THE CITY STATE OF
IBADAN
Texts and Contexts
edited by
DELE LAYIWOLA
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
THE CITY STATE OF IBADAN Texts and Contexts
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Lion : the Master
I fa d iv in a tio n
BOARD WITH ODU CORPUS O F OSEMEJI WITH WHICH IBADAN W A S F O U N D E D
Gong
(PUBLICITY MEDIA)
Igba Iwa
K i n i u n O n i b u d o
Ikarahun Igbin
^ shells
^ ON TH E GROUND
Open I fa pclu odu osc meji
O ro
sruil Igbin
Calabash of destiny
of Camps
H O N LYING RESPLEDENTLY IN TH E GRASS)
Irvingia gabonensis
CREEPING OF THE TRUNK O F THE O RO TREE
Ewe akoko ati iycyc
Agogo
Won ku fi aaja kede llu bi ar’ayc ba ji
agogo ni won fi n kc si ra won ORIKJ IBADAN
Ibadan omo ajorosun omo ajc'gbin to
Leaves of Bignoniaccac
and Spondias membin
omo afi ikarahun fo'rimu
DERIVED PET NAME Ibadan omo aj’orosun omo ajc'gbin yo omo afi ikarahun fo’rimu
BY I .ATE Cl IIEFJ.A. AYORINDE. D LITT (I IONS) IFF.. MFR, M B E JP
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
The City State o f Ibadan
Texts and Contexts
edited by
‘Dele Layiwola
The Instituteof African Studies, Universityo f Ibadan
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
© Institute o f African Studies, 2015 ISBN 978 978 921 111 1 cased
ISBN 978 978 921 112 8 soft
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying , recording, or otherwise
without the expressed written consent of the the copyright owner.
Published in Nigeria by the Institute of African Studies
University o f Ibadan Ibadan, Nigeria
In collaboration with BookBuildcrs • Editions Africa 2 Awosilca Avenue, Bodija, Ibadan email: [email protected] mobile: 0805 662 9266; 0809 920 9106
Printed in Ibadan Oluben Printers, Okc-Ado
mobile: 0805 522 0209
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
In memory o f those good souls who either directly or indirectly helped to shape this publication
Cornelius Oyeleke Adcpegba, 1941-2002 Fcstus O Akintola, 1946-2013
John Adeycmi Abokede Ayorinde, 1907-1998 Barbara Best Barber, 1914-2012
Adeola Olapeju Kolawole, 1963-2002 Solomon Abidemi Layiwola, 1925-2004
Oyinadc Ogunba, 1938-2008 Chief Moses Itanola Okunola, 1925-2012
Timipreyc Brenda Zisinghan, 1963—2008
v
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
C O N T E N T S
Foreword
Chief M. I. Okunola ... xi Acknowledgments ... xv Introduction ... xvii
(Chapter 1: Ibadan: Its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20th Century. The Performing Arts and the Changing Identity o f an African Subgroup
‘Dele Laviw ola... 1 Chapter 2: Economic History o f Ibadan, 1830-1930
Rasbted O lan iyi...19 Chapter 3: Administration and Management o f Local Government in Ibadan
from 1954-1979
Torioli A . O je u v ...49 Chapter 4: Housing Situation in Ibadan at the Close o f the 20th Century:
Challenges for the 21st Century
Tunde Agbola & C O . Olatubara ...83
Chapter 5: Water Situation in Ibadan City
F.O.A kintola ...109 Chapter 6: Transport in Ibadan
Adesoji A desanya... 117 Chapter 7: Contemporary Hausa-Yoruba Relations in Ibadan
Isaac Qlawak A lbert...135
Chapter 8: 'Hie Igbo in Ibadan: Migration, Integration and Challenges
E^ebunwa E. Ntvokoeba ...153 Chapter 9: Ben Emvonwu’s Risen Christ as a Religious Icon at the University o f Ibadan
Peju Layiwola... 169
VII
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
G ' M I M S
Chapter 10: Rams anil the Man: War, Culture anil Mimesis in Animal Sports
Ayobami Adtduntan ...191
Chapter 11: Administration anil Management ol Health, education and Community Development Services in Ibadan: 1951 - 19"'; ToriofoA. O jtw o ...203
Chapter 12: Christian Missionary Enterprise in Ibadan: 1851-2(HH» .S'. Ademohi A jayi...21" Chaptcr 13: Trends in Traditional Religious Worship in Ibadan. 1951 - 2010 0 .0 . A dtk ola... 233
Chapter I I: 'Hie Imamatc in Ibadan Ismithed A . Jimob ...253
Chapter 15: Evolution o f Central Mosques in Ibadan - Future Implications on Religious and Traditional Leadership Ttrinnsiju A. G. O fa d im ji...253
Chapter 16: Traditional Medical Associations in Ibadanlnnd between 1982 and 2002 Aibinuola Osunuo/e...279
Chapter 17: Ibadan 1960: Creativity and the Collective Impromptu Dele lutyiwola ... 289
Chapter IS: Cultural Radio Mast - University o f Ibadan and its Outreach in the Arts and literature, 1960-1966 \Mhtf bourn...299
Chapter 19: Ibadan 1960 Martin b a n b a m... - . 313
Appendix 1: Baalcs and Olubadans Who Reigned in Ibadanland... 323
last o f Contributors ... 325
I n d e x ...327
VIII
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Ch a p t e r o n e
Ibadan: Its Beginnings to the Close of the 20th Century
The Performing Arts and the Changing Identity of an African Subgroup
Dele Layiwola
Background
'F lic etym o lo g y o f th e n am e o f W est A frica’s larg e st city, Ibadan d eriv es from th e co m p o u n d w o rd Eba-Oda/i. 'l l i i s m eans ‘savannah frin g e’. U p un til 1837, before th e co llap se o f old O y o ,1 a n E gba village o ccu p ied th e p resen t site o f Ibadan. F rom ab o u t th e 1820s, how ever, w hen internal strife and external aggression laid sie g e o n th e in teg rity o f th e g re at Y o ru b a em p ire, m igrants trickled into the fringes o f th e so u th ern savan n ah zone.
A ro u n d this p erio d , th e S p an ish and P o rtu gu ese co lo n ies o f S o u th A m erica had g a in e d in d ep en d en ce an d th e re w e re dem an ds for m ore slaves fro m the co ast o f W est A frica to w o rk o n th e ir p lan tatio n s.1 2 W ith th e F ulan i firm ly en tren ch ed in Ilorin, w h ich had hith erto served as th e g a te w a y to th e ready su p p ly o f slav es from th e north ern savan n ah zo n es, read y access w as in terru p ted . T h e Y o ru b a p eo p le thereby turned o n th em selves to m eet the
1 Sec Robert Smith, "The Alafin in Exile: A Study o f the Igboho Period in Oyo History”, Journal o f African History, 1965, 5 (1): 57.
2 Bolanlc Awe, “ Ibadan, Its Early Beginnings”, in P.C. Lloyd, A.L. Mabogunjc and Bolanle Awe, editors, TU G ty o f Ibadan (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1967), p. 11 - 25.;
also sec Bolanlc A w e, "The Rise o f Ibadan as a Yoruba Power in the Nineteenth Century,” Unpublished D.Phil thesis, Oxford University, 1963, p. 70.
