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A Tale of Two Empires: A Forensic Analysis of How and Why the Ethiopians Escaped Colonization but the Yorubas Did Not

Mister Seun Ayoade* Short Communication Independent Researcher, University of Ibadan, Nigeria Volume 4 Issue 1 Received Date: March 11, 2021 *Corresponding author: Mister Seun Ayoade, Bsc (Hons) PHYSIOLOGY, Independent March 17, 2021 Researcher. Alumnus College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Tel: Published Date: DOI: 10.23880/aeoaj-16000141 +2348060221764; Email: [email protected]

Short Communication the lives of three very adroit Yoruba men viz Bishop Samuel

A millennium ago they cast bronze and brass, smelted Johnson. Descendants of the emperor of Oyo when Oyo was iron and copper, built walled cities with tens of thousands Ajayi Crowther [died 1891] and his cousins, The Brothers virtually single handedly engineered Yoruba colonization Africa. By 1886-that momentous year-they had modern at its peak in the late 1700s [Alaafin Abiodun] these men of inhabitants and at one point ruled a fine slice of West Anglican Church was an extremely gifted linguist. He could Yet they fared no better than the most primitive spear by The British. Ajayi Crowther, the first black bishop of The weapons including rifles, rockets and The Gatling Gun. received a doctorate from Oxford University. His genius is This paper examines why given their relative state of speak many languages and took a degree in classics. He also advancementwielding African The tribe Yoruba in thepeople theatre were of colonized colonization. especially Why? vis-à-vis The Ethiopians who escaped colonization. Englishprobably Dictionary. best exemplified Yet for byall hishis translationgenius, it was of The he Holywho advisedBible to YorubaQueen andVictoria the compilation to authorize of the firstbombardment ever Yoruba/ of In the 19th century European nations were obsessed with Lagos with the battleship HMS Bloodhound in 1851. This was colonizing Africa and Asia. They even had comparatively the very start of the colonization of The Yorubas; and netted enlightened Japan in their sights!

“Russian ships made visits to Japan in 1792, 1804 and pennedBritain herthe firstfamous piece History of Yoruba of The territory-Lagos. Yorubas From Samuel The 1811 and it is possible that if Russia’s attention had not been EarliestJohnson Times[1846-1901], To The Beginningan Anglican of priest The British and gifted Protectorate. historian diverted to European problems it would have succeeded chap-as cunning as he was clever. He obtained not one but twoObadiah medical Johnson degrees [1849–1920] from the University his brother of Edinburgh. was a brilliant The in breaking the seclusion policy [of the Japanese]…..HMS inPhaeton reports forced (1812-1816) an entry to into the Nagasaki secret committee in 1808 causingof the Eastconsternation India Company among , outlined The Japanese a far reaching authorities…..Raffles scheme for Bachelor of Medicine [M.B., C.M] in 1886 and the Doctor of the commercial domination of Japan and sent two British Medicine [M.D.] in 1889. The very cunning intrigues of these “threeBackground musketeers” decided the fate of millions. quarters for the annexation of Formosa, the Luchus and The ships to Nagasaki….plans were even put forward in some By 1886 Christianity had been in Yorubaland for 43 the dangers of political and economic domination by foreign powersBonins…..During through thistheir crucial preoccupation period Japan in the was international saved from made very little progress. An exception was among the Egbayears branch [since of 1843] The butYoruba. despite Persecution intense by evangelism the majority had pagans against the few Christian converts existed but only field. Britain….was concentrating…in China, France was….. in isolated bursts. Very few Yoruba Christians were actually entangled in Mexico….The American Republic was prevented by theBerlin civil Conferencewar from taking aside, a thevery colonization active part……” of The [1]. Yoruba by The British cannot be understood without understanding couldkilled never for their get pagans faith. Most to marry persecution them so camethe few in Christians the form shunning, mockery and ostracization. Yoruba Christians

