The Yoruba from Prehistory to the Present

Usman, Aribidesi; Falọla, Toyin

doi:10.1017/9781107587656

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…Historically, subsidiarity was implicit in the formation and relations within and among loose confederations of Greek and Yoruba city states. [20][21][22][23] In global health, there is multiplicity of proximate-distant (or primary-subsidiary) relations (between/among social, technical and political entities within and beyond jurisdictional boundaries). The principle of subsidiarity provides a practical basis for governing aspects of these relations; especially those that pertain to the uses of knowledge.…”

Section: The Principle Of Subsidiaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

The uses of knowledge in global health

Abimbola

2021

BMJ Glob Health

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If …the problem of society is mainly one of rapid adaptation to changes in the particular circumstances of time and place… [then] the ultimate decisions must be left to the people who are familiar with these circumstances, who know directly of the relevant changes and of the resources immediately available to meet them. We cannot expect that this problem will be solved by first communicating all this knowledge to a central board which, after integrating all knowledge, issues its orders. We must solve [the problem] by some form of de-centralization… But the '[people] on the spot' cannot decide solely on the basis of [their] limited but intimate knowledge of the facts of [their] immediate surroundings. There still remains the problem of communicating to [them] such further information as [they need] to fit [their] decisions into the whole pattern of changes of the larger […] system. How much knowledge [do they] need to do so successfully? Which of the events which happen beyond the horizon of [their] immediate knowledge are of relevance to [their] immediate decision, and how much of them need [they] know? -F. A. Hayek (1899-1992) 1

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Section: The Principle Of Subsidiaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

The uses of knowledge in global health

Abimbola

2021

BMJ Glob Health

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“…Western education was embraced in Yorubaland as a passport into the colonial administration and commerce, and at the turn of the century Nigerian demands for higher quality educational institutions were met with resistance from colonial powers who saw this as a political danger (Ogunlade, 1974). From the 1930s-50s educational provision greatly increased, out of shifts in the colonial policies but also the huge efforts of indigenous leadership, and in the 1950s the western regional government was the first to institute free primary education (Usman and Falola, 2019). Schooling in Lagos is thus at its very foundation a product of transnationalismwith its origins in colonial domination, but also something that became fundamental to Yoruba and Nigerian efforts at self-determination.…”

Section: Contemporary Transnational Education In the Nigerian Diaspora In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Equally, qualifications alone can never win one the accolade of omoluwabi -good character is needed. Though of course Yoruba culture is not static, nor is Lagos reducible to 'Yoruba culture' given its international, multi-ethnic character, commentators note that omoluwabi and associated Yoruba notions of character remain influential in ideas about what it means to be a good person, even Cite as: Cheung Judge, R. ( 2021) 'The Best of Both Worlds': Lagos private schools as engaged strategists of transnational child-raising', Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies becoming a 'moral watchword' for those diagnosing Nigeria's political and social problems (Usman and Falola, 2019). Furthermore, accounts of endogenous cultures across West Africa highlight the importance of 'social' or 'distributed' parenting: that 'training' (correcting, guiding and influencing) a child in good character is the responsibility not only of parents but all adults and older siblings, including through child-fostering arrangements (Coe, 2013;Fafunwa, 1974).…”

Section: Contemporary Transnational Education In the Nigerian Diaspora In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this angle, Lagos private schools are one space in a polycentric, but western-oriented 'international educational' landscape -through which Nigerian middle-classes prepare their children to leave Nigeria for higher education (Harriss and Osella 2010;Newman et al, 2019). Yet context also shows us that Yoruba communities have long embraced western education as a route to power whilst continuing to prize endogenous values around good character (Usman and Falola, 2019), and Lagos private schools are not just replicas of western schools, but also spaces that reflect this. Migration to the UK or USA can be accompanied by downward social mobility (compounded by and racism) for families across the social spectrum which Imoagene (2017) argues leads Nigerians abroad to frame education as a key marker of ethnicised distinction, and parents certainly deeply fear their children's educational failure (Kea, 2020).…”

Section: Contemporary Transnational Education In the Nigerian Diaspora In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘The best of both worlds’: Lagos private schools as engaged strategists of transnational child-raising

Judge

2021

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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Schools in migrant-sending contexts often educate many children whose parents live abroad and decide to 'leave' or 'send' their children to be raised 'back home'. Yet there has been little attention to how transnational child-raising is enacted by non-kin actors within educational institutions. This paper addresses this absence, exploring Lagos private schools as crucial sites of care for children with parents in the diaspora. Examining educators' perspectives on schooling children 'sent back' to Nigeria from the UK and USA, the paper argues that they undertake intensive and strategic projects of transnational child-raising. They act as defacto guardians and position their educational offerings as highly moral in ways that draw on endogenous notions of 'training' good character, but are not driven by reproducing tradition. Rather, they play intermediary roles in transnational families: they aim to realise parents' desires for respectful, disciplined children who excel academically, yet are also attuned to young people's struggles. They are conscious of diaspora realities and understand their schools' roles as portals facing both ways in the transnational social field, preparing young people for multiple possible futures. The paper demonstrates that exploring education as a site of social reproduction can be richly revealing of the dynamics of transnationalism.

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“…To reiterate, Orunmila or Ifa is the Yoruba god in charge of wisdom and foreknowledge. Usman and Falola (2019) opine that 'in Yorubaland, Orunmila or Ifa is the deputy of Olodumare, and he must be consulted before a major decision is taken, either involving an ' (p. 275). The Yoruba people see Orunmila as their spiritual eyes.…”

Section: Deductions and Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who is afraid of the Gods? Rethinking escapism in Nigerian dramatic literature

Oluwasuji

2021

RAINBOW

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Escapism can mean different things to diverse sets of people in various fields of study. To some people, it can mean escape to reality, while some can denote it as an escape to entertainment or distraction from boredom. Escapism in this paper takes a different turn and adopts the term to identify how different decisions can be influenced in any socio-cultural setting. Using South Western Nigeria as a case study, this paper questions the possible interpretations of escapism and the extent to which leaders, especially, identify with them. This paper uses Ahmed Yerima's Sacred Mutters and Iyase to explore the issue of misinterpretation and human machination to escape punishment from the gods. "Sacred Mutters" and "Iyase" highlight leaders' plight before their ascension into power, and the issue of human carelessness, and how he or she is misguided by his or her own intellectual and spiritual interests. The paper argues that modernization and Westernisation had crippled most of the significant and core aspects of African norms, values, and traditions. This degradation has affected the criminal justice system of the people. Against this background, the paper adopts Olawole Famule's connective cultural theory to explore escapism, misinterpretation, and machination in Nigerian discourse. The paper concludes that escapism is the main cause of corruption in the socio-political landscape of Nigeria and calls for a return to traditional African system.

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The Yoruba from Prehistory to the Present

Cited by 15 publications

References 95 publications

The uses of knowledge in global health

The uses of knowledge in global health

‘The best of both worlds’: Lagos private schools as engaged strategists of transnational child-raising

Who is afraid of the Gods? Rethinking escapism in Nigerian dramatic literature

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