1
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
- The City State o f Ibadan: Texts c r Contexts
d em an d for m o re slaves. T h e Y o ru b a sub-group e x clu siv ely n ear th e c o a st w ere th e Ijeb u p eo p le, an d th e y u su ally undertook th e b rokerage in th e trans-A tlantic trade. T h is su b -g ro u p d ro p p ed the hint to their n eigh b o urs ab o u t th e in crease in th e d em an d for slaves. T h e ir hinterland n eigh b o u r, the Ifc p eo p le, took the cu e and allied th em selves w ith the Ijebu to attack O w u. T h e O w u w a r w as not as d irect as it w o u ld o rd in arily ap p ear, but there w e re an teced en ts w h e re b y the O w u seem ed to h a v e o ffen d ed both th e Ife and Ijeb u on m atters relatin g to the trad in g p o st a t A p o m u .3 4
It w a s n o t d ifficu lt for th e Ifc p eo p le to rally th e O y o m igran ts, w h o had fled the sco urge o f the F ulan i from north ern Y o ru b alan d , an d th e E gba people as allies to d o b atd c ag ain st th e form idable O w u K ingdom . It to o k co nsistent efforts an d co n sid erab le reso urces to b rin g O w u to its knees. S am u e l Jo h n so n affirm ed that th is b ecam e a d ecisiv e p erio d in Y o ru b a history. A series o f in tra
eth n ic feuds w e re to further d estab ilize southern Y orubaland. T h is le d to the m u sh ro o m in g o f a rm y c a m p s o f w h ich Ibadan b ecam e a g ran d b en eficiary. F or th e first tim e, g u n p o w d e r b ecam e a n accessor)- for w a r an d for slav e raiding. * T h e allied forces, eith e r for reaso n s o f cen trality an d accessib ility, o r for the strategic n atu re o f th e h ills, ch o se Ib ad an , a n erstw h ile E gba setd em en t as their cam p. T h is h ap p en ed b etw een 1828 and 1829. G rad ually, o th er so ld iers from Ile-Ife, Ijeb u an d O yo setd ed a t Ibadan. B o lan le A w e estab lish ed th at O yo lead ers like O/uyole an d O/upoyi, as w ell as L abosinde from Ile-Ife setd ed w ith their m en around M apo an d O ja'ba, som e Ijebu so ldiers setd ed a t Isalc Ijebu an d the E gba w arrio rs a t Iyeo sa.5
T h e h etero gen eity o f th e new to w n b ecam e b o th a so u rce o f rem arkable stren gth as w e ll as in h eren t w eak n ess. T h o u g h an am a lg am o f su b cu ltu res w ere co h ab itin g an d g ro w in g as a v ariegated ethnos, there w as alw ays a sem inal stru ggle for su p rem acy. T h e b ellig e re n t n ature o f th e setd ers d id n o t help m atters. B u t it w as su fficien t th at e a c h g ro u p founded a setd em en t an d hom e b a se by ch o ic e rath e r than b y co ercio n . W h a t finally p u t p aid to th is riv a lry w as
3 Samuel Johnson, The History o f the Yorubas, (Lagos: CSS Bookshops, 1921, Reprinted 1937), p. 2 0 6 - 2 0 7 .
4 Ibid, p.210.
5 Awe, 1967, p. 14.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Dele L ayim la: Ibadan fro m its Beginnings to t/e Close o f the 20th Century. . . 3 th e m ass exo dus o f p eo p le from th e north ern fringes o f th e O yo E m p ire. T he em igran ts found a h o m e in Ibadan an d g rad u ally o v erw h elm e d the p o p ulatio n o f th e o th er sub -gro up s. It th erefo re m ean t that these O vo gro u p s, from a hith erto flourishing em p ire b ro u gh t, w h o lesale, th e ir cu ltu re an d m o res into th e ir n e w environm ent.
A critical lo o k in to th e e a rly h isto ry o f O vo its e lf rev eals th at like m o st flo u rish in g an d estab lish ed em p ires, th e re w ere set p attern s to life an d the g ra n d eu r o f eco n o m ic an d m ilitary p o w e r g a v e rise to cerem o n ial and court traditions. It w as fro m this and th e ritu alized asp ects o f cu ltu re th at th e vibrant develo p m en t o f th eatrical in stin cts an d g estu ral em b ellish m en ts d evelo p ed.
Cultural settlements and developments
It w as rep o rted th at a n Ifa divination w as p erfo rm ed w h e n som e traditional religious lead ers arriv ed to san ctify Ibadan w ith sacrifices o n th e O lu yo le hills.
T h e resu ltin g odu w a s "O se Me/?\ T h is sign b ec am e the g u ard ian O du o f the n e w city. T h e c ity p atriarch , L agclu , and six d ivin er-p riests w e re p resen t o n that first o ccasio n . T h e sam e odu sign then ap p eared again o n three critical occasions in th e life o f th e city. A cco rd in g to B olaji Idow u,6 th ese w e re w hen:
• T h e p o p u lace so ugh t d ivin e b lessin gs o n the n e w settlem en t for p ro sp erity. T h en , th e O ke Ibadan (o r the sp irit o f Ibadan) w as in stitu ted as a to tem o f w orship.
• T h e o racle w a s co n su lted o n h o w to p reserve th e g ro w in g po p ulatio n an d th e em erg in g prosperity.
• A siege w as laid o n Ibadan an d its ex p an sio n and sec u rity w as th reaten ed . O se M eji (m ean in g d o u b le v icto ry) ap p eared again to reassu re th e in h ab itan ts o f a slo w b u t stead y and p ersistent g ro w th , as in th e m o vem en t o f snails.
It seem s, this is w h y th e snail o r its sh ell b ecam e th e m ascot o f the c ity ’s co at o f arm s. A c lo se stu d y o f O se M eji reveals that u n d er th e m ajo r th em atic and m etrical divisio n s, th e sign is co n cern ed w ith (a) su rviv al (b ) w ealth (c) fertility
6 Bolaji Idowu, “Religion in Ibadan: Traditional Religion and Christianity” in Bolanle A w e .e t a l, p. 2 3 5 - 2 4 7 .
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
4 The City State o f lbailan: Texts & Contexts
and (d) victor)-. T h e se arc co n sisten t w ith th e p rco ccu p ad o n s iden tified w ith the founders o f th e c ity in its early stages. T h e cu ltu ral im p o rtan ce o f th is p o in t is th at Ibadan, in sp ite o f th e p u re seren d ip ity co n n ected w ith its lo cau o n and founding, is still a trad id o n al an d sp iritu al hom e to its in h ab itan ts. It sh o w s that a ll care w as taken as to its estab lish m en t a n d , co n trary to th e m an n er o f setd em en t, n o th in g w as g iv en up to ch an ce. A n y Y o ru b a setd em en t, thus in au g u rated b y solid trad iu o n , is o ften assu red o f its safety an d stab ility. T h e city w a s soon to attract settlers fro m th e four w in d s, ex p an d in g b y leap s and bo un ds.
