A snapshot of Lagos City (Marina) from the 1960s conveys a feeling of peace and tranquility. We ought to practice maintaining a tidy environment in Nigeria today, just as we did in the past. We can all see how stunning Nigeria was following its independence in this photo.
The Portuguese, who visited Benin, which they called Beny, were the first Europeans to do so between the years of 1472 and 1486 AD, when King Ozolua was in power. The Portuguese acknowledged discovering a highly advanced kingdom with an extremely sophisticated system. This trip… The Portuguese, who visited Benin, which they called Beny, were the first Europeans to do so between the years of 1472 and 1486 AD, when King Ozolua was in power. The Portuguese acknowledged discovering a highly advanced kingdom with an extremely sophisticated system. Following this visit and the ensuing correspondence, King John II of Portugal, who ruled from 1481 to 1495, corresponded with the King of Benin on an equal footing. The Portuguese forged diplomatic and commercial ties with Oba Esigie and the Benin Kingdom between 1504 and 1550 AD. When the Oba sent an ambassador to Lisbon in the sixteenth century, the Portuguese king responded by dispatching missionaries to spread the gospel among the Binis. In 1 553, the English made their first call. This visit was a sign of things to come, that is England and Benin would soon establish a substantial trade relationship. Bini was dubbed Great Benin by British anthropologist and curator Henry Ling Roth. In the 16th and 17th centuries, other European travelers to Benin brought back stories of the “Great Benin,” an amazing city with opulent architecture and a well-functioning government. The state developed an advanced artistic culture and wrought with unequalled mastery works of arts in bronze, iron and ivory. The state produced works of art in bronze, iron, and ivory with unparalleled skill and developed a sophisticated artistic culture. They carved representations of historical events that they thought were important.…
In a coup that will go down in history as the bloodiest in the country, Fajuyi paid the ultimate price for refusing to back down in defense of his boss, Gen. Aguyi Ironsi, even though the coupists did not really have him as their target. Even when it came to the last moment, his allegiance to his boss was certain. His body was to be found later, along with the bullet-riddled body of Aguyi Ironsi. A wonderful man and real hero was Col. Adekunle Fajuyi. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi’s bravery and loyalty will go down in history as rare examples of such courage and loyalty. MC BEM Francis Adekunle Fajuyi (June 26, 1926 – July 29, 1966). Fajuyi of Ado Ekiti, who was a teacher and clerk before enlisting in the army in 1943, received the British Empire Medal in 1951 for his role in quelling a mutiny in his unit over food rations while serving as a sergeant in the Nigeria Signal Squadron of the Royal West African Frontier Force. Before the first coup in January 1966, Fajuyi was assigned to Abeokuta as garrison commander, making him the first indigenous commander of the 1st battalion in Enugu. On January 17, 1966, Major General Ironsi took over as the new C-in-C, and he named Fajuyi the Western Region’s first military governor. Along with General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, the Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who had come to Ibadan on July 28, 1966, to speak at a conference of Western Nigeria’s natural rulers, he was assassinated on July 29, 1966, in Ibadan by the retaliation-seeking counter-coupists led by Major T. Y. Danjuma. Six months prior, the civilian regime of Prime Minister Sir Tafawa Balewa was brutally overthrown, resulting in the deaths of the prime minister and several high-ranking government officials, many of whom were from northern Nigeria.
Aláafin Abiodun Adegorolu was the successor to Aláafin Ajabo, a strong monarch at the time. A girl named Osu was born to Aláafin Abiodun. She grew up to become the mother of Olámínigbin, who married Omo-oga-egun. Together, they had a child named Ibisomi Telerinmasa. As the princess or priestess of the great god Obatala (the god of white cloth), Telerinmasa was said to possess a unique dignity that was recognized by her people as “Afala” (the one who loves purity or the pure one). It is said that the province of Obatálá is a domain of perfect and brilliant purity. Afala wed an Edu clan member whose name was also given as Ajayi; his grandfather was the Baale of Awaiye-petu, who moved from Ketou Dahomey (now in the Benin Republic) to the Oyó empire. After the Fulani slave traders invaded their town, Oshogun, near Isheyin, in approximately 1821, Afala parted ways with her handsome son when he was just 12 years old. As a devoted mother, she eagerly anticipated the day she would undoubtedly see her son once more. Slavery had kept them apart for decades, but during Ajàyi’s missionary journey in Abéökúta, they were eventually reunited. On February 5, 1848, in Abeokuta, Madam Afala was given the name Hannah and subsequently baptized by her own son. In Abeokuta, Madam Hannah and a few other family members moved in with the bishop, where she lived to be over a century old.
The long-standing custom of carrying babies is progressively dwindling. Mothers of the more recent generations, particularly the young and well-educated ones, prefer to wear their babies rather than carry them. On the other hand, elderly mothers frequently condemn these women, arguing that the fad is merely “fashion” and not something to be supported. Warmth and the promotion of mother-child bonding are two benefits of backing, particularly for premature infants. The way kangaroos carry their young in pouches has given rise to a phenomenon known as the “kangaroo phenomenon.” In medicine, this type of system is used to assist the infant in producing warmth, particularly in cases of premature birth. In addition to fostering the mother-child bond, it provides the warmth that a baby needs to live a healthy life.
