Arts of Being Yoruba

There is a culturally significant way of being Yoruba that is expressed through dress, greetings, and celebrations--no matter where in the world they take place. Adeleke Adek documents Yoruba patterns of behavior and articulates a philosophy of how to be Yoruba in this innovative study. As he focuses on historical writings, Ifa divination practices, the use of proverbs in contemporary speech, photography, gendered ideas of dressing well, and the formalities of ceremony and speech at celebratory occasions, Adeeko contends that being Yoruba is indeed an art and Yoruba-ness is a dynamic phenomenon that responds to cultural shifts as Yoruba people inhabit an increasingly globalized world.