A Tale of Two Empires: A Forensic Analysis of How and Why the Ethiopians Escaped Colonization Anthropol Ethnol Open Acc J but the Yorubas Did Not 2 Anthropology and Ethnology Open Access Journal

ecstasy the Yoruba Christians headed to Lagos to see The these pioneer Yoruba Christians were Protestant Christians British Governor General who must have thought Christmas married among themselves and were quite tightknit. Most of had come early. The news was almost too good to be true. toof realize Church that of EnglandChristianity [Anglican] would never affiliation. catch Some on without highly themselves under The British Empire’s protection! And so forward thinking and intelligent fanatics among them began Without resistance, here were a local people willing to put military invasion from Christian Britain. Yoruba Christians out by the Yoruba Christian intelligentsia and The British something dramatic happening. Something dramatic like a Governorthe terms ofGeneral the decampment of Lagos. Threeand peace decades treaty earlier, were worked it had protectionwere treated and like courted second them class because citizens the byChristians the rank had and a Bloodhound and the loss of hundreds of lives for the British file Yoruba pagans but the Yoruba leaders offered them taken the bombardment of Lagos by the battleship HMS hinterland was coming to The British without any resistance! theseskill the Christians pagan rulers drafted needed and translated and prized-the letters ability for monarchs. to speak Post-hasteto take Lagos the from Yoruba the Yoruba.Christian Now minority the far moreheaded populous to the Oneand writecan thesee Whitehow man’sthe opportunity language [English]. and temptation So it was thatfor manipulation and deceit was great under such conditions. A they had drawn up in collusion with the Governor General of lot was added and lost in translation. Lagos.battlefield To get and the got winning the losing side to side sign to up sign was thenot so documents easy but eventually they too signed. The Christian minority had pulled That the Yoruba Christian intelligentsias were liberal in the translation of letters is on record. The Reverend Samuel had been achieved in a matter of days! The 1886 documents Johnson even advised it in History of the yorubas. Critiquing guaranteedit off. What decadesprotection of furiousfrom persecution evangelism couldto all not Christians achieve and forced the pagan rulers to encourage the preaching of some pagan Yoruba rulers The Reverend Samuel Johnson wasa letter sure from that The part Acting of the Governor spirit of ofthe Lagos letter [Fred would Evans] be lost to pagan religion was also abolished. And to enforce all these, in translation. Hear him viz- “But happily the patronizing Britishthe Gospel. Colonial Human troops sacrifice, armed part with and state parcel of the of artthe MartiniYoruba language of the letter which discloses so much thinly veiled contempt will be lost in translation, and in other respects new dispensation the hitherto despised Christians became theHenry elite, Rifles second were only stationed to the pagan in every rulers Yoruba themselves. town. In Mass this interpreters MAY BE TRUSTED to make up in tone and andexpression death the for whatYoruba is Christian wanting inintelligentsia style and diction ameliorated [2]. In Theconversions tables had to Christianityturned and slowlythe Yoruba but surely pagans took and place muslims and harshthose daysletters when and pagananimated Yoruba tepid kings letters had at the will power to suit of thelife werechurches now and the missionsecond class schools citizens. sprung If upthose like pagan mushrooms. Yoruba

No opportunity to alter the meanings of documents to their greatsituation advantage and temper arose of asrecipients did in 1886 and to however. save their Two own Yoruba skins. Samuelrulers and Johnson) their armies they were had handingbeen told sovereignty that by affixing over to their the armies with combined forces of over two hundred thousand British,marks toto thata man 1886 they treatywould (instigatedhave buried by the the hatchet Reverend and men had fought themselves to exhaustion. One of the sides united against the white usurpers. Ever heard the tale of slowly but surely annihilating the other side which was had obtained the Gatling gun and the sneider rifle and was the frog gradually boiled without realizing it? That was how the Yoruba Christian Intelligentsia had been waiting for. The treatyYoruba armistice colonization ceremony. took place. Both Itpreviously is very important warring factionsto note Yorubausing mostly Christian muskets intelligentsia [3]. This wasapproached the golden the opportunity losing side returnedthat there to was their NO cities disarmament with every of swordany kind still during in its scabbardthe 1886 and informed them they could bring an immediate end to the war. If only they would allow Great Britain to mediate in the war, British troops (armed with state of the art Martini hadn’tand every the rifle foggiest still slung idea on that shoulder. they Nowere arms being or ammunition colonized. was surrendered and no guns stacked. The pagan soldiers andHenry escort Rifles, them rockets home. and But Maxim the losing Guns) side would would guarantee have to Disarmament by the crafty British took place slowly over the accepttheir safe a British withdrawal Resident and and decampment British Colonial from troopsthe battlefield in their littlenext decade.too late. And Too when many the British pagan troops rulers finallyhad been realized quartered what the British were up to they fought back but by then it was too the 1892 Ijebu campaign and the 1895 bombardment of Oyo nottowns tell to them “protect was them”that they from would the winning as a result side’s cease ostensible to rule in the land. The pagans were soundly defeated as typified in themselvesfuture reprisal. and What would the be Yoruba joining Christian the British Intelligentsia Empire. Notdid realizing what they were getting themselves into, the losing fiasco.As he wrote the last words of History of The Yorubas side of course agreed. In what must have been a state of Samuel Johnson inadvertently let the cat out of the bag. In

