Ondo State – Sunshine State
Sunshine State History Ondo is a state located in the western part of Nigeria. It was established in 1976, carved out of the former Ondo province which was part of the erstwhile Western state. It shares borders with Kwara and Kogi to the north, Edo to the east, Delta to the southeast, and Osun and […]
Oyo State – The Pacesetter State
The Pacesetter State History Oyo State, located in southwestern Nigeria, is an inland state. Its capital is Ibadan, which is the third most populous city in Nigeria and was previously the second most populous city in Africa. The state shares borders with Kwara State to the north, Osun State to the east, Ogun State and […]
Ogun State – The Gateway State
The Gateway State History Ogun State is located in western Nigeria and was established in 1976. It was formed by merging the former Abeokuta and Ijebu provinces, which were part of the former Western state. The state shares borders with Oyo and Osun states to the north, Lagos state to the south, Ondo state to […]
Àmàlà: Tracing the Origin of a Cultural Staple
Origin of Àmàlà Àmàlà, a cherished Yoruba delicacy, has delighted people for ages. It holds immense popularity in Nigeria, serving as a staple main course. This blog post delves into Àmàlà’s origins, health advantages, and its significant role in Yoruba culture. What is Àmàlà? Àmàlà is a staple food in Nigeria, particularly in […]
Yoruba Insults
Yoruba Insults Language is a phenomenon that is used in communication. The environment we live in is largely verbal, therefore, language serves as an expressive function used in everyday conversation. Yoruba is an ethnic group which has an exciting history and rich culture. Yoruba people are known for numerous things, one of those things […]
Days of The Week Blogpost
The Yoruba calendar (Kọ́jọ́dá) is a calendar used by the Yoruba people of southwestern and north central Nigeria and southern Benin. The traditional Yoruba week has four days but to reconcile with the Gregorian calendar, Yoruba people also measure time in seven days a week. The days of the week in Yoruba are all preceded […]
Oríkì
Oríkì is a type of traditional oral poetry that is attributive and often projects praise. It is said to be the most popular of Yorùbá poetic forms and is passed down from generation to generation. Unfortunately, this appears to be declining like many other traditional practices. In the absence of written documents, certain oríkì’s acted […]
IWURE/ISURE
IWURE/ISURE Iwure, breaking down the words would give us iwu and ire which mean to bring forth/unearth and goodness/blessings . Isure on the other hand is from isu and ire which means to come/break forth from underneath a surface and goodness/blessings respectively. The unearthing and breaking forth come from the ground (ile), holds important significance […]
Yoruba Dialects
In African linguistics, Yoruba is categorized as a member of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family related to Igala, Edo, Ishan, and Igbo etc. Yorùbá language spans across a spectrum of dialects ranging in pronunciations and understandability. Ethnologue lists 20 distinct varieties of Yoruba dialects which are assembled into five regional geographic groupings: […]
How to Use Accent Marks in Yoruba – A Melodious Language
Today, we’ll be looking at a really important part of the Yoruba language which is the accent marks on the words. As a Yoruba language learner, you may have noticed the various pronunciations and tonations within the language. Yoruba has eighteen consonants, seven oral vowels, and five nasal vowels, plus a syllabic nasal. Understanding the […]