'H ie cu ltu ral id ealism o f th e fo un d in g fathers w a s b alan c ed b y th e em pirical arran gem en t o f its m ig ran t settlers. A w a r cam p b ack th en , w as co n v en ie n t and c e n tral to the re st o f th e Y o ru b a people. M oreover, it p ro ved to be a cru cial lo catio n b etw een th e fo rest an d savan n ah belts, a su itab le m ercan tilist b ase and a centre for th e ex ch an ge o f cultural links.
T h e m o re co n tem p o rary areas o f th e c ity lie to th e w est and north o f the ran ge o f h ills first trav ersed b y th e fo u n d in g fath ers. S o m e o f th e hills are O ke Sapati, O ke O htokun, O k e Sent, O k e A re, O k e Foko, O k eM apo, O ke A do, O ke Bo/a, etc. H ie setd em en t p attern s a rc m arked o u t b y th e v ariatio n in arch itectu ral p attern s a n d , to so m e e x te n t, th e so cial an d eco n o m ic stratificatio n w ith in the sp raw lin g city. M ab o gu n jc noted that th e ea rlier crop o f im m igran ts in to Ibadan from ab o u t 1900 w e re fro m n eigh b o u rin g Y o ru b a co m m u n ities — Ijcbu, E gba an d Ijcsha.7 8 T h e y w e re m ostly traders w h o settled in parts o f th e w e ste rn sector k n o w n as A m unigun, A gbeni, Idikan, O ke-Padi an d O k e Foko. T h o u g h the housing un its w ere b u ilt w ith in co m p o u n d s w ith cen tral co u rtyard s in th e trad itio n al fashion, th ese w e re m odified in to rectan gu lar stru ctures w ith iso lated un its su b ten d in g a co u rtyard . T h e n ew stru ctures w e re in h ab ited by o n ly th e different im m igrant fam ilies, w h o sh ared co n ven ien ces such as kitchens, bathroom s, toilets an d w ells. It also sh o w s th at th e un its w e re b u ilt for co m m ercial p urposes. Som e o f th em w ere let to o th e r im m igran ts a rriv in g a t d ifferen t periods. M an y o f the im m igran t q u arters co n trasted w ith the ‘n ativ e’ b u ild in g s, b ecau se th ey w e re o f
7 Wandc Abim bola, “Osc Meji” in Ifa Divination Poetry, (New York: Nok Publishers, 1977), p. 1 4 2 -1 4 9 .
8 A. L. Mabogunjc, “The Morphology o f Ibadan” in P.C. Lloyd, A .L Mabogunjc and Bolanlc Awe, op.cit. p. 35 - 56.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
De/e Layiaola: Ibadan fro m its Beginnings to the Close o f tbe 20th Century. . . 5 h igh er stan d ard s, p lastered w ith cem en t, an d so m etim es b u ilt w ith stones, even though th e w alls o r m o u n d s m ig h t h av e been b u ilt w ith clay.
A n in flu x o f settlers w as n o ticeab le w ith th e arriv al o f th e ra ilw a y in 1901. A n ew suburb g rew w ith the arriv al o f I^agosia/ts and d escen dan ts o f freed slaves w h o had settled in L agos, 'l l i i s area, sligh tly n o rth o f th e railw ay term inus, becam e know n as E k olcdo o r ‘L ago s setd em en t’. T h e railw ay netw ork also b ro ugh t settlers w h o w e re o rig in ally from w h a t later b ecam e kn o w n as th e m id w e st, so uth eastern an d eastern N igeria.
T h e H ausa from th e N orth w e re g ra n ted a p arcel o f lan d w hich w as ch risten ed Sabo, an ab b reviatio n o f S ab on ga ri. S ab o is o ften translated as new to w n o r stran g ers’ q u arters. T h is is an in dicatio n th at th e area is a q u arter for settlers, (m ore p ro p erly, strangers). A d jacen t to this, th e N up c w e re settled in a p o rtio n o f N lokola cp o n ym o u sly referred to as A go Tapa, w hich translates as N up c h am lets. M ab o gu n jc righ tly o b served th at th e d ifferen t ap p earan ces, as w ell as th e arch itecture o f th e H ausa q u arters w ere so im p erm an en t as to su gg est that th ey co n sidered th em selves so jo urn ers rath er than p erm an en t settlers in th e city.
T h ese settlem en ts w e re ab o u t a m ile an d a h a lf north o f th e ra ilw a y term inus.
'H ie afo rego in g d cscrip u o n o f Ibadan presen ts the picture o f a c ity w ith an id en tity th at is n eith er clear-cu t nor e a sily n ego tiated . T lie o rigin al fo u n d ers o f Ib ad an , e a rly in th e 18th cen tury, w e re led b y L ag e lu , from th e D egelu fam ily o f Ilc-Ifc. H e an d his g ro u p describ ed those th at th ey found o n the site as b rigands o r ru ffian s.’' T h e so jo u rn a t th e first site w as sh o rt-lived b ecau se L ag c lu ’s ch ild ren disrespected an a n c e stra l m asq u erad e, egungun. L agelu an d his follow ers then regro up ed an d settled a t E/ejele hill.
In th e 19th ce n tu ry, Ibadan b ecam e a w a r cam p an d its c e n tral po sitio n attracted settlers from a ll o v er Y o ru b alan d . In the 20 th cen tury, it turned o u t that m any m o re settlers cam e from a ll o v er N ig eria an d p itch ed th e ir ten ts at d ifferen t lo catio n s around th e o rigin al city. N o w Ibadan has b ec o m e so m etropolitan that b esides L ago s, N ig eria’s fo rm er ca p ital c ity , th e re is scarcely an y o th e r c ity in N ig eria w ith th e sam e scope o f a po st-co lo n ial ag greg atio n o f n o m ad ic 9
9 Chief M. I. Okunola, “Ibadan and Some o f Her Landmarks", Being an address given at the Nigerian Field Society, Ibadan Branch, on Tuesday, 4th March 1997.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
6 The G ty State o f Ibadan: Texts & Contexts
id en tities.1" T h e im p licatio n o f this is th at Ibadan has alw a ys b een a lan d o f m u lu fario u s c itiz e n s h ip s - O vo, E gb a, Ife, Ijcbu, Ijcsha. E kiti, H au sa, N u p c , Igbo, E do , U rh o b o , Itsekiri, E fik , etc. A s th e cityscap e ch an ges, so its n atio n alities and identities g ro w w ith un surp assab le robustness. A s w ith a ll p o st-co lo n ial co n cep ts o f id en tity, e v e ry im m ig ran t is an Ibadan m an o r w om an. 'H ie (sub) ethnic d ifferen ce d isap p ears as soon as each in d ivid u al o r g ro u p has settled dow n. T h is probably co n trib u ted to th e c ity ’s ab ility to attract to itse lf N igeria’s p rem ier university, an array o f p u b lish in g houses, A fric a ’s first television statio n in 1959 and a h o st o f o th e r m issio n ary insp ired centres. T h is is w hy it w a s o ften referred to in th e 1960s as N ig eria’s cu ltu ral capital.
It is clear th a t Ib ad an ’s cu ltu ral d iv ersity is m atch ed by a certain n o tio n o f p erfo rm an ce: th e ‘perform ance o f p erso n h o o d ’, o f ‘citizen sh ip ’ an d o f*h isto ry’.