Mister Seun Ayoade. A Tale of Two Empires: A Forensic Analysis of How and Why the Ethiopians Copyright© Mister Seun Ayoade. Escaped Colonization but the Yorubas Did Not. Anthropol Ethnol Open Acc J 2021, 4(1): 000141. 3 Anthropology and Ethnology Open Access Journal

collusion with the C.M.S. [whom he sent the manuscript after the partition of Africa/Berlin conference [5]! through] his goal was to create a Christian country. couldn’t be pulled on them. Ethiopia had also been Christian sinceEthiopia the 4th hadcentury, a system even of before writing Britain, so the Germany literacy trickand “With the establishment of The British Protectorate a most of Europe. Yes, Ethiopians were celebrating Easter and thatnew mustera dawned of necessity upon arisethe country. by the applicationWhen we have of rules allowed and Christmas and going to church when the British and Germans ideasfor all ofthe a difficulties highly civilized of a transition people tostage, one the of disadvantagesanother race, were still worshipping Thor and Odin. So the Christianization degree of civilization and of different ideas, we hope the net excuse for colonization couldn’t be pulled on The Ethiopians. This is why the Yoruba were colonized but The Ethiopians that CHRISTIANITY SHOULD BE THE PRINCIPAL RELIGION were not. INresult THE will LAND-paganism be a distinct gain and to mohammedanism the country…and ABOVEhaving ALLhad References theirConclusion full trial [4]. 1. (1970) Chambers’s Encyclopaedia. International Learning Systems London 8: 48-49. Despite their relatively high state of advancement The Yorubas ended up being colonized because of the subversive 2. (1921) History of The Yorubas From The Earliest Times To The Beginning of The British Protectorate. George highly intelligent but opportunistic Yoruba Christian Routeledge and Sons, London, Nigeria, pp: 539-540. minoritytrickery/treachery in collusion of with a handful The Church of Christian Missionary fanatics. Society This 3. (1921) History of The Yorubas From The Earliest Times fooled the illiterate pagan Yorubas into signing away their To The Beginning of The British Protectorate. George sovereignty. The indisputable proof for this hypothesis is Routeledge and Sons, London, Nigeria, pp: 450-500. that the only Yorubas who had converted to Christianity to any appreciable degree by 1886 (The Egba) escaped 4. (1921) History of The Yorubas From The Earliest Times colonization up till the year 1914! The Egbas formed a sort of To The Beginning of The British Protectorate. George Routeledge and Sons, London, Nigeria, pp: 641-642. to King Edward of England! However, numbering only a few Christian “state within the state” and even sent ambassadors 5. Agneta Pallinder Law (1974) Aborted Modernization in andthousand be absorbed and being into landlocked Nigeria by theirLord Lugard,country a[styled full 28 “Egbayears History, Cambridge University Press 15(1): 65-82. United Government”] was doomed to lose its independence West Africa? the Case of Abeokuta. The Journal of African

Mister Seun Ayoade. A Tale of Two Empires: A Forensic Analysis of How and Why the Ethiopians Copyright© Mister Seun Ayoade. Escaped Colonization but the Yorubas Did Not. Anthropol Ethnol Open Acc J 2021, 4(1): 000141.