George Benin Nkemnacho
In a world that is increasingly being aware, in a political and cultural sense, of issues surrounding marginalised communities, this book gives a riveting account of the history, culture and politics of the Olukumi people, a marginalised Yoruba community unlike others that had hitherto been the subject of mainstream literature and debates.The Olukumi people are a bilingual (both Yoruba and Ibo) and sophisticated Black African community who were the first humans to inhabit their indigenous homeland but continue to be marginalised and discriminated by the majority newly arrived neighbours. The community practiced female to female marriages long before minority rights (like the LGBTQIA+ rights) came to be recognised even in so-called advanced Western countries like America and in Europe. It is because the Olukumis face appalling discrimination and deprivation at home that they continue to migrate. Yet, their culture of respect for minorities and tolerance for diverse opinions still survive.This book is about war and diplomacy. It is also about migration and settlement as well as a people’s determination for survival and coexistence. It is told from an exclusively Olukumi perspective and written by an Olukumi indigene.
