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Osifekunde of Ijebu: A Rare First-Person Window into Pre-Colonial Yorubaland and the Atlantic Slave Trade

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Osifekunde of Ijebu (born c. 1795) occupies a unique place in the history of West Africa and the wider Atlantic world. His personal testimony—recorded in Paris in 1838—offers one of the earliest detailed European-language accounts of Yorubaland before British colonial rule, while illuminating the operations of the 19th-century transatlantic slave trade.

Early Life in Ijebu

Osifekunde was born around 1795 in Ijebu-Ode, a key Yoruba kingdom in what is now Ogun State, Nigeria. At the time, Ijebu controlled a prosperous trade corridor linking the interior Yoruba states with the Niger Delta ports, making it a strategic node in regional commerce.

His later testimony, carefully recorded by French geographer Pascal d’Avezac-Macaya, described:
Political organisation—the authority of the Awujale (paramount ruler) and the council of chiefs.
Economic life—busy market centres and long-distance trading routes.

Religion and culture—traditional festivals and Yoruba spiritual practices that pre-dated large-scale European colonial intrusion.

These recollections provide historians with a rare insider’s view of pre-colonial Yoruba society.

Capture and Enslavement

As a young man, Osifekunde travelled toward the Niger Delta on a trading journey. Sources differ slightly on the details: some suggest he was tricked or kidnapped by Ijaw raiders, others that he was seized outright by pirates active in the slave trade.

He was sold to Portuguese slave traders and transported across the Atlantic to Brazil, which by the early 19th century had become the largest importer of enslaved Africans. Enslaved in Rio de Janeiro under a Brazilian master sometimes recorded as M. Ferreira, Osifekunde experienced the harsh realities of the Atlantic slave economy decades after Britain and other European powers had officially outlawed the trade.

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Journey to Paris and Meeting with Pascal d’Avezac

Fate intervened when his Brazilian master travelled to Paris and brought Osifekunde along as a servant. In 1838, he met Pascal d’Avezac-Macaya, a French geographer and ethnographer keen to document African societies.

Recognising the rarity of a first-hand African perspective, d’Avezac recorded Osifekunde’s detailed oral account of Yoruba geography, politics and culture, and even commissioned a plaster life mask of him.

The mask—later held at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris and displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art—remains a striking physical record of this encounter.

D’Avezac presented Osifekunde’s narrative to the Société de Géographie de Paris in 1841, giving European scholars unprecedented direct testimony of West African society from an African source.

Contributions to Knowledge of Yorubaland

Osifekunde’s recollections went beyond cultural customs:

Geography and trade routes—he mapped major Yoruba towns, described travel times, and explained trade connections from the interior to coastal markets.

Political economy—his observations revealed the Ijebu’s role in controlling access between the hinterland and Atlantic ports.

Such details made his account an invaluable primary source for historians and geographers of the 19th century and remain essential for modern scholars of Yoruba history.

Legacy

Osifekunde’s life story links three continents—Africa, South America and Europe—and personifies the far-reaching networks of the Atlantic slave trade. His ability to recall the complex social, political and spiritual life of his homeland decades after enslavement demonstrates the resilience of cultural memory among the African diaspora.

Today, both his published narrative and his life mask stand as rare, powerful reminders of the human stories behind global historical forces. Modern Yoruba studies and historians of slavery continue to draw on his testimony as a direct African voice in an era when most ethnographic records were filtered through European traders or missionaries.

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Sources
National Museum of African Art (Smithsonian Institution), “Life Mask of Osifekunde of Ijebu”, collection notes.

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Declare Your Lineage – Royal Family Tells Musician KWAM 1 Over His Interest In Becoming Next Awujale Of Ijebuland

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12 hours ago

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December 7, 2025

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KWAM 1, in a letter dated December 3, 2025, addressed to the chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Agunsebi Quarters, Ijebu-Ode, announced his interest in the stool, describing himself as a “bonafide son” of the ruling house.

The Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu-Ode, next in line to produce the new Awujale of Ijebuland, Ogun State, has instructed Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1, to confirm his family’s royal lineage to validate his membership in the ruling house.

KWAM 1, in a letter dated December 3, 2025, addressed to the chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Agunsebi Quarters, Ijebu-Ode, announced his interest in the stool, describing himself as a “bonafide son” of the ruling house.

KWAM 1 also stated that his candidacy aligns with Ijebu customary law and the Ogun State Chieftaincy Laws.

In an interview with Punch, the Chairman of the ruling house and former National President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Abdulateef Owoyemi, said only bonafide members of the family would be allowed to participate in the selection process.

