Yoruba Warfare in the Nineteenth Century

by J. F. Ade-Ajayi, Robert S. Smith

From inside ...The Yoruba were united culturally but not politically and for much of the 19th century were divided by wars. ...these wars were in fact a reflection of the complicated political, social and economic changes that this part of Africa was undergoing berfore the coming of European rule.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Dave Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Only critique is that the work assumes a lot of context, but really fascinating presentation of the Abeokutan-Dahomey conflict and the later Ibadan-Abeokuta cold war.

I was really struck about the parallels between Thucidides' History of the Peloponnesian War and Ajayi's telling of the power struggle within Yoruba factions (esp Ibadan and Abeokuta.)

Recommend this to anyone who likes 'off-the-beaten-path' military history.