Are you aware Yoruba is not only spoken in Nigeria? It is predominantly across some other countries you will read about here. Yoruba is one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria; it is mostly spoken in the Southwestern part of the country. The language has its roots as a Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

Farming is a major occupation; trading too is an integral aspect of the lives of Yoruba people. Cocoa is a major cash crop including maize, plantains, yams, groundnuts, and millet. In terms of artistic skills and productivity, Yorubas have always been among the best in Africa. Traditionally, women engage in basket weaving, cotton spinning, and cloth dyeing. Bronze casting was at its peak in Yoruba land between the 13th and 14th centuries and has since been a symbol of excellence across West Africa.

1. Salvador, Brazil

Brazil, one of the Yoruba-speaking countries, has a history of African descent. Salvador is a city and capital of Bahia in Brazil. It is located in the southern area of the country which separates it from the Atlantic Ocean. Yorubas are quite predominant there and they worship Ogun, Yemoja, Sango, and Egungun. 

The existence of this tribe in Salvador can be traced to the migration that happened during the “Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade” centuries ago. One of the unique traits of these people is their relentless effort to practice their tradition despite the sorrow and struggles they went through as slaves. 

The worshippers of the Yoruba gods are known to always dress in white garments led by priests and priestesses. It is always quite interesting whenever they make sacrifices at the shrine and dance to the melodious tune of a traditional drum called “Ilu Agere”. Another cultural trait exhibited by the Yorubas in Salvador is their love for bean cake known as “Akara” – it is highly consumed; and prepared with the same recipe as in Nigeria like palm oil, onions, beans, and pepper.

2. Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a Western African country. A Portuguese explorer called “Pedro de Sinatra” was the first to discover Freetown harbour in the 15th century. “Serra Lyoa” (Lion Mountains) refers to the different hills that surround the harbour. Sierra Leone is one of the most prominent Yoruba-speaking countries in the world. The liberated Yoruba slaves in the mid-19th century who later settled in this country are referred to as “Oku or Aku. ” They reside mostly in Banjul and are found in Fourah Bay, Fula Town, and Aberdeen Village. 

The slaves discussed here were mostly Yoruba business people from Abeokuta and Lagos. In addition to what we mentioned earlier, Oku people are descendants of liberated Yoruba Africans who later settled in Sierra Leone – they eventually formed a distinctive community right from the 1840s. 

3. Benin Republic

Benin Republic, formerly known as Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. The capital city is Porto-Novo; the seat of governance is in Cotonou — the economic capital and the most populous city. The economy of the country is heavily dependent on agriculture. 

As one of the Yoruba-speaking countries, Benin Republic shares history with Nigeria ethnically. “Ketu” is the name adopted by the Yorubas and their traditional ruler is called “Alaketu” — related to Ile-Ife, Nigeria. According to history, Ketu is one of the original kingdoms established by the children of Oduduwa but some sources claim the kingdom was much dependent on Oyo; they paid annual tribute to them. 

Regardless of the different narrations, without a doubt, Oyo and Ketu have maintained close friendships due to their historical, cultural, and ethnic ties. When the kingdom was part of Oyo’s forces, they often fought Dahomey but they were eventually defeated in the 1880s and sold into slavery. The Benin Yoruba has a unique accent because of the influence of some languages like “Egun” spoken in the country.

4. Togo

Togo, a country in West Africa also part of the Yoruba-speaking countries, shares formidable similarities with its counterparts in Nigeria. The capital is called “Lome” – it extends to the Gulf of Guinea. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the coastal region was the European slave trade post — it is referred to as “The Slave Coast.”  

Atakpame, a town in Togo, shares similarities with Abeokuta and Oyo. This small town in Togo is surrounded by seven mountains just like the aforementioned state in Nigeria – that has Olumo Rock and Oke Ibadan as their ancestral symbols. Atakpame also shares historical similarities with Idanre in Ondo state — a town with huge and beautiful mountains. 

The Ife Togo – a dialect of Yoruba is spoken by about ninety thousand people in Atakpame. The Ife settlers migrated from Dahomey into the Togolese territory and founded Atakpame. Ife Togo dialect retains all the originality and tonal features of the Yoruba language; every word is tone marked but just the mid tone which is no longer marked in the current writing system of Yoruba in Nigeria is still marked. Another angle is, two consonants that are no longer allowed to be used together are still present in Ife Togo; for instance “Oshogbo’ should be “Osogbo’”, and “Ogbomosho” is now “Ogbomoso.” 

5. Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire is located in the Western part of Africa. Its capital is called Yamoussoukro; the largest city and economic centre is Abidjan. The official language of the country is French;  indigenous languages are also widely used. One of the first set of migrants in Côte d’Ivoire were the Ejigbos but they first settled in Ghana, Togo, and Benin. 

Ejigbo is a city in Osun state, Nigeria founded by Akinjole Ogiyan  — a descendant of Oduduwa. Together with his brother, the founder of Ikire-Ile, left Ile-Ife with Oranmiyan to establish their own town. Akinjole became the paramount ruler of many villages across Yoruba land. 

Ejigbo people have a long history as emigrants mostly to Côte d’Ivoire since the 1900s. They refer to their community leader as “Oba”. It could be “Oba Aboba”, “Oba Treichville” and so on. The Oba of Abidjan is referred to as “Oba Abidjan ” – he is the head of the Ejigbo community leader of Cote d’Ivoire. The love of trading has made the Ejigbos more comfortable in Abidjan and has become a welcoming place for Yoruba speakers.