Episode
Karin Barber, "Much Matter in a Penny Paper: Early Yoruba Print Culture in Lagos, 1910–1930" (Ohio UP, 2026)
- Podcast
- New Books in Anthropology
- Published
- Aug 31, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2632
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK5370075939.mp3
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Summary
Much Matter in a Penny Paper: Early Yoruba Print Culture in Lagos,1910-1930 (Ohio UP, 2026) is a survey of the history and development of Yoruba print culture in Lagos, Nigeria, from the 19th to the early 20th century. The book details the emergence of the Yoruba language press, its themes, and its distinction from the English-language press. The influence of both missionary and secular presses on religion and morality as well as the socio-economic and political lives of the Nigerian people are also emphasised. The book relates the impact of the development of other machines, including transportation technologies like trains, trucks, and bicycles on the dissemination of printed materials across the regions. In terms of methodology, the book combines history and ethnography approaches to tell the story of the Yoruba printing culture in Lagos between 1910-1930. Alluding to Robert Campbell's installation of the first printing press in 1862, which led to the publication of the Anglo-African newspaper, the book narrates how the focus shifted from English-only publications to include Yoruba language content in the early 20th century, with books about Yoruba towns and poetry becoming popular. While the title of the book is rooted in the Yoruba proverb, “Oro po ninu iwe kobo”, reflecting the richness and diversity of content in early Yoruba newspapers, the book is testament to Professor Karin Barber’s motivation entrenched in her fascination with Yoruba language creativity including oral praise poetry, popular theater, and verbal arts, and her discovery of Yoruba oriki in colonial-era publications. Mariam Olugbodi is a university teacher and a writer, she is the author of the monograph titled: “Stylistic Features in the 2011 and 2012 Final Matches C…