By Bolarinwa Ayoola
Culture is the total way of life of a people. The Oxford Dictionary defines culture as “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time.” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries) Culture is expressed through daily routines, traditions, social interactions, values and beliefs. It determines the accepted standards of right and wrong within a society, as well as its spiritual and worldly outlook.
In broader terms, culture embodies shared behaviours, traditions, customs, literature, values and beliefs, rituals and rites, languages, architecture, methods of transferring knowledge, food, fashion, festivals, social structures, art, systems of governance, rules and laws. All of these collectively constitute the identity of a people and distinguish them from others.
Culture is a civilizational heritage, deeply imprinted on both the consciousness and subconscious of a people to ensure the continuity of their existence and civilization. It is the vehicle that carries the history, knowledge, identity and dignity of a people. It is therefore fundamentally a tool for the preservation and protection of civilization.
Yoruba land is endowed with a rare and enduring culture that can be traced to antiquity. A close observation of Yoruba cosmology, beliefs, arts, rites and rituals reveals the uniqueness and depth of Yoruba civilization. The Omoluabi ethos, an expression of unwritten behavioural expectations from a Yoruba individual, remains one of the most important values embedded in Yoruba society.
Unfortunately, the values that once distinguished the Yoruba as a people continue to fade in the modern era. The impact of British colonization significantly disrupted and eroded aspects of Yoruba culture through education, social engineering, religious influence and the imposition of foreign systems and values. Contact with the Arab world also contributed to the adoption and spread of Islam among some Yoruba communities. In the era of globalization, access to cultures from other parts of the world has introduced additional challenges to the continued sustenance of Yoruba cultural identity.
Earlier generations of Yoruba communities thrived on communalism. Communities lived in clusters of families that interacted, intermarried and depended upon one another, thereby creating strong communal ties. Families within these communities shared responsibilities and resources and relied on one another for survival.
This communal system was evident in ancient practices such as Aaro and Owe, which represented systems of mutual assistance and exchange of services. Aaro involved collective labour in which members of a community assisted one another with tasks, knowing that such assistance would be reciprocated. Owe similarly reflected the principle of service and mutual obligation, where assistance could be rendered with the expectation of repayment in kind at a later time.
A popular Yoruba adage says, “Ojú mẹ́rin ló ń bí ọmọ, igba ojú ló má ń wòó.” The saying conveys the idea that although a child has biological parents, the responsibility for raising and shaping that child belongs to the entire community. It reflects the depth of Yoruba understanding of the role of society in preparing children to become valuable members of the community.
A Yoruba child therefore traditionally received education, discipline, nurturing and moral instruction not only from parents but from extended family members and the wider community. This communal responsibility helped to transmit values and the Omoluabi ethos from one generation to another.
The communal structure of Yoruba society was also reflected in its arts and architecture. The development of various drums and musical instruments for recreational, ceremonial and spiritual purposes tells the story of families and communities that did not merely exist, but lived together, celebrated together and participated collectively in rituals, rites and ceremonies unique to the land.
The historic mansion of Chief Adebisi Idikan in Ibadan is a testament to the architectural traditions that emerged within Yoruba society. The concept of Agbo ilé, literally a compound or family residential cluster, was itself a reflection of Yoruba communalism. The compound was not merely a physical structure. It was a social institution in which families lived, interacted, raised children, preserved memories and maintained relationships.
Yoruba people continue to face an identity crisis in the modern era, particularly as a result of the influence of foreign religious and cultural systems. Many modern Yoruba people are proud of their Yoruba identity, yet sometimes find it difficult to embrace names and practices peculiar to their heritage because of decades of religiously driven demonization, stigmatization and propaganda against indigenous Yoruba beliefs.
A large number of Yoruba families today subscribe to either Christianity or Islam. Consequently, as a means of projecting the values and identities associated with their adopted religions, many have embraced European or Arabic names, while traditional Yoruba naming ceremonies, marriage practices, burial traditions and other rites have increasingly been substituted with Christian and Islamic ceremonies.
