The Yorubas of Ghana
The historic migration of the Yoruba people from Ile-Ife has shaped Ghana’s Yoruba community through trade, faith and family ties. At the heart of this connection is Chief Brimah, an Ilorin merchant, whose leadership and entrepreneurial spirit forged enduring bonds with the Ga people and deeply influenced Accra’s Zongo communities.
Editor’s note: This essay is available in our print issue, Demas Nwoko’s Natural Synthesis and the Rise of African Architecture. Buy the issue here.
In February 2022, following his enstoolment, the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II went on a historic journey to Ile-Ife, Nigeria, the ancestral homeland of the Ga people, to reaffirm the cultural ties between the Ga and Yoruba peoples. Accompanied by a delegation of Ga traditional leaders, he was warmly received by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, who had previously visited Ghana in 2016 to highlight the two groups’ shared kinship. These visits point to the mutual historical acknowledgement and the significance of their heritage in contemporary times.
Migration has long been a defining element of human history—shaping societies, economies, and cultures across the globe. In Africa, such movements have been instrumental in knitting together diverse cultures, histories and traditions. For the Yorubas, whose ancestral lands span across Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togo, migration is integral to their identity. Their movements have connected disparate cultures and reshaped social landscapes.
As of 2024, the Yoruba population is estimated to be over 50 million in West Africa, with the majority living in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana. Historically, African migrations were motivated by the need for fertile land, commercial possibilities, political struggle, religious expansion and even divination by soothsayers, as attested by oral tales of groups travelling in quest of better chances or to complete spiritual mandates. For example, Yoruba migrations frequently include these causes, resulting in vibrant trade and cultural interaction across regions.
These movements motivated interactions that created dynamic societies. A notable example is the shared histories of the Yoruba people of Nigeria and the Ga people of Ghana. It is believed that the Ga people emigrated from Ile-Ife in southwestern Nigeria before settling along Ghana’s southeastern coast...
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