This is Why Yorubas Are Loved Around The World

Why Yorubas Are Loved Around The World and How This Can Help Nigeria

One of the loneliest places on Earth is Europe, especially England. The warmth you see in Nigeria, especially the Southwest, is totally missing from Europe. Europe may be prosperous, but it is not a very happy place. People tend to keep to themselves, and you, as a Black immigrant from Africa or the Caribbeans, soon realise that warmth is greater than wealth.

And that is why everywhere in Europe, people are gravitating towards Nigerian culture. Specifically, Yoruba culture. Because Yorubas know how to make warmth and wealth, and the combination of the two is fire.

Imagine my shock and utter amazement to see the crowd Burna Boy pulled in Kosovo. Kosovo, of all places. This is a part of Eastern Europe that was war-torn and almost impervious to Black people until not too long ago. And now you have tens of thousands of young people gaga for Afrobeats.

And the crowds Asake is generating, and the energy that flows from them to him is nothing short of electrifying. And some silly people are asking him to stop singing in Yoruba. Do you think he can draw those large crowds if he croons in English? They are coming for the exoticness of the Lukumi language!

Even in places like South Africa, where there is intense xenophobia against Nigerians, and Kenya, where there is growing xenophobia against our people, they are beginning to micromanage and geo-target their xenophobia. Which I do not agree with. I am just telling you what is happening.

South Africans and Kenyans do not resent all Nigerians. Sadly, they have a negative view of some Nigerians, but not all.

South African and Kenyan women love Yoruba men. In fact, that is only half the story. Yoruba men, and even Yoruba demons, are loved worldwide. Because they are ballers. Agba ballers. They are generous with money, romantic in song, word and actions, and love to party. Which woman will not love that combo?

Whereas in these countries, their men think they are a prize to their women, Yorubas go there and turn their women into prize catches. They sweep them off their feet, and after a single dalliance with a Yoruba, many of them forever lose their taste for their local men. This results in an unbalanced xenophobia. All of those societies tend to resent some Nigerians. But their women do not resent Yorubas. Instead, they consider them a catch.

I once overheard a conversation in a grocery shop in California where a woman, I think she was Kenyan, was inviting her friend to her party on the phone, and from the conversation, the friend demurred. Then she said, ‘The Nigerians will be there’, to convince the person on the other end.

And even when you look at Nigerian culture, what aspect is most successful?

Of course, it is our music. But not just music of Nigerian origin. Specifically, music of Yoruba origin.

One day, I asked myself why Yoruba music is so successful. Of Africa’s top ten most streamed artistes, six are Nigerian, and five are fully or partly Yoruba, including Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Davido and Ayra Starr. And now, Asake is about to join the list.

Of the top ten highest-grossing Nollywood movies, 100% are by Yoruba actors or directors.

I then decided to analyse these cultural phenomena. And what I discovered is that Yoruba music and movies by Yoruba directors tend to promote and project the brighter side of life: enjoyment, cruise, gbedu, romantic love, boasting, sadly, fornication (which I don’t approve of), hanging out with your friends.

Believe it or not, I listened to thirty of the most streamed songs by Yoruba artistes and not one of them was about any subject that could make you sad or melancholy. No song about unrequited love, heartbreak, or sorrow in society. They were all upbeat and optimistic, making you feel good about yourself and life.

You cannot listen to Yoruba music and be depressed. Instead, you will be elevated. You will not vex. Rather, you will flex and get rid of any hex!

And then it struck me: The centrepiece of Yoruba culture is that it is extremely positive. From their homes to their communities, Yoruba are a people that deal in optimism and positivity.

To you, who are not used to them, it might look like ostentation, flashiness, being loud and a lot of show off, but would you want to exchange that for the cold, lonely, and individualistic lifestyle that has made Europe such a depressing place?

If you travel to London, England and take a bus to Peckham, you will see warmth, joy, positivity and many Yorubas.

Please fact-check me: Peckham is the neighbourhood with the highest population density of Yorubas outside Nigeria. And guess what? In 2019, TimeOut magazine and Business Insider officially named Peckham the coolest place in the United Kingdom and the eleventh coolest place on planet Earth.

Whereas there are racial tensions and anti-immigration protests in other parts of the UK, Peckham has been rated the place more White Anglo-Saxons want to go. And this is a place where more than 50% of the population identifies as Black.

Moral of the story: Whether in Nigeria or abroad, we can all increase our chances of being loved, welcomed and admired by projecting warmth and positivity rather than aggressiveness and competition, which some of our people are known for.

Look at America. The highest-ranking Nigerian there is Yoruba-Wale Adeyemo, United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. In England, the top-ranking Nigerian is Kemi Badenoch.

Why are Yorubas Nigeria’s best ambassadors? It all boils down to this quote by Maya Angelou:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Reno Omokri

Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022.