YORUBA, A National Language of Nigeria

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accounts for approximately one-quarter of West Africa's people or about 120 million people. Although less than 25% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, at least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000. The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups gives the country a rich diversity.1

Nigeria is an oil-rich Cinderella state that never quite made it to the ball. During the 1970s, when oil prices rocketed, Nigeria looked set to become the shining example of a prosperous and democratic West African republic but perversely managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It has had the odd moment of oil-induced triumph but its history is littered with dictators, massacres, bloody civil wars, human rights abuses, and horrific famines. It is now a country that is saddled with a soaring crime rate, massive unemployment, overpopulation; and it's still recovering from a military government run on bribery and corruption. With the election in 1999 of former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo, there were hopes Nigeria may enter a new period of stability. Sadly, the elections restored democracy in name only.

But the very thing that has made Nigeria so ornery and difficult to unite into a single peaceful republic is also its attraction. There are over 250 different peoples, languages, histories, and religions all rubbing shoulder to shoulder in this hectic, colorful, sometimes cockeyed republic. It is also the place to go if you're into music. Nigeria is constantly pounding to the rhythms of traditional African juju music, Afrobeat and reggae. It's not the most pleasant or relaxing place to visit, but if you're looking for a challenge it's the place to be.2

Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups but three stand out; the Hausa in the north, the Ibo (or Igbo) in the east and the Yoruba in the west. Religions tend to follow these ethnic lines with Muslims dominating the north, Catholics the east and animists the west. There are also countless numbers of smaller sects that are a mélange of two or more religions combining, for example, Christianity with local spirits and guardians. Animism has strong connections to ancestral spirits that protect the land and ensure tribal well-being, and many of the sacrificial rituals and juju ceremonies that use animal skulls; bones and

dried insects are a way of contacting these spirits to ensure good fortune. Charms such as the ibej (twin dolls that are adorned with beads) are also an important part of Nigerian life and are worn to bring good luck and prosperity. Nigerian art forms reflect their occult and animist origins. 3

Yoruba is the second largest

language group in Africa. The Yoruba live mainly in southwest Nigeria and neighboring Benin and Togo, a region known as Yorubaland consisting of over 20 million people. The term "Yoruba" encompasses about twenty-five separate groups, each one culturally different from the next. Islam, Christianity, and the "traditional" Yoruba pantheon, the orisa, are all embraced in Yorubaland. The bond shared by all Yoruba peoples is the centrality of ritual to special occasions, as well as to everyday life.4

The term Yoruba describes a number

of semi-independent peoples loosely linked by geography, language, history, and

religion. The Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria (see white area of map) and neighboring Benin and Togo number over 15 million people. Most live within the borders of the tropical forest belt, but the remnants of the powerful Oyo kingdom include groups that live at the fringes of the northern savanna grasslands. Archaeological evidence suggests that the ancestors of the Yoruba may have lived in this same general area of Africa since prehistoric times. In the mid-18th century, the slave trade to the Americas dramatically affected all of West Africa. Slaves of Yoruba descent were resettled in Cuba and Brazil, where elements of Yoruba culture and language can still be found.5

The main occupation of the Yoruba people is farming. The Yoruba that are farmers live in villages that are surrounded by high fences. Their farms are outside of town and the farmers travel to their farms daily to work. Yoruba farm crops are yams, corn and cocoa. Cocoa has become an important cash crop for the Yoruba people. Some Yoruba live in large cities and work in factories. Many Yoruba specialize in crafts such as weaving, carving, leather work and brass work.6

Traditional Yoruba religion is centered around a pantheon of deities called

orisha. When a child is born, a diviner, or babalawo, will be consulted to determine which orisha the child should follow. As adults, the Yoruba often honor several of these deities. According to oral tradition, the high god, Olorun (Olodumare), asked Orishala to descend from the sky to create the first Earth at Ile-Ife. Orishala was delayed and his younger brother, Oduduwa, accomplished the task. Shortly afterwards, sixteen other orisha came down from heaven to create human beings and live on Earth with him. The descendants of each of these deities are said to have spread Yoruba culture and religious principles throughout the rest of Yorubaland. 5

The religion of the Yoruba people in West Africa, who live in Nigeria and Benin, is an ancient tradition of nature and ancestor worship. While in the New World the spiritistic Yoruba religion is in a period of slow growth, in Nigeria itself it is being replaced by forms of Islam and Christianity, especially evangelical protestantism.7

Since the first missionaries arrived in Nigeria in the late 19th century,

Christianity has flourished. Much of the credit for the spread of Christianity, and the preservation of African Culture of the tribes of Nigeria is accredited to the Christian churches of Nigeria.8 The national Church in Nigeria is in a period of rapid growth.

Please lift up our missionaries and all Christians in Nigeria. Even though the national Church is in a period of rapid growth, it is also the home to some of the most violent Muslim extremists in the whole world! Pray that translation teams will be safe and strong as they go about the task of translation, typesetting and preparing the “FIRE Bible” for reaching into this part of Africa.

Footnotes:

1. http://www.traveldocs.com/ng/people.htm 2. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/nigeria/ 3. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/nigeria/culture.htm 4. http://www.fandm.edu/departments/Anthropology/Bastian/ANT269/yoru.html 5. http://www.fa.indiana.edu/~conner/yoruba/cut.html 6. http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/anijen/background 7. http://members.aol.com/ishorst/love/Yoruba.html 8. http://www.wowessays.com/dbase/af1/nyv151.shtml

Map of Nigeria taken from: http://www3.iperbole.bologna.it/mca/africa/cat54.htm Map of Yoruba language area taken from: http://www.yakscorner.com/stories/yoruba.htm Photo of Nigerian mask taken from: http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/AFRICA/AF_rit_cerem_mask_maiden.html Photo of Yoruba village taken from: http://beaugrande.bizland.com/Yoruba%20Village.jpg Photo of drummers taken from: http://www.batadrums.com/background/oshogbo2.jpg