The impact of decades of colonial rule in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Among the policies deployed by the British colonial administration to restructure and govern the indigenous population was the elevation of English over indigenous languages. Native languages were simply relegated and commonly described as “vernacular,” while English became the language of formal instruction and administration. Indigenous people who could not operate within the imposed system were disadvantaged and, in many instances, subjected to punishment, shame or exclusion from opportunities.
The deliberate subjugation of indigenous languages did not merely affect communication. It weakened the intellectual and cultural development of the indigenous peoples by placing a foreign language at the centre of education, administration and social advancement.
Long after the colonial flag was lowered, this policy remained sustained. English continued to occupy a dominant position in education, governance, administration and public life, helping to sustain the British creation called Nigeria as a single political entity despite the deep linguistic, cultural and civilizational differences among its constituent peoples.
The continued dependence on English has therefore not only stunted the development of Yoruba land, but has also stunted the development of the indigenous societies that make up Nigeria. A people whose language is systematically subordinated will inevitably experience the erosion of the knowledge systems, philosophies, histories and cultural expressions carried by that language.
As families and communal ties continue to weaken, modernization encourages the reduced use of the Yoruba language, while religious and cultural influences continue to draw the curtains on rich ancient beliefs, rites and spirituality. As a consequence, values that once formed the foundation of Yoruba society continue to diminish.
Rich cultural practices that inspired literature, music, philosophy and historical memory, such as Ìjálá, Ẹkún Ìyàwó, Ìrèmọ̀jé, Ẹ̀rè Òṣùpá, meaning tales by moonlight, Rárà and Àlọ́, continue to fade. Ewì, Ẹ̀sà and Oríkì, which are deeply rooted Yoruba cultural traditions and repositories of history, are equally endangered.
These traditions are far more than forms of entertainment or artistic expression. They contain information about historical individuals, events, cities, communities, places, families and, most importantly, ancestral history and traditions. The gradual disappearance of these traditions therefore represents more than the loss of cultural practices. It represents the loss of historical memory.
The question is no longer whether the elements that define Yoruba civilization can disappear. The question is when, if deliberate action is not taken to preserve them. Yoruba civilization is already experiencing the loss of some of the elements that historically defined it. If these elements are not deliberately protected, documented, taught, promoted and transmitted to future generations, the Yoruba risk losing significant portions of their civilizational identity within the coming centuries.
History provides enough warnings. Civilizations that once flourished have declined, transformed or disappeared, leaving behind fragments of their existence through archaeological remains, monuments, literature and historical records. The Nok, Indus Valley and Maya civilizations remind us that no civilization should assume that its continuity is guaranteed simply because it once flourished.
Yoruba civilization therefore deserves deliberate preservation and protection. The responsibility does not belong exclusively to governments, historians, cultural institutions or traditional rulers. It is a responsibility shared by every Yoruba person in Yoruba homelands and across the diaspora.
Preserving Yoruba civilization requires more than celebrating festivals or wearing traditional clothing occasionally. It requires speaking the language, learning the history, preserving ancestral knowledge, documenting oral traditions, protecting monuments, teaching children, investing in cultural institutions, commercializing cultural assets responsibly and creating economic value from Yoruba heritage.
Yoruba culture must not be treated merely as something inherited from the past. It must become an asset for the future.
The Yoruba must therefore move from merely lamenting cultural decline to deliberately building institutions capable of reversing it. Our language must be preserved. Our history must be taught. Our traditional knowledge must be documented. Our architecture and monuments must be protected. Our literature, music, poetry, rites, rituals and oral traditions must be recorded and transmitted. Our cultural industries must be developed into viable economic sectors.
Above all, the Yoruba must understand that culture is civilization in motion. If we lose our culture, we do not merely lose customs; rather, it means that we will lose the language through which our ancestors spoke to us, the values through which they shaped society, the knowledge through which they understood the world and the historical memory through which we understand who we are.
To preserve Yoruba culture, therefore, is to preserve Yoruba civilization itself.