La vita nell'anticho regno di Oyo

Old king of the Oyo kingdom

La politica nell'antica città di Oyo

Con il passare del tempo, la città di OYO, che era stata fondata da Oranmiyan, divenne un grande e potente Regno, rimanendo forte ed indipendente per centinaia di anni.
Il re veniva chiamato “Alafin”,  anche conosciuto come "Ekeji Orisa" (il compagno degli dei). Dal momento che il regno Yoruba era diventato molto grande e non riuscendo a governarlo da solo, l'Alafin aveva affidato il controllo delle Provincie e delle Regioni ad una serie di re più piccoli. Le province più vicine a Oyo erano completamente sotto il dominio dell'Alafin, mentre quelle più lontane divennero sempre più indipendenti e potenti, come ad sempio Ijebu, Egba o Ilesha.
Quando un Alafin moriva, il successore veniva scelto dai sette Capi consiglieri di Stato, chiamati “Oyo Mesi”. La scelta cadeva sempre sull'Aremo, ossia il primogenito del defunto re. A volte, però, il primogenito uccideva il padre per poter salire al trono. Quindi per evitare questo, al primogenito fu permesso di governare direttamente insieme al padre, ma quando il re moriva, anche il figlio doveva morire, uccidendosi.

Life in the old Oyo Kingdom

           

  Politics in the old Oyo city.

As the years passed, the city of Oyo, which Oranmiyan founded, grew into a great and powerful kingdom, and remained strong and independent for hundred of years.
The king was called the Alafin, and he was known also as Ekeji Orisa – that is, Companion of the Gods.
The Yoruba kingdom was far too big for the Alafin to control  by himself and under his rule  were a number of smaller Kings, and these were provincial Kings, because each one ruled a particular area or province. The provincial Kings that lived near Oyo were completely under the rule of the Alafin, but those who lived further away became more independent and powerful for example; those in Ijebu, Egba or Ilesha.
When the Alafin died, the next king was chosen by the seven chief councillors of state, who were known as the Oyo Mesi.
In the earliest days, they always choose the Aremo; the eldest son of the passed away king, but unfortunately, the son sometimes killed his father, in order to become king himself. To avoid this, the Aremo was allowed to rule together with his father, and when his father died, the Aremo was expected to die too, by committing suicide.

Lagos

About 60 percent of the total industrial investment in Nigeria is in Lagos state and 65 percent of Nigeria's
commercial activities also take place in the state. It hosts the nations two largest seaports-Apapa and
Tin Can Island. There are more than 2,000 industries of various sizes and description in Lagos State.



Circa il 60% del totale degli investimenti industriali in Nigeria è nello Stato di Lagos e 65 per cento dell'attività commerciale della Nigeria hanno luogo nello Stato. Ospita inoltre le due più grandi porti marittimi della
nazioni -Apapa e Tin Can Island. Ci sono più di 2.000 industrie di varie dimensioni e tipi nello Stato di Lagos.

SHANGO - The story:

Mythology

When Oranmiyan died, his elder son, Ajuan, became King. But he was a weak King and could not
keep all his chiefs in order.So he was removed from the throne and his younger brother, Shango,
became king. 

SHANGO- god of Thunder & Lightnning

Shango was a brave and warlike hero and it was said that when he spoke, fire came out of his mouth and smoke from his nostrils.
He soon gained control over the chiefs and ruled them, strictly and it is said – cruelly.
Shango ruled for seven years, but his life came to a sad end. One day, he was trying to use his charms to attract lightning from the sky, and his house was struck by lightning, and his wives and children were killed.

The Yorubaland

The Stories:

Most people who live in the western region of Nigeria and the former Federal Capital, Lagos are Yoruba.
The Yoruba have a long history, when and where the story begins, no one quite knows. In the old days, people could not write; so they left behind no written stories for us to read today. How then can we know about the distant past? The best we can do is listen to the stories which
people have handed down from generation to generation.
These stories, of legends as we call them, are still told today by parents to their children.
They are still all true in every detail. In fact, there are often several different versions of the same story. But, if we take them all together, we can learn what really happened in the earliest days of the Yoruba.
The Yoruba are divided into several tribes which include the Oyo, Ijebu, Ekiti, Egba, Ijesha, Ondo, Akoko and Ife.

Ogun State

Sunset in Ogun State

Natural Resources:
Large deposits of Limestone, Chalk, Phospate, Clay, Kaoline, Stones

Agricultural Resources:
Cocoa, Rubber, Timber, Kolanuts.

Points of Interest:
Oba's palace at Ake, built in 1854 as the official residence of the Alake, the traditional ruler of Egbaland,
it is noted for its heavy concentrtion of antiquities and relics. The Centenary hall at Abeokuta,
Olumo rock Birikisu Sugbo Shrine in Ijebu-Ode (said to be resting place of the Queen of Sheeba) .

Olumo rock- Abeokuta

Le risorse naturali: grandi depositi di calcare, gesso, Phospate, argilla, Kaoline, pietre.

Risorse agricole: cacao, gomma, legname, Kolanuts.

Punti di interesse: Oba's Palace a Ake, costruito nel 1854 come la residenza ufficiale del Alake,
la tradizionale governante di Egbaland,
Si è notato per il suo pesante concentrtion delle antichità e reliquie. Il centenario hall a Abeokuta,
Olumo rock, Birikisu Sugbo Santuario di Ijebu-Ode (detto di essere il luogo di riposo di Queen of Sheeba)
                                                                                      
                                                                                    

Mondo Yoruba - Yoruba World

*Presentation

The Yoruba culture originated from the western Nigeria, and it is diffused in some neighbouring countries.
Through slave trade, the culture crossed the Atlantic ocean and took roots in Brazil, Cuba, Haiti
and many central American countries, where it became one of the dominant culture!
The slaves went without loads or properties, yet they conserved their mind their culture and deities which they
conserved and this had permitted many of them to survive.
For the 50,000,000 people uprooted from Africa, of which many millions perished during the journey, it is strange
that up to date, nobody is asking pardon to Africa for that act as the whole world justly everyday to do Israel for
the 6,000,000 Jews killed during the second world war.
It is right and necessary to ask forgiveness to all the wrongs done by humanity in the world, so that we may return
to live in harmony and peace!


*Presetazione

La cultura Yoruba proviene dalla Nigeria occidentale e si è poi diffusa in alcuni Paesi vicini.
Attraverso il commercio degli schiavi, la cultura attraversò l'Oceano Atlantico e si radicò
in Brasile, a Cuba, ad Haiti e in molti Paesi dell'America centrale, nei quali divenne
una delle cultura dominanti!
Gli schiavi partirono senza bagagli, portando con sé solo la propria cultura e divinità, che riuscirono a
conservare nel ricordo delle loro anime e questo permise a molti di loro di sopravvivere.
Per le 50.000.000 persone sradicate dall'Africa, molte delle quali morirono durante il viaggio, oggi e' strano
che nessuno ancora stia chiedendo perdono all'Africa, come giustamente il mondo sta continuando a fare ogni
giorno a Israele per i 6.000.000 ebrei uccisi durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.
E' necessario e giusto che l'umanità chieda perdono per tutti i torti fatti nel mondo, così che si possa
ritornare a vivere in pace!