'H ie fact d ia t a m yriad o f sub-groups first ca m e to geth er in resp o n se to the d isp lacem en t o f gro u p b o u n d aries, o ccasio n ed by w a r and m ig ratio n , tu rn ed the b en eficiary c ity in to a cu ltu ral p an o p ly. It b ecam e a p o litical as w e ll as a cultural lab o rato ry for th e ‘p erfo rm an ce o f c itiz e n sh ip ’ through avo catio n an d in th eatrical p erfo rm an ce. T h is w arrants a m ore detailed in vestigatio n as a th eo ry o f cu ltu ral perform ance.
T h e p e r f o r m in g a r t s in I b a d a n
T he Y o ru b a p eo p le, g e n e rally sp eakin g, h av e alw ays d erived th is asp ect o f culture from th e tran s-m igran t co n cep t th at th e liv in g an d d ie d ea d stand as a co n tin uum , w h e re b y a ch an ge in p ercep tu al identity* is liken ed to th e ch an ge o f p h ysio lo g ical clo aks. T h erefo re, th e h u m an v essel is a disguise. T h is m akes it p o ssib le for th e d ead , th e an cesto rs o r an y b ein gs fro m the n ed ierw o rld to com e to the w o rld o f th e livin g , disguised. A ll th ey need d o is to syn ch ro n ize the m o m en ts o f transition w ith those o f th e seaso n s so th at m y stically, th ey are part o f th e recu rren ce o f g re ate r w o rld d ram as. M o st o f th ese m odes o f en tertain m en t o r ‘revelatio n s’ o ccu r w ith in th e in terface th at is g en erally referred to as the seaso n o f harvest. It is, th erefo re, alm ost alw ays an alo go u s to ren ew al; there b e in g an atten d an t afflatus. A n cestral in carn atio n s d o o c c u r a t o th er p erio d s o f 10
10 May Joseph, Nomadic Identities: The Performance o f Citizenship (Minneapolis: University o f Minnesota Press, 1999).
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Dele Layiwola: Ibadan fro m its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20 th Century. . . 7 e x ig e n cy w h en stab ility o r g ro u p id en tity is th reaten ed. In his lectu re o n the landm a r ks o f Ib ad an , C h ie f M .I. O k u n o la in d icated that th e first setd em en t o f Ibadan broke up as a san ed o n again st L ag e lu b ecau se o f th e d isresp ect his c h J d r e n sh o w ed to w ard s egungun, an an cestral incarnadon . N e ig h b o u rin g rulers a m p ly cam e to geth er an d sacked th at setdem en t.
T h e in d icatio n in m o st Y o ru b a setd em en ts is th at th e in carn ad o n o f an an cestral sp irit is b o th a reality as w e ll as a d isgu ise. F o r th e sam e reason, an
p ronounces lo fty, d ivin e blessings an d p ro ffers m u n d an e en tertain m en t o r revelry. T h is p h en o m en o n is in terestin g in th e a d a p tiv e m ed iatio n o f co n tem poral}' d ram atists o f Y o ru b a extraction. In W o le So yin ka’s The R o a d 1, the eccen tric ch a ra c te r ca lled P ro fesso r m e t h is doom b ec au se he d esecrated an an cestral figu re in p ub lic. T h e elem en t o f d isgu ise, in n o cu o u s as it m ay seem , recu rs in m any in stitu tio n aliz ed arts. T h e re is an ex am p le in th e Igb o h o p eriod o f O yo history. F o llo w in g Sam uel Jo h n so n , b o th R obert S m ith 12 an d Jo e l A d e d eji1' rem arked ab o u t th e d ram atic im p o rtan ce o f th e d isguise figures th at the co un cillo rs o f A la afin A b ip a (c. 1590) u sed as p h an to m s to disco u rage the return from Igb o h o to O y o lie (O ld O yo). S ix ch ic fs-in -c o u n c il each p resen ted ph ysically-d isab led p erso n s w ith ch alk an d raffia co stu m es as spirits o f the forests:
1. ha shoru n p resen ted a h unchback 2. A lapinni p resented a n albino 3. A sipa presented a lep er
4. Sam u presented a pro gn ath o us (p ro trud in g jaw) 5. L aguna presented a d w a rf * 3
: : Wole Soyinka, The Road (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 1973. Sec also Dele Livnrola, “Literature, Violence and the City: A Sociological Exploration o f Wole Sov^nka’s T he Road ” in Papers in Honour o f Professor Dope Adelugba a t 60, edited by Egbc
!5e, Ibadan: End-Time Publishing House, 2001), p. 200 - 208.
- 2 Robert Smith, op. cit.
3 J A . Adedeji, " ’Alarinjo: The Traditional Yoruba Travelling Theatre” in Yemi O ym biyi, editor. Drama and Theatre in Nigeria: A Critical Sourcebook (Lagos: Nigeria .'-Lgazme, 1981),p. 221 - 247.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
8 The Q'ty State o f Ibadan: Texts & Contexts
6. A k in ik u p resented a cripple.
T hese ‘co u n terfe it’ spirits w e re rev ealed as a m e re d isgu ise, but a m em o rab le histo rical d ram a resulted fro m it. A s Sm ith noted, it b ecam e so m eth in g o f a state p erfo rm an ce d u rin g th ree religious festivals in O ld O yo. T h e first w as d u rin g the O risa O ko or farm g o d festival. T h e seco n d w as at the OrisaM oU festiv al an d the third w as a t th e O d u d u w a festival.14 A d c d cji adds th at it w a s also en a cte d a t the in stallatio n o f a n e w A laafin , a t a n ig h t recep tio n in th e aganjtt o r p alac e foyer.
T h e au th o r reco n firm ed A d c d eji’s cla im in a p riv a te d iscu ssio n w ith the la te O ba (D r) S.O . B ab ayem i (fo rm erly o f th e In stitute o f A frican Studies, U n iv e rsity o f Ib ad an , O lufi o f Gbortgan). B ab ayem i g a v e an eye w itn ess acco u n t o f o n e such en a ctm e n t a t th e in stallatio n o f A la afin O layiw o la A d e ycm i in 1971.
T h o u gh th ese en actm en ts b ecam e cu sto m ary ab o u t 1610, w h ich w as th e year in w h ich Ogbolte (sam e as A b ip a) re-o ccu p ied O ld O yo, these dram atic en actm en ts b ecam e a reg u la r en tertain m en t a t th e k in g ’s co u rt m O yo. It w as n o t un til so m e tim e later th at th e art b e c am e a w id esp read practice am o n g the o rd in ary citizen s o f th e kin gdo m . A d e d eji h as righ tly id en tified th is as the b eg in n in g o f p ro fessio n alism in trad itio n al th eatre in Y o rubaland. C o m p etitio n an d th e p ro liferatio n o f gro u p s fu rth er h o n ed th is craft. B ey o n d the en tertain m en t v alu e , th e y b ecam e statu s sym b o ls for th e royal courts an d am o n g th e elite, m e n o f in flu en ce an d w arlo rd s. T h is w a s th e situ atio n w h e n , in th e 19th cen tury, Ibadan g a in e d m ilitary ascen d an cy an d p o litical in dep en den ce fro m the stran g leh o ld o f th e o v erb earin g O yo E m p ire. T h e Ib ad an E m p ire, w h ich becam e so m eth in g o f a su rro g ate to th e erstw h ile O y o E m p ire, ex te n d ed from so uth w estern Y o ru b alan d to n o rth eastern Y o ru b alan d . B etw een 1830 an d 1893, w h e n Ib ad an ca rv ed for its e lf an exten sive an d p o w erfu l em pire, th e n e w elite h elp ed th e th e atre to flourish. E ach A jele, o r resid en t o verlord, h ad a stan din g tro u p e, w h ic h p erfo rm ed fo r his co u rt and so m etim es p erfo rm ed fo r the co m m un ity. T h e rap p o rt, w h ich th e c o u rt an d th e p erfo rm er had, w a s ex h ib ited in an u n u su al in stan c e a fte r th e K iriji w a r o f 1877 - 1893.
