What makes the Yorubas tick (3), By Sunday Adelaja

by · Premium Times

Why the Yorubas Are Considered the Most Tolerant Ethnic Group Globally 

A number of years ago I met an American professor who had dedicated over 40 years to the studies of religious and ethnic diversity in the nations of the world. He is the first person to open my eyes to the fact that the Yoruba nation is regarded as the most tolerant nation in the world especially towards other religions and migrants in their land.

The Yoruba people are widely considered one of the most religiously and ethnically tolerant groups in the world. Their tolerance is deeply rooted in a cultural philosophy that prioritizes communal harmony and family bonds over sectarian or ethnic divisions.

Religious Tolerance

Yoruba society is often cited as a global model for religious pluralism in institutions around the globe.

Intra-Family Diversity

 It is common for a single Yoruba family to include Muslims, Christians, and practitioners of traditional Yoruba religion. Family members often celebrate each other’s holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and Eid (Salah), without conflict.

Cultural Primacy

A key reason for this tolerance is that the Yoruba tend to place their shared culture and lineage (Ebi) above religious identity. The concept of being “children of the same mother” (ọmọ iya) serves as a moral foundation for peace. But most importantly is the tenets of their foundational belief system that emanates from the Ifa cosmology and philosophical concepts. Please note that when I refer to Ifa in my writings I’m not referring to a religious worship system but to the belief system, philosophy and cosmological influence. Ifa is not just religion, it includes, values and virtues of the Yoruba people, it also includes science, biology, healthcare, history, medicine, pharmacy mathematics and philosophy

The Ifa belief system is an epitome of tolerance to all groups of people even to rival religions or philosophical schools of thoughts. As a matter of fact if you see any discrimination in Yoruba land it’s probably coming from the imported religions like Christianity and Islam. When Yorubas reject their traditional Ifa philosophical influence and embrace denominationalism then they too often become prejudiced.

Historical Context

Historically, the Yoruba have never waged “holy wars” or crusades against other groups for religious reasons. Their traditional worldview views different faiths as “many paths to the market”.

Omoluabi Ethics: The philosophical concept of Omoluabi—which emphasizes good character, respect, and communal responsibility governs their interactions and promotes peaceful coexistence.

Ethnic Tolerance

The Yoruba are known for being accommodating and respectful towards other ethnic groups, both in commercial hubs like Lagos and deep in the inter land.

Integration over Expansion

In multi-ethnic regions, the Yoruba are often described as choosing to respect and integrate with host communities rather than pursuing “expansionist” agendas.

Lately we saw the uproar and anger from some countries like Ghana and South Africa because a particular ethnic group from Nigeria wanted to install their own kings or create a domain of their own in these countries. On the other hand it is surprising to see that in some of those same countries the Yorubas have their own domains and even kings yet no one is protesting or even complaining against the Yoruba kings in these countries.

The reason is not far fetched, it is deeply rooted in the Yoruba cosmology and ethos of what they call Omoluabi. They never claim to be better than their host communities, they never seek to dominate others but rather to integrate and grow alongside their hosts. The Yoruba try by all means to avoid the expansionist ideology or superiority complex in their host communities.

Social and Interpersonal Skills

The Yoruba are famous for their hospitality and social etiquette, such as their culture of respect and honor, their elaborate greeting customs, which foster positive relationships with non-indigenes.

Commercial Hubs

This high level of tolerance has helped make the Yoruba-dominated southwest the primary convergence point for different tribes in Nigeria for business and settlement.

Challenges to Tolerance

While the Yoruba model is highly resilient, it does face certain pressures:

Political and External Influences

Religious extremism influenced by external ideologies or local politics occasionally tests this peace. Another thing that has tested this their resilience is the domineering attitude of a certain ethnic group  bringing expansionist doctrines to places like Lagos. The saying that Lagos is a no man’s land became a turning point for a lot of Yorubas in that city. They are tolerant but they won’t like others to see this as a weakness, hence they fight back.

  1. PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION: “LIVE AND LET LIVE”

At the core of Yoruba worldview is a flexible, pluralistic philosophy.

