Writers of Color 50 Books Challenge

4/50 Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account by Kólá Abímbólá

I wouldn’t recommend this for a complete beginner with absolutely no background knowledge of Yoruba culture. Abímbólá starts by praising an ‘inside-out’ approach to cultural studies and I think this book shows both the advantages and flaws of this method.

The advantage is the author’s obvious deep understanding of the logic, implications and philosophical underpinnings of his own culture. The flaw is a……disjointed sort of focus with some basic concepts stressed and some skipped over. Essentially his trouble communicating his culture clearly to someone from a different background.

This book clarified the Yoruba position on why evil is allowed to exist, gave brilliant descriptions of the culture’s inherent flexibility, a fantastic potted-history of the Old-Oyo Empire, fascinating points about language (especially the scope for misinterpretation given by the lack of gendered pronouns and the ability to combine words) and repeatedly stressed the idea that the word ‘sacrifice’ is not synonymous with ‘blood-offering’.

But the description of Yoruba medicine and religious practices didn’t give the impression of a practical belief system stressed in many western books on the subject. The language left an……..idea of mysticism and occultism at odds with the practicality Abímbólá claims. Then there’s the description of Eshu which I really couldn’t decipher-

The mix of clear and confusing explanations for concepts I was already familiar with left me wondering whether I’d actually understood new ideas, especially relating to the Yoruba idea of soul (indecently- Is a person’s Ori like their potential, what they’re personally capable of doing? Is the ese similar to willpower? Is Ori in the sense of a person’s ‘head’ separate to Ori in the sense of a personal God? Is the Ori a personality separate to the person?).

It’s an odd book but ultimately a useful one. It’s definitely given me a lot to think about and it doesn’t throw up any problems further research won’t solve. Most importantly it’s a thoughtful meditation on culture by an author who has obviously spent time and effort exploring all manifestations of ‘Yoruba’ the world over. This author loves his culture that shines from every page.