Ibadan in the 19th century

View of Ibadan in the 1850s. Ibadan emerged in the 19th century after the fall of Oyo, a period of insecurity (indeed, the 19th century happened to be the period when many Yoruba (or 'Nago') people were sold into slavery in places like Cuba and Brazil. So, Ibadan arose as an urban center lacking a single, centralized authority, but ruled by the heads of lineages organized into housing compound networks. Cities like Abeokuta and Ibadan emerged as large cities with 200,000 in the latter by the end of the 19th century. In addition to lacking a centralized authority in the form of a 'king' of something similar, Ibadan hosted specifically 'urban' features of markets, festivals, and a 'nascent' town identity, despite being a 19th century creation. Illorin, another Yoruba city, fell under the control of the Sokoto Caliphate, which explains why some Yoruba converted to Islam during this time. Picture copied from th e UNESCO General History of Africa series.

Source: Bill Fruend, "The African City: A History."