B alo gun A jayi O su n g b ek u n , th e Ibadan w a r g en eral resid en t in Ikirun, fo llo w ed in th e trad itio n o f ch ieftain s w h o en jo yed trad itio n al th eatrical p erfo rm an ces. H e in v ited th e A iytlabola troupe to p erfo rm a t his behest. O lo jede
14 Smith, p.70.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
A iy elab o la, d ie so n o f th e la te fo u n d er an d p erfo rm er o f th e sam e n a m e then m an aged th e troupe. A n o th er p rotege o f th e late A iyelab o la, T iju k u A ja n g ila w as then th e lead e r o f th e Agbegi/o troupe, w h ich had em erged as a rival troupe to that o f h is la te m entor. H e lo st o u t o n the co m m issio n an d w an ted ven gean ce. T he usual p lo y o f p erfo rm an ce g ro u p s in rivalry w as u su ally to in v o k e th e rain to ruin a rival’s show . I f this fails, th ey reso rt to th e use o f o th er fo rm s o f b lack m agic.
T iju ku in v o ked th e rain b u t th is failed. T iju k u th en reso rted to th e sec o n d ploy again st O lo jcd e. It w as a tab o o in th e cg u n gu n so ciety for an ac to r p la y in g the co stu m e ep iso d e o r apada to expose an y o f his features. U n der T iju k u ’s spell, O lo jed e o v erp layed h im se lf b y unw ittin gly exp o sin g his b o d y ju s t as he d efd y o v ertu rn ed h is co stu m e in th e ap ad a d an ce. T h u s cam e th e o p p o rtu n ity for A jan gila to e x cise his p o u n d o f flesh.
T h e officials o f th e cg u n gu n so ciety, in co m p lian ce w ith th e dictates o f their gu ild , q u ick ly d isp ersed th e cro w d and sum m oned O lo jed e for trial a t th e sacred grove. T iju ku did n o t fail to in stigate th e su p rem e p e n a lty , th at is, th e death p en alty o n his arch -riv al. O lo jcd c’s b rav ery an d sto icism stu n n ed his adm irers w h en h e ac cep ted th e v erd ict w ith a p ro m ise to g o ro u n d th e to w n o n a farew ell p erfo rm an ce. B y th e tim e he arriv ed a t th e p a la c e w h ere th e B alo gu n o f Ibadan resided, a ll th e w arlo rd s w e re w a itin g w ith lau rels an d p rizes. In sp ired b y this h ero ic treatm en t, he ch an ted , in m elo d ic v e rse , th e h ero ic ex p lo its and trag ic end o f his father as a n ex te n d ed an alo g y o f his o w n travails an d an ticip ated end.
B alo gun O su n g b ck u n o f Ib ad an rem em b ered th e d etail o f A iy elab o la’s h ero ic p erfo rm an ces an d co n trib u tio n to th e success o f th e la st w a r. H e then ad o p ted h im as th e O lu b ad an ’s m asq u e-d ram atu rg e from th at m o m e n t onw ards. T h a t w as h o w O lo jed e esc ap ed th e d ea th p en alty p assed o n h im a t th e gro ve in Ik iru n .’*5
I h av e ad o p ted th e A iy elab o la sto ry in relatio n to th e sto ry o f Ibadan to illustrate th e e x te n t to w h ich th e p erfo rm in g arts h a v e sh ap ed th e tastes o f elites in h isto ry; an d th e e x te n t to w hich those elite s have, in turn, sh ap ed its efflo rescen ce. It is eq u ally c ru c ial to note th at th e cu ltiv atio n o f th o se arts aid ed pro fessio n alism an d th e sh ap in g o f id en tities. P e rfo rm an c e and its devices th e re b y tran scen d b o rd ers, as ac to rs an d g u ild s g o fro m o n e to w n to th e o th er stren g th en in g cu ltu ral ties and interpretations. 15
Dele Lqyiwolo: Ibadan from its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20th Century. . .
15 Adedcji, p. 232.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
10 The G ty State o f Ibadan: Texts & Contexts
I b a d a n a n d th e f o r g in g o f a p o s t- c o lo n ia l id e n t it y
T h e m o st d istin ct asp e c t o f Ibadan h isto ry in th e 19th century w a s h er position as a ce n tral w a r cam p in w h ich w a r h ero es, slav e raid ers and ex-slaves ca m e to settle. T h e id en tity co m p lex o f th e c ity , th erefo re, lies in its p lu rality. A c co rd in g to C h ie f M .1. O ku n o la, Ib ad an w as n o t o n ly cen tral to those fro m th e forests an d th e sav an n ah b elts a lo n e , th e site w a s b lessed w ith th e ab u n d an ce o f Ipara trees. N o w th e ro o t o f this unique tree w as in v alu ab le to w arrio rs b ec au se it contains a stim u lan t called odi, w h ich w as used fo r hardiness in w arfare. It w as therefore co n v en ie n t fo r w arrio rs, m arau d ers and crim inals to return perio d ically to Ibadan for th e su p p ly o f o d i.16 17 S in c e a setd em en t h as em erged , how ever, lead ers ca m e to g eth er to estab lish d ie sem b lan ce o f go vern an ce. A c c o rd in g to Sam uel Jo h n so n ,1 O lu yc d u n , th e son o f th e \atc A fon ja o f Ilorin, b ec am e th e first A are O na K akanfo (w ar gen eral) o f Ib adan. H e p referred this tid e to th at o f Baale (ad m in istrative ch iefta in ), b ecau se th e form er w a s his father’s tid e and preference.
L akanle, a b rav e w arrio r, co u ld n o t take his favo u red tid e o f B alo g u n b ecau se Kakanfo, alread y taken b y O luycdun, w as a su p rem e m ilitary tide, so he deferred to O luycdun o n g ro u n d s o f age and n o b ility. H e th erefo re took th e tid e o f O tun Kakanfo, w h ilst the g re a t O luyo le b ecam e the O si Kakanfo. T h u s w a s established o th e r tid es such as E k erin (th e fourth in co m m an d ), E karun (th e fifth in lin e) and E kefa (sixth in line). T h ere w e re other m ilitary tides su ch a s A areA b ese a n d Sarum i (cavalry ch ief). T h ese tid es w e re m ore o r less p attern ed after th o se o f th e O yo em p ire, fro m w h ic h m o st o f th ese w arrio rs cam e. B u t g iv en th e ad h o c n atu re o f th e n e w city, th ese tid es w e re less estab lish ed an d in a d esu lto ry fash io n . T h e only Ife c h ie f w h o rem ain ed in Ibadan w as th e g re a t L ab o sin d e, w h o w as n o t o n ly rev ered fo r his ag e, b u t also o n acco un t o f his acum en. H e d eclin ed th e m an d e o f p o litical lead ersh ip b u t w as h o n o u red w ith th e tid e o f Baba h a le o r c h ie f counsellor.
