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Mohammed Shitta Bey
Chief Mohammed Shitta-Bey (c.1824 – 4 July 1895), alias Olowo Pupa, was the first titled Seriki Musulumi of Lagos. He was a prominent Nigerian Muslim businessman, aristocrat and philanthropist who was involved in commerce across Lagos and the Niger-Delta region. He was also a patron of the Shitta-Bey Mosque in Lagos, and served as a leader in the Lagos Muslim community until his death. Early life Shitta-Bey was born in the liberated African village of Waterloo, Sierra Leone, to Salu and Aishat Shitta, repatriated Yoruba people who were rescued by the British West Africa Squadron from the Atlantic Slave Trade and were a part of the Oku Mohammedan community in Sierra Leone. Shitta-Bey's parents moved from Waterloo to Fourah Bay around 1831, where his father became Imam of the Fourah Bay Muslim community. Shitta's birth name was Mohammed Shitta. The name "Bey" was a title awarded to him by the Sultan of Turkey, Abdul Hamid II, in recognition of Shitta's philanthropy. He was ...
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Oku People
The Oku people or the Aku Marabout or Aku Mohammedans are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone and the Gambia, primarily the descendants of marabout, liberated Yoruba people who were released from slave ships and resettled in Sierra Leone as Liberated Africans or came as settlers in the mid-19th century. Some Oku historically have intermarried since then with the ethnic Sierra Leone Creole people. The Creole are primarily descendants of African-American former slaves, as well as some from Jamaica, Nova Scotia, and slaves liberated from illegal slave trading in the 19th century. The Oku people primarily reside in the communities of Fourah Bay, Fula Town, and Aberdeen. The official cemetery of Oku People from Fourah Bay is the Aku Mohammedan Cemetery on Kennedy Street as well as Circular Road Cemetery of Magazine. About 99% of the Oku are Muslim. A minority of Oku people have recently converted to Christianity. They are known for their inquisitive nature, adventurous spirit, and ...
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Chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as an intermediate stage between the band society of the Paleolithic stage and civilization with centralized, super-regional government based in Cities of the Ancient Near East, cities. Anthropologist Elman Service distinguishes two stages of tribal societies: simple societies organized by limited instances of social rank and prestige, and more stratified society, stratified societies led by chieftains or tribal kings (chiefdoms). Stratified tribal societies led by tribal kings are thought to have flourished from the Neolithic stage into the Iron Age, albeit in competition with Urban area, urban civilisations and empires beginning in the Bronze Age. In the case of tribal societies of indigenous peoples existing within larger colonial a ...
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Kosoko
Kosoko (died 1872) was a member of the Ologun Kutere Lagos Royal Family who reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1845 to 1851. His father was Oba Osinlokun and his siblings were Idewu Ojulari (who was Oba from 1829 to 1834/35), Olufunmi, Odunsi, Ladega, Ogunbambi, Akinsanya, Ogunjobi, Akimosa, Ibiyemi, Adebajo, Matimoju, Adeniyi, Isiyemi, Igbalu, Oresanya, and Idewu-Ojulari. Ascendancy Kosoko's ascendancy to the Obaship of Lagos in 1845 was predated by a series of dramatic events. Rift between the Osinlokun and Adele lines When Oba Ologun Kutere died (between 1800 and 1805), a succession struggle ensued between his older son (Osinlokun) and his younger and preferred son (Adele). Though the kingship was not determined by birth order but by Kingmakers and consultation of the Ifa Oracle, Osinlokun and his followers mounted opposition to Adele's kingship. Adele's reign was then cut short in 1819 by his older brother, Osinlokun, in 1819, forcing Adele to exile to Badagry where he assumed ...
