The Yorùbá have a rich and vibrant history. As a descendant of the great Yorùbá nation, I wanted to learn all I can about the history of my people.
I did a lot of searching online and through forums to find books about the history of the Yorùbá. What I found was a LOT of books about Yorùbá religion and Orishas from a diaspora perspective… mainly Cuba and Brazil.
What I wanted to learn was the history of the Yorùbá as a people. From where did we come? Where are we today? To where will be go? My quest ended with the discovery of the 5 very best books on Yorùbá history available today.
- A History of the Yorùbá by Stephen Adebanji Akintoye
- The Yorùbá from Prehistory to the Present by Aribidesu Usman and Dr. Toyin Falola
- The Yorùbá: A New History by Akinwumi Ogundiran
- History of Yorùbá Land by Gbade Aladeojebi
- Encyclopedia of the Yoruba by Dr. Toyin Falola
The Yorùbá people have a rich history that deserves to be celebrated. Yorùbáland actually stretches across south-west Nigeria through Benin and Togo. There are perhaps 40-50 million Yorùbá people in Yorùbáland plus the millions more in the Americas due to immigration and the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Yorùbá nation is large, proud, and spread across the world. We have a very rich history deep in culture and tradition.