T h e sto ry o f Ib ad an fro m th e fo rego in g ag glo m eratio n o f cu ltu ral facts an d patterns p o in ts to o n e fact. W h a t w e c a ll p o st-co lo n ial identities in p erso n s o r setd em en ts, to w n s o r cities is a fluid, d iv erse p h en o m en o n in th e w a y a
16 Okunola, p. 2.
17 Johnson, p.244.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Dele Layiiuola: Ibadan fro m its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20th Century. 11 com m unity is w e ld e d together. In o th e r w o rd s, o u r ch o sen o r in h erited identities p artake o f m ultitudes and arc th erefo re n o m ad ic o r tran sn atio n al in o u d o o k .18 19 W e h av e ea rlier in ferred th at due to th e an o n ym ity in th e status o f m igrant citizenship acro ss Y o ru b alan d in th e 19th cen tury, Ib ad an ’s statu s as a co sm o p o lis w as v o latile. T h e re w as m uch rivalry an d clash es o v er th e co n tro l o f in flu en ce and territory. T h e re w a s a p eren n ial search for au th en ticity and the estab lish m en t o f citizen sh ip . T h is w as in ev itab le b ec au se th e o ccu p atio n and settlin g o f a v irg in territo ry crea ted a sen se o f w h a t M ay Jo se p h d escrib ed as
“ in auth en tic citizen sh ip p o sed b y th e large an d disp ersed c o m m u n itie s ...” 19 T h e re m ust, o f necessity, ev o lv e a state o f flux w h e re b y so cial e v e n ts and h isto rical accid en ts w ill w e ld th e varied am algam into a n atio n -state w ith a p ec u liar iden tity. T h e n atu re o f th e v io le n ce o f h isto rical circu m stan ces is o f d istin ct types. T h e fact th at slave raid ers an d burglars sto le in to th e c ity regularly is o n ly o n e asp ect o f th e p ervasive v io le n ce th at atten d s new co m m u n ities o f v arie d com position w h ich , for lack o f h o m o gen eity, o ften lacks in cen trifu g e.
T hat, essentially, is the b asis o f th e sp raw lin g p lan lcssn ess th at is see n in the structure o f th e o ld e r parts o f th e city. A p o e t describ ed Ibadan in th e fo llo w in g lines:
Ibadan,
R u n n in g sp lash o f rust
A n d g o ld - flung an d scattered A m o n g seven h ills lik e broken C h in a in th e sun.20 21
N eed less to say th at th e scattered n ature o f th e irreg u lar lin es sta n d for th e state o f Ibadan in th e p o et’s m ind. A m ore reg u lar, even sed e n tary kind o f vio len ce w as th at o f d o m e stic slave o w n ers, as w as typ ified b y th e d ram atized ep iso d es o f A kin w u m i Iso la’s Efunsetan A niw ura,2! w h e re a sin gle w o m an , slav e ow n er,
18 Joseph, p.13 — 14.
19 ibid., p. 2.
20 J.P. Clark, “Ibadan” in A.G. S. Momodu and Ulla Schild, editors, Nigerian Writing (Benin: Bendel Book Depot & Horst Erdmann Verlag, 1976), p.130.
21 Akinwumi Isola, Efunsetan Aniwura: lyalode Ibadan (Ibadan: University Press, 1979).
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
12 The City State o f Ibadan: Texts & Contexts
in itiated n ew , acq uisitiv e values and h eld th e w h o le o f Ibadan to ransom . It took th e in terven tio n o f th e B aalc, A a rc L ato o sa, and a d etach m en t o f so ld iers to b rin g th e situ atio n u n d er control.
r h e truth, in reality, w as th at th e m ig ran t p o p u latio n had b ec o m e enam oured o f th e assertiv e v alu es in h eren t in em p ire m ak in g an d em p ire b u ild in g . T hey th erefo re b ec o m e u n d u ly ad ven tu ro u s as th ey tu rn their acquired aggression in w ard again st th em selves. A fte r all, so ld iers w e re b red to g o to w a r to sub jugate territo ries an d cap ture b o o ty, n o t sta y a t h o m e an d id le aw ay. E ven a t th e tim e o f C ap tain B ow er, as la te as 1893, w h en the B ritish had subjugated th e country, ab le-b o d ied m en in Ibadan w ere still o p en ly talk in g o f re-o p en in g th e u nfinished cam p aign ag ain st th e in tru d in g F ulanis w h o had retreated to Ilorin.22 23 T h is m eans th at th e n o tion o f disp ersed nation s see k in g p erm an en t am algam atio n in new cu ltu ral an d leg al ties2* is alw ays th e co n tex t o f po st-co lo n ial id en tities. Pre- co lo n ial id en tities are reco g n izab le as statu to rily ccp h alo us, o rg a n ic ally knit com m unities w h ere lin eage ties a re sa c ro s a n c t O n th e o th e r h an d , a p o st
co lo n ial id e n tity is acq u ired th ro ugh ch o ic e o r forced m ig ran cy an d by p sych o lo gical p articip atio n in a n ew fan gled set o f valu es. T ran sn atio n ality is therefore a g ra n ted notio n o f p o st-co lo n ial, even po st-in d ustrial identity.
Ib ad an , as a co sm opolis, o ccupies a u n iq u e cen tre in th e h isto ry an ti politics o f N ig eria fro m th e latter h a lf o f th e 19th cen tury, b ecau se it presen ted its e lf as th e savan n ah h aven u n to w h ich a ll stran g ers cam e. E ven to d ay, its sp raw lin g n atu re n o t o n ly m akes it th e larg e st c ity in cen tral A frica; it h as b eco m e th e m o st p o p u lo u s city in N ig eria. T h e o th e r cities in N ig eria th at rival it arc L ag o s (itse lf a co n g lo m eratio n o f to w n s), K an o an d A b a. L ago s is th e m o st eth n ically v ariegated o f th e three b ec au se it is a co astal port.