The legendary Queen Amina was referred to as the fierce warrior queen in Kaduna State, particularly in Zaria, the old Kingdom of Zazzau. Thus, Amina, daughter of Nikatau, is still honored today in traditional Hausa praise songs as “A woman as capable as a man that was able to lead men to war,” due to her involvement in leading men to fight in Zaria, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. King Nikatau, the 22nd king of Zazzau, and Queen Bakwa Turunku (reigned 1536–c. 1566) welcomed young Amina into the world in the middle of the sixteenth century CE. Early in the 20th century, the British gave the present-day city of Zaria (Kaduna State) its nickname in honor of her younger sister, Zaria. According to history, Amina was her grandfather’s favorite and grew up in his court. He carried her and gave her detailed military and political orders while he was in court. As a result, when Amina turned sixteen, she was given forty female slaves and given the title of Magajiya, or heir apparent (kuyanga). Many men have wooed Amina since she was a small child. After Amina’s parents died in or around 1566, her brother eventually took the crown of Zazzau. Amina had made a name for herself in the military and was now regarded as a “leading fighter in her brother’s cavalry.” After her brother Karami passed away in 1576, Amina became the first female queen. But Daura, Kano, Gobir, Katsina, Rano, and Garun Gabas were the other six initial Hausa states (Hausa Bakwai). Zazzau was one of these prehistoric states as a result. Before Amina came to the throne, Zazzau was one of these largest states. It also provided Arab dealers with the majority of their slave supply for the slave markets in Katsina and Kano. Three months after becoming queen, Amina began a 34-year battle with her neighbors in an attempt to expand Zazzau territory.…
The African diasporic religion known as Candomblé originated in the sixteenth century and spread to Brazil in the nineteenth. It emerged from a process of syncretism amongst numerous West African traditional faiths, including the Gbe, Yoruba, and Bantu. A small amount of Roman Catholic Christianity has influenced this. Candomblé is based on autonomous terreiros (houses), with no central authority in charge. Because Brazilians love to dance, music and dance play a significant role in Candomblé rituals. The term Candomblé literally means “dance in honor of the gods.” The African diasporic religion known as Santería, or Regla de Ocha, originated in Cuba in the late 1800s. It developed as a result of a process of syncretism including Spiritism, the Catholic branch of Christianity, and the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa. Santería is not governed by a single body, and its practitioners—known as creyentes—are highly diverse. Santería is practiced in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other Caribbean nations. Even though Candomblé is popular in Brazil. Santería professes the existence of an all-encompassing deity called Olodumare or Olorun. Adherents hold that although this divinity is indifferent to human issues, it created the universe. Since this creator deity is not reachable by humans, there aren’t any significant offerings made to it.This deity shares similarities with the Christian Trinity; Olodumare symbolizes the divine essence of everything that exists, while Olorun is thought to be the creator of all beings. These two aspects of the divinity are understood slightly differently. Worship deities (ORIŚAS) in Candomblé and Santería: OLODUMARE (GOD) ORUNMILA (the ORISHA of Wisdom&Knowledge) IFA OLOKUN (Oracle) IYE MAJA (Mermaid) OSHUN (River Goddess) OBATALA (The creator) OGUN (god of iron) SHANGO (god of Thunder) ÒYA (river…
The Yoruba Gźlẹdẹ spectacle is a mask-based art and ritual dance performance that is intended to entertain, instruct, and encourage worship. It is performed in public. Gelede honors “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a category that comprises senior women in the community, female ancestors, and deities, as well as the strength and spiritual aptitude these women possess in society. concentrating on appropriate social behavior in Yoruba society in addition to fertility and parenting. Three potential locations—Old Oyo, Ketu, and Ilobi—are associated with the historical beginnings. One of the most ornate and ancient Gelede performances, Ketu, tells the tale of a dying monarch and his twin sons fighting for the crown. One brother devised a scheme to murder his twin after realizing he would not get the crown. The brother devised a counterplan after learning of the scheme, which included building a mask and a fake person to serve as a decoy. The mythological beginnings are closely related to Iya Nla, the Great Mother, and her association with twins and maternity. The divination stories known as Odu Ifa contain the majority of Yoruba tales. There is roughly 256 Odu Ifa, and each one has several poetries known as ese Ifa. An ese Ifa typically tells the story of an animal or person with a problem and the methods taken to solve it. The story of Gelede’s beginnings is told by an ese Ifa, who describes Yemoja as “The Mother of all the orisa and all living things.” When Yemoja was unable to conceive, she went to an Ifa oracle for advice. The oracle suggested that Yemoja dance while wearing metal anklets on her feet and wooden pictures on her head. This ceremony worked, and she got pregnant. The boy who was her firstborn was called “Efe” (the humorist); the Efe mask draws attention to songs and jokes due to the character of its namesake. The daughter who was Yemoja’s second kid was called “Gelede” since she shared her mother’s obesity. Gelede cherished dancing, much like her mother did. Neither Gelede nor Efe’s partner could have children after getting married to each other. The Ifa oracle advised them to attempt the same rite that their mother had found success with. Efe and Gelede began bearing children as soon as they carried out these rites, which included dancing while wearing metal anklets and wooden representations on their heads. The Gelede masked dance originated from these rites and was carried on by Efe and Gelede’s descendants. The Gelede festival is a fertility-focused…
The image above is a picture of a prominent Nigerian singer from the 1900s. Attempt a guess in the comment!
Oba Sir Ladapo Samuel Ademola II KBE, CMG, Alake of Egbaland, with his daughter inspecting a few of his fifty crowns. History claims that throughout his reign, Oba Ladapo Ademola I possessed the greatest number of crowns of any ruling monarch worldwide around May 19, 1955