Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
The Ife Terracotta Head Known as “Lajuwa”, Meaning, Memory, and the Legacy of Ilé,Ifẹ̀
Ilé,Ifẹ̀ stands at the heart of Yoruba history and spiritual identity. Long before colonial contact, the city flourished as a centre of religious authority,...
The Collapse of Royal Authority in Ijebu, Two Kings Removed by Colonial Power
In many Yoruba communities, kingship carried sacred authority as well as political power. The oba was not only a leader, he was also a...
Awujale Adenuga Folagbade, The Short Reign That Shook Colonial Ijebu
Adenuga Tunwase, later known by his royal name Folagbade, emerged from a succession system in which ruling families took turns to present candidates for...
Akarigbo Oyebajo and the Colonial Power Struggle That Remade Ijebu Remo
Akarigbo Oyebajo ascended the throne late in 1891, still a young man, at a time when political authority in Yorubaland was under growing pressure...
Sisi Nurse (1922), Aina Onabolu’s Portrait and the Birth of Modern Nigerian Art
Painted in 1922, Sisi Nurse stands as one of the most significant early portraits in Nigerian modern art. Created by Aina Onabolu, the work...
Calabar, From Akwa Akpa to Colonial Headquarters
Calabar stands today as one of Nigeria’s most historically layered cities, a place where river routes, merchant networks, faith communities, and colonial government once...
The Kingdom of Ede and the Martial Kingship of the Timi
Ede, in present day Osun State, is one of those Yoruba towns whose importance is not measured by the size of an empire, but...
Idumagbo Avenue in Old Lagos, What a Historic Street Photograph Reveals About Commerce, Returnees, and Place
Lagos Island has always been shaped by movement. People, goods, languages, and skills passed through its streets long before modern traffic or mapped addresses....
Ehaengbehia Regalia and the Authority of Benin Palace Chiefs
In the Benin Kingdom, ceremonial dress is not fashion. It is authority made visible. Within the palace environment, what a chief wears communicates rank,...
The Ibadan, Ijaye War
By the mid nineteenth century, Yorubaland was living through a dangerous transition. The old imperial order associated with Old Oyo had weakened and fractured,...