Ile Ife is the origin of the Yoruba race. It's the spiritual headquarter of all Yoruba race wherever they are found. That's why it's called the source.  Who is Oranmiyan? He's one of the youngest children of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race. Just as Ife can not be separated from it's kings and kingdoms, far and wide, so also is the story of Ife and Oranmiyan. Oranmiyan founded Oyo. He was a warrior king extraordinaire. He was the first Alaafin of Oyo. He was the father of King Sango (who became a god, and deified by his followers after his death) and King Ajaka.  It was King Sango who liberated the Oyo's from the Owu and stopped the payments of tribute to the Olowu. The present Oba (king) or royal family of Benin Kingdom, Edo State in Nigeria are descendants of Eweka, the son of Oranmiyan. When Oranmiyan left Benin, he installed his son, Eweka as the new king. The Alaafin of Oyo and the Oba of Benin are brothers.  There is a place at Ife called "O...

As a child I wanted to have many children. Honestly I was thinking of founding my own village, because I was born in the urban of Africa and travelled a lot with my late dad.  To me, the thoughts of old Africa is the realization or experience of paradise. Old Africa is the example of the paradise we quest. Those who lived in Africa before the Arabic and European invasion lived in paradise. Indigenous people at different corners of the world once had similar experiences. I can never forget the tales told by my grandmother, "Mamoo" at Ebute Metta.  The people of old Africa were contented with what they have. That society was ruled by ancestral laws and no one was above the law, including the king. Ofcourse, there were tribal wars but diplomacy existed among Africans. A people with thousands of languages and ethnic groups, who co-existed and sorted their differences the African way. I used to imagine how beautiful it is for those that are born in the villages. To wake up to go t...