B y 1850, an d w ith in th e Y o ru b a co u n try, Ibadan h ad b eco m e the en ch an ted , n eu tral sp ace in to w h ic h an am o rp h o us, ‘in au th en tic’ m ass o f p e o p le asp ired for citizen sh ip . T h e n etw o rk o f d em o grap h y an d co m m erce m atu re d o v er a century such th a t b y 1950, N ig eria’s p rem ier u n iv ersity as w e ll as th e m ajo r m u ltin atio n al, p u b lish in g h o u ses, theatres, cinem a h alls and m issio n ary sch o o ls found their h o m e therein . G iv en th e ed u catio n al an d cu ltu ral facilities, p erfo rm an ce gu ild s,
22 Johnson, p. 643.
23 Joseph, p.14.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Dele Layiaola: Ibadan fro m its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20tb Century. . . 13 cultural troupes and entertainers m o ved in to th e rath e r d esuitor)' c ity m ad e up o f v ario u s su b -cultures. T h is m u lti-cu ltu ral trait h e lp e d creativity, im p rovisation an d th e sp irit o f disco very. T h e alread y estab lish ed tro u p es o f do yen s such as H ub ert O g u n d c, D u ro L ad ip o an d K o la O g u n m o la had th e ir bases in o r near Ibadan. O g u n d c, it m u st be said , p referred a m o re u b iq u ito u s, to u rin g ap p ro ach , w ith his real b a se in L ag o s rath er than in Ibadan. E ven though th e Y o ru b a elite ten d ed to live in cities, th e c o n c ep t o f p o st-co lo n ial u rb an izatio n an d exploitative co m m erce, w hich set its e lf o n th e N igerian so il ab o u t 1860, accelerated th e p ace o f m o d e m , p ro to -in d u strial d evelo p m en t. T h is rep resen ted a new ph ase, w h ich so m etim es aid s n e w u n u su al artistic d evelo p m en t, b u t a t o th e r tim es su b v erts art fo rm s an d their arch etyp es. F o r instance, new m odes o f religio u s w o rsh ip an d the em ergen ce o f a n e w kind o f civil serv ice e lite b egan to affe c t th e p ro d uctio n and d iscrim in atio n o f artistic an d cu ltu ral p erfo rm an ce. T h e erstw h ile street and m ark et p lace dan ces o f th e egungun h ad to b e m o d ified in to n ew structures o f th eatrical sen sib ility an d co d es. N ew form s o f p leasu re w e re also b e in g created as new form s o f co m m u n icatio n g re w . T h e rad io an d th e m o re recen t develo p m en t o f television also re-stru ctu red an d m o d ified th e p ro d u ctio n o f traditional art an d p erfo rm an ce.
W h ile p o p u lar form s o f indigenous th eatre flo urish ed , the ad ven t o f a u n iv ersity in 1948, w ith a lib e ral arts cu rricu lu m b ro u g h t a co terie o f fo reig n as w e ll as in d igen o u s artists. T h e o n ly m ajo r d ifferen ce b e in g th at th e artistic pro d uctio n s th at em erged fro m th e n e w citad els o f B ritish p ro v en an ce w e re co n ceiv ed an d w ritten in th e E n g lish lan gu age. B y th e la te 1950s, sco res o f yo un g w riters, artists an d p u b lish ers w h o had red isco v ered a n e w sen se o f n atio n alism h ad co m e to g eth er to found th eatrical tro up es w h ic h p erfeed y co m p lem en t the tradition o f th e Y o ru b a do yen s m en tio n ed ab o ve. W o le S o yin k a set up O risun T h eatre. T aiyc A y o rin d c set u p w h a t he called th e N ig eria T h e a tre G ro u p and C hristopher K o lad e set u p T h e P layers o f th e D aw n. O risun w a s su cceed ed by the U nibadan M asq u es o f 1960. A p a n -c u ltu ra l gro u p that b ro u g h t to g eth er all th e artists, w riters an d p o ets em erged in 1960, u n d er th e p atro n age o f U lli B cicr, called M b ari C lub. Its p u b lish in g organ w a s th e jo u rn al c a lle d b la ck O rpheus, in w h ich w riters lik e C h risto p h er O k igb o , Jo h n P ep p er C lark, A ig H igo an d W ale O gun ycm i first p u b lish ed th e ir sem in al w o rk s. A rtists in o th er m e d ia lik e D em as N w o ko , a scu lp to r an d b u ild e r; T u n ji O yclan a, a sin ger/ co m p o ser; S eg u n O lusola, F em i Jo h n so n , D ap o A d clu gb a, w h o w e re ac to rs an d im p resario s alo n g
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
14 The Q'ty State o f Ibadan: Texts & Contexts
w ith W o le S o yin k a, w e re a ll part o f th e M b a ri C lub. M b ari, th e c lu b ’s n am e, is d eriv ed from th e Igb o co n cep t o f artistic co m m u n e an d creativity. T he clu b h o u se, m ad e up o f a b ar, a b an d stan d o r d ais, a sm all h all an d d an c e floor w a s lo cated first a t O g u n p a O yo w h en it started. T h e lo catio n w as strategic. T his is because th e stu d io o f th e W estern N igeria B ro ad castin g C o rp o ratio n (W N B C ) w as lo cated a t D ugb c, a m e re th ree m in u tes w a lk from th e clu b h o u se. T he B ritish C o u n cil L ib ra ry an d its co u rtyard , w h ich serv es as th e reh earsal aren a for th e am ateu r th e atre g ro u p s w as d irectly across th e ro ad fro m th e W N B C and four m in u tes fro m the M b ari C lub. T h e un iversity cam p u s (U C I) and th e new ly- estab lish ed W estern N ig eria Television (W N T V ) w o u ld b e ab o u t 6 an d 4 k ilo m etres north and ca st resp ectively o f th e Ibadan city. T h e M b ari C lub rep licated its e lf in O so g b o as th e M b ari M b ayo C lu b u n der th e lead ersh ip o f Ulli B eier and Su san n e W en g er, w ith D u ro L ad ip o an d so m e o th e r fine an d v isu a l artists as th e cen tral figures. T h e tw o M b ari centres a t Ibadan an d O so g b o stoked each o th e r as co m p lem en ts. B ut w h ile th e Ibadan w o rksh o p p ro m o ted the p erfo rm in g arts, th e O so g b o w o rksh o p p ro m o ted visual, tex tile an d p lastic arts.
W ith th e b e n e fit o f h in d sigh t, th e p erio d w as a cu ltu ral ren aissan ce fo r N igeria.
Ibadan w as p articu larly p rivileg ed w ith th is all-co m ers rev iv a list projects w h ich co in cid ed w ith p o litic al an d cu ltu ral in d ep en d en ce after a cen tu ry o f co lo n ial su b ju gatio n an d go vern an ce. A n e w set o f literary an d d ram atic styles em erged w ith th e help o f th e un iversity and its n e w talents. T h e new p ublishin g houses w e re b o th B ritish an d N igerian , o n th e so u th w estern c o m e r o f th e city, around O nirekc an d Je ric h o . U n derstan dab ly, th e ir lo catio n s w e re situ ated just a sto n e’s th ro w fro m th e tem p o rary cam p u s o f th e u n iv ersity a t E leyele. T h e new television statio n , th e first o f its kind in A frica s a t o n the so u th eastern p art o f the city a t A g o d i, n ear th e sea t o f th e W estern R eg io n al G overnm ent.
B y th e tim e o f p o litical in d ep en d en ce in 1960, th e co n glo m erate o f ‘n o m ad ic citizen scap es’ o f th e p revio u s cen tury, w h ich Ibadan gath ered , h ad fo rged a p ec u liar iden tity. Ibadan becam e th e cen tre o f p o litical an d cu ltu ral perform ance.
