Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
Kiriji War: Why Ibadan’s Military Power Could Not Become a Yoruba Empire
The Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti Parapo War, was one of the longest and most important conflicts in nineteenth century Yorubaland. Fought...
Osogbo War: The Yoruba Victory That Stopped Ilorin’s Deeper Advance
The Osogbo War took place during one of the most turbulent periods in Yoruba history. By the early nineteenth century, the Old Oyo Empire...
Yoruba Royal Crowns, Oduduwa, and the Sacred Language of Kingship
In Yoruba history, kingship was never expressed through political office alone. It was made visible through ritual, lineage, sacred art, and carefully guarded symbols...
How Ilorin, Ijaye and Ibadan Fought for Power After the Fall of Old Oyo
The story of Ilorin, Ijaye and Ibadan begins with the weakening of the Old Oyo Empire in the early nineteenth century. Oyo had long...
The Early History of Ikorodu
Ikorodu’s history is one of movement, settlement, and adaptation. Long before it became one of the major urban centres connected to Lagos, it existed...
Fante Carnival in Cape Coast, Why Orange Friday and Fetu Afahye Still Command Ghana’s Attention
In Cape Coast, the festival season known as Oguaa Fetu Afahye is not simply a date on the calendar. It is a return to...
How the Fall of Osogun in 1821 Changed the Life of Samuel Ajayi Crowther
In the early nineteenth century, Yorubaland was passing through one of the most violent periods in its history. The old balance of power had...
The 1960s Yoruba Portrait Known as “Mrs Eve Dawodu” and the Enduring Grace of Ìró and Bùbá
A portrait can outlive the generation that first admired it. Long after the photographer has packed away the camera and the sitter has stepped...
Oba Sanusi Olusi and the Throne Lagos Almost Forgot
Oba Sanusi Olusi remains one of the most intriguing figures in the history of Lagos. His reign was short, yet it unfolded during one...
The Reign of Oba Salawu Aminu
Ibadan has long stood apart in Yoruba political history because its throne was not shaped by simple hereditary succession alone. In many kingdoms, the...