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Edward Wilmot Blyden
Edward Wilmot Blyden (3 August 1832 – 7 February 1912) was a Liberian educator, writer, diplomat, and politician who was primarily active in West Africa. Born in the Danish West Indies, he joined the waves of black immigrants from the Americas who migrated to the country. Blyden became a teacher for five years in the British West African colony of Sierra Leone in the early twentieth century. His writings on pan-Africanism became influential throughout West Africa, attracting attention in countries such as the United States as well. He believed that Zionism was a model for what he termed Ethiopianism, and that African Americans could return to Africa and help in the rebuilding of the continent. Blyden was recognised in his youth for his talents and drive; he was educated and mentored by John Knox, an American Protestant minister in Sankt Thomas who encouraged him to continue his education in the United States. In 1850 Blyden was refused admission to three Northern theo ...
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Gilbert Thomas Carter
Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (Sir Thomas Gilbert-Carter) (14 January 1848 – 18 January 1927) was an administrative officer in the Royal Navy and a colonial official for the British Empire. Starting as a Collector of Customs for the Gold Coast, he then became a Treasurer of the Gold Coast and the Gambia. Moving on to colonial administration, he started as the Administrator for the Gambia, where he dealt with the aggression of the native king of Gambia. His next post was as Governor for the Lagos Colony where he negotiated treaties with the local chiefs which protected Christian missionaries and ending human sacrifies. He later served as the Governor for The Bahamas and Barbados and finally as the Governor for Trinidad and Tobago. Early life and Naval career Carter was born in Topsham, Devon in 1848."Sir Gilbert Thomas Gilbert-Carter (1848–1927)" by Bob Maddocks in ''Cameo'', Journal of the West Africa Study Circle, Vol. 13, No. 2, June 2012, p. 117. He was the only s ...
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Taiwo Olowo
Chief Daniel Conrad Taiwo (1781 – February 20, 1901), alias Taiwo Olowo (translated as "Taiwo the Rich man"), was a trader, arms dealer, slave owner, political power broker, philanthropist and community leader in Colonial Lagos. Early life Taiwo Olowo was born in c. 1781 in Isheri, a residential community in Lagos. His father, Oluwole, was a high chief (Olofin) of his hometown, and he died in 1809. Olowo arrived in Lagos in 1848 and served as an indentured slave to one Ogunmade by Oba Osinlokun. His name suggests that he was the older of a set of twins. Political and business ascendancy in Colonial Lagos By the 1840s, Taiwo had become a protege of Kosoko, Oba Osinlokun's son. Kosoko reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1845 to 1851 and, as can be expected, Taiwo leveraged his closeness to Kosoko for mercantile gain, establishing partnerships with European and Brazilian merchants. While it is unclear whether Taiwo fled with Kosoko to Epe after the British Reduction of Lagos in Decembe ...
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Lagos Central Mosque
Lagos Central Mosque is an important jum'at mosque in Lagos Island and home of the Chief Imam of Lagos. It is located along the busy Nnamdi Azikiwe Street. The current Mosque was opened for use in May 1988, displacing an earlier mosque that was built between 1908 and 1913. The chief Imam leads jumat service at the Mosque and he is the custodian of the mosque. Over the years, titles have been given to individuals by officials of the mosque's executive council. A prominent title is the Baba Adinni, first held by a Mr. Runmonkun, and recently bestowed on A.W. Elias, Wahab Folawiyo and Abdul Hafiz Abou. The first two title holders played significant roles in the construction of a new modern mosque. Lagos Central Mosque The first central mosque in Lagos was developed by the Jamat Muslim Council of Lagos who established an executive council of the Lagos Central Mosque around 1905. The new mosque was completed in July 1913 and served the Lagos community for 70 years. Ideas about build ...
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George Chardin Denton
Sir George Chardin Denton (22 June 1851 – 9 January 1928) was a British colonial administrator and former military officer who served as the Administrator, and later Governor, of the Gambia from 1900 to 1911. Early life and education He was born in Stour Provost, Dorset, England, the son of the local Anglican vicar. He attended Rugby School before enlisting in the 57th Regiment in 1869, rising to the rank of captain. Military and colonial service In 1880, Denton joined the Colonial Service as chief of police on Saint Vincent. He served as its acting Colonial Secretary from 1886 to 1888 and was appointed as Colonial Secretary of the Colony of Lagos in 1889. He was knighted in January 1889. Denton was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Lagos in early March 1900, but in November of that year was re-assigned as Administrator of the Gambia. Upon his appointment, he was described by the ''St James's Gazette'' as a "many-sided man" due to his interests in geogra ...