It w as in Ibadan th at w e had th e v io le n t p o litical m o vem en ts o f 1964 - 1966, w h ich ush ered th e m ilitary in to N igerian p o litics. It w as also in Ibadan th at the p erfo rm an ce o f a r t and th e notio n o f citizen sh ip b ecam e m o st eb u llien t. T he situation w as sim ilar to w h a t M ay Jo se p h d esc rib ed thus:
W hile theorists o f participatory democracy may quibble about the degree o f participation available or its progressive possibilities, none
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Dele Layiwola: Ibadan from its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20th Century . . . 15 disagrees that the inherendy performative nature o f citizenship is simultaneously learned, cultivated and improvised as a total work of citizenship in formation. Performance emerges as an implied sphere rather dian an actually located process. It is the self-conscious enactment o f the legal, cultural, and social structuring logic in post industrial citizenry.24 25
A n e w w a v e o f n atio n alist co n scio usn ess b ro ugh t forth a certain robust perform ance and affirm atio n o f citizen sh ip an d o f n atio n ality. T h is stream o f evo lvin g co n scio usn ess w as co n tin u o u s, as it w as seg m en tal. A rtistic co m m un es w o u ld fragm en t an d m erg e ag ain as th e M b ari C lu b o f artists a t Ibadan seem ed
to
do. T h e cam arad erie a t O gu n p a b ro ke u p o n ac co u n t o f th e p ain fu l civil w a rof
1967 - 1970. M o st o f t h c artists w e re to m b etw een th e d ifferen t sid es o f the w ar, an d m an y talen ts an d b o n d s w e re fo rcib ly bro ken . So m e rem ain ed in Ibadan b u t m an y w en t to L ago s, N su k k a, J o s , etc. T h e club its e lf relo cated from O gunpato
A dam asin gb a in 1969. T h is coincided w ith th e reh earsal o f W o le S o yin k a’s Kortgi's Harvest. In fact, the p la y w as prem iered in the clu b a t A dam asingba. B y‘.9 7 1 , w h en the first film versio n o f K ongi's H arvest b y C alp en n y F ilm s b eg an to m ake th e rounds in Ibadan and its en viro n s, th e sh eer su ccess o f th e p ro d uctio n cau sed th e erstw h ile M b ari C lu b to b e re-n am ed K o n g i C lub. T h e N ig erian civil w ar, w h ich ended in 1970, h ad le ft a scar o n th e cu ltu ral an d artistic lan d scap e, and th e artists w h o retu rn ed w e re full o f w istfu l lo n gin g , b u t a litd c to o m uch o f anguish to allo w for th e re-m em b erin g o f M b ari o r K o n g i C lubs. T h e h o llo w sh ell o f th e cu ltu ral ren aissan ce had taken o n a n ew , self-co n sum p tive m aterialism . T h at v acu u m exists to th is day.
T h e story o f Ibadan’s first set o f m igrants b ecam e th e sto ry o f its v ariegated polity, as reflected in th e v ario u s th eatrical an d p erfo rm an ce tro u p es, num bering alm o st 200.2'* T h e se tro up es m o v ed in an d settled in th e n e w cu ltu ral capital.
T h ey reflected a m o d e y o f sen sib ilities an d attitu d es lik e a m irro r b efo re an applique. T o d ay , Ibadan rem ain s a reflecto r o f th e diverse g eo g rap h ic al space called the N ig erian state. E ach eth n ic gro u p h a s a t la st p erm an en d y setd ed in its original q uarters, w ith th e H au sa gro u p in S ab o an d S asa an d th e E b ira group largely a t ^ o T apa an d M okola. T h e Igbo gro up is so m ew h at less iso lated . T h ey
24 Biodun Jcyifo, ‘T h e Yoruba Popular Travelling Theatre o f Nigeria”, Nigeria Magazine, 1984, p. 200 - 203.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
16 The City State o f Ibadan: Texts e>* Contexts
h av e settled in in d igen o u s q u arters and h av e stalls sid e by sid e w ith traders in the d ifferen t m ark ets in the city. T h e o th er so u th -w est, so uth-south an d so uth -east gro u p s h av e also in teg rated w ith the p e o p le in th e city. In th e d ensely-populated sectio n s o f A g b o w o , A k o b o , O do -O n a, O lu yo le an d F elele-C h allen ge layouts, th e m ajo rity Y o ru b a g ro u p is co m p lem en ted w ith settlers fro m other parts o f the co u n try. T h e in d igen o u s areas o f th e 1830s and 1840s like Oje, O ja’b a Foko, \sale Ijebu, Inalende, O ratyan, Oniyanrin, G ege, etc. arc, h o w ever, still largely in h ab ited by th e early setd ers an d th e ir descen d an ts. T h e g re at d ifferen ce is that th e founding e lite o f th e 19th cen tu ry w e re w arrio rs, w h ile th e elite from th e second h a lf o f the 20 th cen tu ry w e re th e intelligentsia.
T h e co sm o p o litan o u d o o k o f Ibadan co n tin u es to derive its leg itim acy from th e fact th at th e Y o ru b a p eo p le h av e alw ays liv e d in large groups an d urb an cen tres. T h e Y o ru b a people, th erefo re, h av e esc ap ed th e p ro b lem o f in b reedin g, w h ich is th e resu lt o f treatin g o th ers as stran g ers o r intruders. T h is h a s also h elp ed th e ir m u tan t o u d o o k , w h ich , like their th eatrical p erfo rm an ces, ‘arc quick to a d a p t an d ap p ro p riate from the skills an d th e rep erto ries o f others’. T h is pride o f p lace as a cu ltu ral m e ltin g p o t has a large p ro p o rtio n o f th e n atio n ’s in tellectu al ca p ital w ith in its g ates as w e ll. T h e o n ce sym b ol o f a lib eral cultural m o v e m e n t-th e M b ari M b ayo C lu b -h a s n o w m o v ed , though as a fragm en t, into a m o d e m , p o st-in d u strial glass h o u se ca lled S egi Restaurant. T h e im posing business co m p lex h o u sin g S egi is called B ro kin g H ouse an d w as estab lish e d by F cm i Jo h n so n (n o w o f b lessed m em ory), w h o w as h im se lf an artistic co n n o isseur an d acco m p lish ed a c to r w ith th e M b ari an d K ongi C lubs as w ell as w ith T he P layers o f th e D aw n . T h e p resen t lo catio n o f B ro kin g H ouse is southw est o f the o rigin al M b ari C lub. T h e n am e K ongi stan d s for th e anti-hero. In S o yin k a’s play, K ongi's H arvest, the ch aracter w ith the n am e K o n g i is a n over-bloated egoist w h o se a lte r-e g o in the sam e play is th e fiercely fem inist, Segi. W h a t co u ld be resp o n sib le fo r th is p ro to -fem in ist ‘ab o u t ru m ’? Is it th e sensibility o f an elite w ith cu ltu ral detritus flun g o v e r their shoulder? O r is it a m atter o f tryin g th e flip sid e o f a p erp lex in g histo rical p h en o m en o n ? T h is is better left as a rhetorical aside.
T h e tran sm utatio n o f th e ch au vin istic m ale sym b o l o f K ongi in to th e equally p ro fo u n d S eg i, a q u arte r o f a cen tu ry late r, is p erhaps a su b d s p o in ter to the cu ltu ral tran sm utatio n o f Ibadan an d th e id en tities o f its p luralist, v ariegated d en izen s in th e im p en d in g m illcn iu m . It is a m illcn ium so subtle, so fem in ist as
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Dele Layiarola: Ibadan from its Beginnings to the Close o f the 20th Century. . . 17
