International Conference on Ile-Ife and Yoruba Civilisation: The Nexus between Tradition and Modernity

DATE: OCTOBER 10-14, 2023

VENUE: OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

CALL FOR PAPERS

Ile-Ife is the cradle of Yoruba civilisation. According to Yoruba traditions, Ile-Ife was founded by the eponymous ancestor of the Yoruba people, Oduduwa, who also became the first divine king of the Yoruba people. The name, Ile-Ife, literally means the place of dispersal. Its very existence suggested the peopling of the Yoruba world from this sacred site. We welcome proposals, panels, papers and poster presentations that will enhance scholarly conception and understanding of Ile-Ife as the cradle of the Yoruba race and as the cultural headquarters of the black people. Given the centrality of Ile-Ife in Yoruba history, worldview, philosophy, religion and state formation processes, this conference brings together the fragmented pieces of Ile-Ife's cultural, political, demographic, social, economic and intellectual history from a multiplicity of perspectives. This conference deserves widespread interest and attention. Indeed, from the time it came into existence until Yoruba civilisation crystallised, Ile-Ife has played significant roles in ensuring that the people's cultural values, ideals and philosophies have remained sacrosanct. The conference intends to identify and address several issues and subjects. How a monarchical system that developed in Ile-Ife became a template for the Yoruba-speaking people who, today, populate the Southwestern part of Nigeria, Republics of Benin, Togo, Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and other places in the Caribbean, underscores the political relevance of Ile-Ife in human development. Although there is controversy over the development of the institution of Ooni, the establishment of a centralised power structure with elaborate social, economic and judicial systems also portend that the Yoruba and, indeed, the black race are capable of organising a complex institution. How did the process of political centralisation begin in Ile-Ife? What is the implication of such development on other Yoruba kingdoms? How did the institution of the Ooni evolve? Who were the direct heirs of Oduduwa? Was Oranmiyan from Ile-Ife? It has also been suggested that there are over 400 or 201 deities in Ile-Ife worshipped with elaborate splendor. The role of the Ooni in the celebration of these deities deserves deeper exploration and critical examination. Of what cultural importance are these deities? Do they have a place in modern cultural realities? These and many posers will be addressed by participants from diverse disciplines and backgrounds at the conference.

For enquiries, please contact:

Charles Omotayo; charlesomotayo@yahoo.com, omototayocharles@gmail.com

Tel. No: +2348068966219