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Oba Of Lagos
The Oba of Lagos, also known as the Eleko of Eko, is the traditional ruler ( Oba) of Lagos. The Oba is a ceremonial Yoruba sovereign with no political power, but is sought as a counsel or sponsor by politicians who seek support from the residents of Lagos, the financial heart of Nigeria and the largest city in Africa. The Oba has appeared in tourism advertisements on behalf of the city, often stating "You've gotta go to Lagos", among various other ceremonial roles. The current Oba of Lagos is Rilwan Akiolu, who has held the title since 2003. History All Obas of Lagos trace their lineage to Ashipa, a war captain of the Oba of Benin. Ashipa was rewarded with the title of the ''Oloriogun'' (or ''War leader'') and received the Oba of Benin's sanction to govern Lagos on his behalf. Some Benin accounts of history have the Ashipa as son or grandson of the Oba of Benin. Other accounts note that Ashipa is a Yoruba corruption of the Benin name ''Aisika-hienbore'' (translated "we shall ...
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Oyekan I
Oba Oyekan I (died September 30, 1900) reigned as the Lagos Monarch from March 1885 - September 30, 1900. He ascended the throne about a month after the death of his father Oba Dosunmu. Prince Oyekan vs. Chief Apena Ajasa incident In 1883, Oba Dosunmu, Oyekan's father called a meeting to heal tensions between Chief Apena Ajasa and Chief Taiwo Olowo however Chief Ajasa was threatening to the Oba and other chiefs. On viewing Apena Ajasa's threatening stance, prince Oyekan slapped Chief Ajasa adding that Ajasa should not insult the Oba at Iga Idunganran (the Oba's palace). Oba Dosunmu disapproved Oyekan's actions and cursed him saying ''"The boy who has thus acted should be lost"''. Chief Taiwo Olowo, Chief Apena Ajasa's rival, was delighted by Oyekan's action and countered Oba Dosunmu's imprecation saying ''"The boy shall not be lost but he will live a long life of prosperity"'' Decline in influence of the Obaship during Oyekan's reign The Obaship declined both financially and i ...
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Dosunmu
Dosunmu (c. 1823 – 1885), referred to in British documents as Docemo, reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1853, when he succeeded his father Oba Akitoye, until his own death in 1885. He was forced to run away to Britain under the threat of force in August 1861. Accession Dosunmu's accession to the throne broke with tradition in that he was appointed Oba by British Consul to Lagos Benjamin Campbell following Britain's intervention in Lagos affairs following the Reduction of Lagos in December 1851. Campbell had learned about Oba Akitoye's death on 2 September 1853 from CMS agent C.C. Gollmer but withheld this information from the paramount chiefs, instead inquiring from them who Akitoye's heir should be. In unison, the chiefs agreed that Dosunmu was the rightful heir and only then did Campbell relay the news of Akitoye's death to them. Campbell then informed Dosunmu about his accession to the Obaship followed by hasty accession ceremonies at the palace. The next day, Dosunmu was offici ...
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Gum Copal
Gum copal is a resin produced by the sap of forest tree in the genus Daniellia. Due to common impurities and differences in regions, gum copal ranges in color from black to yellow to white. Gum copal, along with ivory and slaves, was a significant export from East Africa in the 19th century. It can have an appearance similar to amber and may be mistaken for it. Unlike amber, gum copal is usually only 100–1,000 years old and it has not yet fossilized.Aber, Susan Ward,Copal: An Immature and Controversial Resin. Emporia State University, 16 January 2004. Source locations Gum copal is most commonly found in East Africa and Indonesia, and is also found in tropical regions such as South America, Malaysia and the Philippines.Forestry Department.". FAO, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015. Comparison to amber Throughout history, amber and gum copal have been mistaken for each other, as it is extremely difficult to discern between the two. A drop test using an alcohol or other solvent will leave a ...
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