Yoruba Writers and the Construction of Heroes

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Periodical article

Title:	Yoruba Writers and the Construction of Heroes
Author:	Falola, Toyin
Year:	1997
Periodical:	History in Africa
Volume:	24
Pages:	157-175
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Nigeria
Subjects:	heroes Yoruba Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Literature, Mass Media and the Press
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172023
Abstract:	In the popular and intellectual discourse of the Yoruba of Nigeria, the hero commands prominent attention. The Yoruba appear to be seeking the equivalent of a Mahdi, the reformer of Islam, a cultural, folk and political hero. The ambition of many members of the Yoruba elite, especially the political elite, is to become a hero of the nation. Historians advocate the writing of biographies to eulogize the heroes of the past, while at the same time seeking new heroes for the present. Literary writers have invented heroes and used such figures as Oduduwa, the mythical founder of the Yoruba nation, and Obafemi Awolowo, the most famous Yoruba politician of the 20th century, to organize their data and comment on society. This article examines the role of the hero in Yoruba historical and literary works, and comments on the implications for intellectual discourse and practical politics. Notes, ref.