, for one term on relief duties!
A major posting later came as Provincial Education Officer, Oyo, during which time he worked on the Universal Free Primary Education Policy of the Action Group Government.
In May 1959 he reported on promotion, as Principal of Government College Ibadan.
Yoruba Sango Priest’s Costume with Leather & Mirrors, circa 1850
length: 96.5cm, width: 54.5cm (approximately.)
This splendid & well preserved tunic was worn by a Shango priest.
Sango devotion is a very important part of traditional Yoruba spiritual tradition.
The double-sided tunic is of deep-red cotton cloth over-sewn with goat-leather panels in columns of double zig-zags & yellow cotton also in zig-zags.
The top panels are of unembellished goat leather, with shoulder pads on either side.
Each shoulder has a glass mirror insert.
Traditionally, red dye was obtained from bulrush millet and green was from copper and lime juice. Red is a colour that signifies the destructive rage of Sango in his role as the thunder deity.
The tunic is trimmed with printed cotton cloth & the interior is lined with hessian.
The Olu of Warri has gone to be with his ancestors; long live the Olu.
It was announced about a month ago that the 20th Oba or Olu of Iwere Kingdom (Warri) Ogiame Ikenwoli, joined his ancestors.
It happened 5 months earlier, on 20th December, 2020.
A successor was immediately chosen in Prince Tsola Emiko, 37 year old son of Ogiame Atuwatse II, 19th Olu of Warri. He’s also nephew of the deceased Olu.
The choice was made by the kingmakers & ratified by the Ifa Oracle, in accordance with Warri tradition.
The funeral rites for the late Olu commenced on Monday 10th of May 2021. A sober and joyous occasion, led by the Olu designate.
Sober because he had to accompany the late Olu, his uncle, on his final journey to be laid to rest with his ancestors at the royal cemetery in Ijalla.
The Ife Primary Education Research Project (1970-1983).
aka
The Ife 6-Year Primary Project.
In 1970, as the Director of the Institute of Education of the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), later Dean Faculty of Education, Prof. Babs Fafunwa & his team embarked on one of the most groundbreaking research projects in education for Yorubaland.
The aim of the project was to test the hypothesis that the best instructional medium for good concept formation at a very tender age is the mother tongue.
This was bolstered by the observation that “of all the continents and peoples of the world, it is only in Africa…