To the average Nigerian, the name Bahia may sound strange at first sight. That is correct. It is contrived from the Portuguese language.So what does Portuguese influence have to do with Nigeria? It has to do with history. Nigeria contributed significantly to the slave trade through the supply of its people, sold and transported to the Americas and the Caribbean. Majority of the slaves were from the western part of Nigeria, the Yorubas to be exact. One of the ports of call on such voyages was Salvador which eventually metamorphosed into the state of Bahia in modern day Brazil. Bahia was the centre of sugar cane cultivation between the 16th to 18th centuries, thus its attraction of slaves. Most of the slaves that were taken to Brazil initially ended up in Bahia the major processing centre, before their dispersal to other parts of the country.
The slaves took with them their culture, religion and other practices to the new world and resumed life as it was in Yoruba land then, there. The ability or luck of preserving their identity has helped in bridging the gap between the descendants of the Yoruba race in the new world and their original homeland in Nigeria. What makes this odyssey interesting is the pride with which Nigerians in Bahia have held on to their DNA. Such pride in their identity is mirrored through religion, the traditional African religion that is. It is practised though in an adulterated form with emphasis on the meaning of such religion in the lives of the people. Adherent of some of the faiths adopt the names connected with such religions and the dress codes. So it’s not strange to see on the streets of Salvador the capital of the state with people bearing names such as‘’Ogunwale’’, ‘‘Ogunyemi’’, ‘‘Oya’’ etc. Apart from practising such religions, festivals also play a role in sustaining the cultural heritage of the people. Through such festivals the Yoruba community in Brazil has been able to link with the ancestral home and maintain the bond of brotherhood by reaching out to Yoruba institutions over the years, such as the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo. These Nigerians in the Diaspora value their true identity, which according to them does not allow them to wear the tag of a lost people or nation. Being able to hold to their ancient identity and practices has helped them in adapting well, from a social engineering perspective in a strange, Eurocentric and fast changing world.
In twenty first century Brazil, a modern state and an emerging world power, it is not uncommon for a Nigerian traveller or tourist to walk around neighbourhoods in Bahia hearing Yoruba language spoken in the pre-colonial format, while also catching a glimpse of the sale of fried bean cake fondly referred to as Akara also in the region. To ensure that the culture of the Yoruba people endures in the country there are many museums scattered around the state of Bahia, with the principal role of preserving history and a way of life.
The new Yoruba nation in Bahia and by extension throughout Brazil has helped as a catalyst of building,promoting and sustaining a formidable diplomatic relationship between that major power and Nigeria in the era of the newly emerging powers. Brazil is a member BRICS a powerful economic block, whose per capita overshadows the United States and the European Union combined. The leverage that the Yorubas have in Brazil has impacted positively on how Brazil views and relates with Nigeria and this has shown through the visits of the last two presidents of the South American country to Nigeria and the setting up of high level economic activities and increased trade and investments between the two nations. So the socio cultural activism of a community has helped in translating into economic benefits for all concerned.
Bearing in mind currently a situation where Yoruba language and culture has been touted to be under threat in the mother country, an irony may emerge that the Yorubas in Nigeria will soon start to learn of their past from their cousins in the new world.
Olugbenga Adebanjo writes in from the United Kingdom.
The slaves took with them their culture, religion and other practices to the new world and resumed life as it was in Yoruba land then, there. The ability or luck of preserving their identity has helped in bridging the gap between the descendants of the Yoruba race in the new world and their original homeland in Nigeria. What makes this odyssey interesting is the pride with which Nigerians in Bahia have held on to their DNA. Such pride in their identity is mirrored through religion, the traditional African religion that is. It is practised though in an adulterated form with emphasis on the meaning of such religion in the lives of the people. Adherent of some of the faiths adopt the names connected with such religions and the dress codes. So it’s not strange to see on the streets of Salvador the capital of the state with people bearing names such as‘’Ogunwale’’, ‘‘Ogunyemi’’, ‘‘Oya’’ etc. Apart from practising such religions, festivals also play a role in sustaining the cultural heritage of the people. Through such festivals the Yoruba community in Brazil has been able to link with the ancestral home and maintain the bond of brotherhood by reaching out to Yoruba institutions over the years, such as the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo. These Nigerians in the Diaspora value their true identity, which according to them does not allow them to wear the tag of a lost people or nation. Being able to hold to their ancient identity and practices has helped them in adapting well, from a social engineering perspective in a strange, Eurocentric and fast changing world.
In twenty first century Brazil, a modern state and an emerging world power, it is not uncommon for a Nigerian traveller or tourist to walk around neighbourhoods in Bahia hearing Yoruba language spoken in the pre-colonial format, while also catching a glimpse of the sale of fried bean cake fondly referred to as Akara also in the region. To ensure that the culture of the Yoruba people endures in the country there are many museums scattered around the state of Bahia, with the principal role of preserving history and a way of life.
The new Yoruba nation in Bahia and by extension throughout Brazil has helped as a catalyst of building,promoting and sustaining a formidable diplomatic relationship between that major power and Nigeria in the era of the newly emerging powers. Brazil is a member BRICS a powerful economic block, whose per capita overshadows the United States and the European Union combined. The leverage that the Yorubas have in Brazil has impacted positively on how Brazil views and relates with Nigeria and this has shown through the visits of the last two presidents of the South American country to Nigeria and the setting up of high level economic activities and increased trade and investments between the two nations. So the socio cultural activism of a community has helped in translating into economic benefits for all concerned.
Bearing in mind currently a situation where Yoruba language and culture has been touted to be under threat in the mother country, an irony may emerge that the Yorubas in Nigeria will soon start to learn of their past from their cousins in the new world.
Olugbenga Adebanjo writes in from the United Kingdom.
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