J. A. ATANDA PRIZE WINNER FOR 2020
Toyin Falola
J. A. ATANDA PRIZE WINNER FOR 2020
Babcock University, the Yoruba Studies Review, and the Jury of the J. A. Atanda Prize are happy to announce the winner of the inaugural 2020 J. A. Atanda Prize for the Best Essay on the Yoruba. The winner will receive a certificate, citation, and a sum of $500. The J. A. Atanda Prize represents a stable and enduring platform for promoting and further developing Yoruba Studies.
The prize celebrates the legacy of Professor Atanda to the study of Yoruba history. Joseph Adebowale Atanda was a passionate historian who dedicated his scholarship to Africa's historiography, especially that of the Yoruba. Popular among his publications are The New Oyo Empire: Indirect Rule and Change in Western Nigeria, 1894-1934; An Introduction to Yoruba History; and Baptist Churches in Nigeria: Accounts of Their Foundation and Growth. More than two decades after his demise, his scholarship remains relevant.
Three finalists were announced in early October and received certificates and citations. The finalists were selected from a list of eight short-listed essays chosen by the Editors of the Yoruba Studies Review. The finalists and the eventual winner's selection was according to a professional and rigorous set of guidelines covering data quality, originality, contributions to knowledge, and contributions to Yoruba Studies. All three finalists presented original ideas and high-quality data on Yoruba language, culture, and society.
2020 JURY MEMBERS
Chair: Dr. Akinloye Ojo, University of Georgia
Members: Professor Segun Ogungbemi, Independent Scholar
Dr. Bose Afolayan, University of Lagos
Secretary to the Jury: Kaosarat Aina, University of Ibadan
The winner of the 2020 J.A. Atanda Prize for the Best Essay on Yoruba is
Ademola Dasylva, "Glocalization of Yorùbá Ọ̀mọlúwàbí ideology," 1.1 Fall 2016.
Ademola Dasylva's paper is an in-depth analysis of the Yorùbá concept and ideology of Ọ̀mọlúwàbí, "the ideal persona." The author displays an impressive and exceptional command of the idea and its underlying philosophy. Given the complexities of Ọ̀mọlúwàbí in Yorùbá moral philosophy, Dasylva uses different terms like ideology, philosophy, principle, belief, and concept to explain his analyses and narratives for clarity purposes. The paper traces the etymology of Ọ̀mọlúwàbí to sacred texts familiar to the Yorùbá, including Ifá and the Bible, noting that the concept has nothing to do with the Biblical Noah, omo ti Nua bi. The paper illustrates how the importance and meaning of this fundamental Yorùbá concept, foregrounded in the Ifá corpus, had been lost or discarded in society. Extraordinarily, the paper engages Yorùbá Indigenous Ifá Knowledge System, transmitted in the Ifá corpus, to engage a luminous discussion of this pertinent concept and to show the possibility of the ideology mediating and promoting an ideal society, locally and beyond. The paper exhibits a profound understanding of Yorùbá concepts such as Ara, Ẹ̀mi, Orí, and Ènìyàn as philosophical paradigms guiding life and living in Yorùbá society. The paper argues that this concept, from the local, can be harnessed to manage global issues. Overall, the paper provides an impressive elucidation of Yorùbá concepts and uses high-quality discursive language to achieve a local idea's intellectual treatment to ensure understanding for a global audience. The paper exceptionally exposes a clear, cohesive idea among the Yorùbá and presents original ideas constructively to highlight the positive in Yorùbá language, culture, and society.
Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju
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Ochayi Okpeh
your scholarship. I wish you more such glorious moments in the future,
Eku Ese Sir.
Okpeh
Femi Segun
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