Owoyemi explained that KWAM 1, Olori Omooba of Ijebu land and others interested in the stool have been directed to complete the Fusengbuwa ruling house royal lineage data form.

According to him, the form, which requires contenders to trace their genealogy back seven generations, ensures that only genuine princes from the family can participate, thereby blocking “strangers” from claiming the throne.

He said, “The first step for anyone interested in contesting for the Awujale throne is to declare their lineage by filling the standard Fusengbuwa ruling house royal lineage data form. Once confirmed as a legitimate member of the ruling house, they can then apply for the expression of interest form.

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“We have told him, just like everyone else interested in the Awujale throne, that the first step is to declare his lineage. He will do this by completing the royal lineage data form, showing his full name, which parent and grandparent he descends from, and continuing up to seven generations.

“The completed form will be signed and submitted to the head of the ruling house unit of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, who will affirm that he is a genuine member. Only then will the process move forward.”

Owoyemi emphasised that although the application window for the throne officially closed on December 5, KWAM 1 had been given a five-day extension, which would lapse on December 10.

He noted, “We won’t shut anybody out of picking the next Awujale, but we must ensure that you are a legitimate member of Fusengbuwa. Every right comes with responsibilities. For a royal family, everyone must prove their legitimacy by completing the royal lineage data form.

“When we receive the form, we will review it meticulously. If clarification is needed, we will contact the applicant. We welcome men of influence who will use their influence to enhance the throne, not to claim it, ensuring that what truly belongs to our family is preserved.”

Owoyemi explained that the local government has given them 14 days to select candidates, and the ruling house hopes to have a new Awujale by the second or third week of January 2026.

He added, “The local government has given us 14 days to select candidates, which expires on December 18. After that, the kingmakers have seven days to deliberate and choose one candidate, whose name will be forwarded to the governor.

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“Legally, the government then has 21 days to conduct background checks and security clearance, allowing for objections or protests. After this period, the State Executive Council will ratify the nominee, and the governor will announce the next Awujale, after which coronation rites will commence.

“So, combining the candidate selection, kingmakers’ deliberation, and legal objection period, we are looking at around 42 days. Therefore, we expect the next Awujale to emerge between the second and third week of January.”

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VIDEO: I’m Married But Not In My Husband’s House; I Didn’t Have The Experience Of Living Happily Ever After – Singer Shola Allyson Reveals

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December 7, 2025

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While speaking about her love life, the 54-year-old who came into limelight with a love album ‘Eji Owuro’, revealed that she is married but not living with her husband.

Sola Allyson, the popular Nigerian gospel singer, has revealed that she is not currently living with her husband.

The musician made this known in her latest interview on Oyinmomo TV.

While speaking about her love life, the 54-year-old who came into limelight with a love album ‘Eji Owuro’, revealed that she is married but not living with her husband.

Sharing her marital experience, the singer said she has never enjoyed the kind of happiness many people describe.

“I’m married, but I’m not in my husband’s house. We live separately. He in his house and I in mine.”

The interviewer asked: “You sang ‘Eji Owuro’, did you experience genuine love from your husband?

She replied, “We lied before. Those older than us didn’t inform us that it’s tough. They made us believe that so long as you both love each other, you will live happily ever after, but it’s a lie.

“That’s not the experience I have. I didn’t have the experience of living happily ever after. I did all I could to make it work.

“Marriage has been a big challenge. I hear people talk about joy in marriage, but I have never experienced it.”

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VIDEO: Shola Allyson Finally Opens Up, Reveals Why She Does Not Reference Jesus In Her Songs

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16 hours ago

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December 7, 2025

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Recall that Allyson, who is regarded as a gospel singer, was dragged on social media in March 2025 for not directly referencing ‘Jesus’ in all her songs.

Shola Allyson, the renowned Nigerian songstress, has opened up on the real reason she avoids mentioning the name of Jesus in all her songs.

Recall that Allyson, who is regarded as a gospel singer, was dragged on social media in March 2025 for not directly referencing ‘Jesus’ in all her songs.

Reacting to her critics in a post on X, the songstress stated that “No one can bully me into joining their darkness that looks like light because indolent souls find comfort in it”.

Finally revealing her reason for not mentioning Jesus in her songs, Shola Allyson on Saturday during her latest interview on Oyinmomo TV, stated that Jesus did not ask her to do PR for him.

She said “I’m not a religious singer. As I am, I have never introduced myself as a gospel singer. My name is Shola Allyson. I’m a singer”.

Interviewer; “Some people said you don’t mention ‘Jesus’ name’ in all your songs”.

She quickly responded “Jesus did not instruct us to mention his name in songs nor did Jesus ask us to do PR for Him”.

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