Traditional Yoruba philosophical school of thought (rooted in as mentioned above Ifá) accepts that:

  • truth can have multiple expressions,
  • different people can follow different spiritual paths,
  • coexistence is preferable to domination.

This creates a mindset closer to:

“Your path is yours, mine is mine — we coexist.”

  1. TRADITIONAL RELIGION WAS ALREADY PLURALISTIC

Before Islam and Christianity arrived, Yoruba spirituality:

  • Gave rights to function to many oriṣa (deities),
  • allowed individuals/families to follow different deities as they choose to
  • had no single “exclusive truth” system. It always assumes that as long as we are all humans we will see truths from our different worldviews. Hence everyone deserves to be heard and to choose his path in life.

So when Islam and Christianity came:

  • they were accepted or added to what they already knew, not forced to replace all their previous knowledge.

Result:

  • It was normal for:
  • a father to be Muslim,
  • a mother Christian,
  • extended family practicing traditional beliefs.

This multi-religious coexistence became culturally normalized.

  1. EARLY AND BALANCED EXPOSURE TO BOTH ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

Unlike some regions that leaned strongly one way:

Yoruba land experienced:

  • Islam (via trade routes)
  • Christianity (via missionaries and Western education)

No single religion achieved total dominance, they were all at roughly comparable strength. So instead of conflict, society evolved into religious equilibrium

  1. FAMILY STRUCTURE ENCOURAGES TOLERANCE

In many Yoruba families:

  • religion is mixed across generations,
  • interfaith marriage is common,
  • extended family bonds are very strong.

This makes intolerance socially costly.

You cannot easily reject:

  • Your sibling,
  • Your parent,
  • Your uncle just because of religion.

So tolerance becomes practical, not just ideological.

  1. URBAN AND COMMERCIAL CULTURE (ESPECIALLY LAGOS)

Lagos plays a huge role.

Yoruba society, especially in Lagos, is:

  • highly urban,
  • commercially driven,
  • interaction-heavy.

In trade and business:

  • you deal with everyone,
  • tribe/religion becomes secondary to trust and value.

Commerce encourages:

“Can we do business?” over “Who are you?”

  1. POLITICAL CULTURE OF NEGOTIATION

Yoruba political tradition (influenced by systems like the old Oyo Empire) emphasized:

  • checks and balances,
  • councils,
  • negotiation.

Even kings were:

  • advised,
  • challenged,
  • sometimes removed.

 This created a culture of:

  • dialogue,
  • compromise,
  • structured disagreement.
  1. EARLY WESTERN EDUCATION & EXPOSURE

The Yoruba were among the first in Nigeria to adopt:

  • Western education,
  • literacy,
  • global exposure.

This produced:

  • professionals,
  • intellectuals,
  • globally aware elites.

 Exposure tends to reduce:

  • rigid thinking,
  • extreme exclusivism.
  1. DIASPORA & GLOBAL EXPERIENCE

Yoruba people have long histories in:

  • Brazil,
  • Cuba,
  • Sierra Leone, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana
  • UK and US.

This global interaction reinforced:

  • adaptability,
  • cultural blending,
  • openness.
  1. IMPORTANT REALITY CHECK

Yoruba tolerance is real but not absolute.

There are still:

  • political tensions,
  • ethnic competition,
  • occasional religious friction.

However, compared to many contexts: the baseline culture leans toward coexistence rather than exclusion

DEEPER INSIGHT WORTH REMEMBERING

Yoruba tolerance is not accidental.

It is the result of:

  • pluralistic religion (Ifa cosmology and philosophy)
  • mixed families (you can’t divide easily)
  • commerce (interaction with everyone)
  • political negotiation culture
  • early exposure to multiple belief systems

 FINAL SUMMARY

Yoruba society tends toward tolerance because:

It was historically built to manage diversity, not eliminate it.

That’s why you often see:

  • Muslims and Christians in the same household
  • inter-tribal coexistence in cities
  • relatively flexible identity boundaries

In my next article (Part Four) I want to continue exploring the Yoruba culture of tolerance and how this single quality is opening doors and alliances for Yoruba people both in Nigeria and all over the world.

For the love of God, church and nation.

Sunday Adelaja is a Nigerian born leader, transformation strategist, pastor and innovator. He was based in Ukraine