Philosophizing in Yorùbá: Exploring a People’s Weltanschauung

Yoruba is the language and culture of a people primarily found in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cuba, and Brazil. Their philosophical ideas prominently feature in their culture, language, and traditions. In this lecture, I will explore how the Yoruba people have conceptualized existence, morality, knowledge, and governance. Additionally, I will analyze stories, poems, proverbs, and literary texts from the Yoruba tradition, including the Ifa literary corpus, that provide valuable insights into how the Yoruba have engaged with fundamental philosophical questions over the centuries.