Is this you?
The true story of the Osomaalo, and of the people who made it work.
Many of us know a piece of the Ijesa story. A proverb from a grandparent, a name, a song. The pieces are not written down in one place, and our children are growing up far from the towns that shaped us.
A people live on in the people who carry their story. If we do not carry it, who will?
What will be lost if this story is not handed on?
What changes
This book gathers the story in one place, in plain English. You will see how a trade built on trust grew a people's name, and you will have something to hand to the next generation.
What is inside: eleven chapters
- The Ijesa Are Children of Obokun
- Pay a Little, Own a Lot
- Man Must Survive: Mats, Timber and the Work at Hand
- Ijesa Scholars Solved Everyday Problems
- Courage Runs Through Ijesa History
- A Welcome in Every Town
- What the World Knows Ijesaland For
- Ijesa Names Paint a Portrait
- Even Strangers Love the Dialect
- The Ijesa Are Entertainers by Nature
- A Land Prepared Before They Came
Who it is for
Ijesa families at home and abroad. Parents and grandparents who want their children to know where they come from. Anyone curious about how trust built a trade. A good gift for a naming, a birthday or a homecoming.
Free scorecard
How much of the Ijesa story do you carry? Ten ways, ten minutes. Do it alone or with family.
Take the scorecard: How Much of the Ijesa Story Do You Carry?
Try before you buy
Not sure yet? Take the free scorecard first, or read a free sample of the book. If it speaks to you, then get your copy.
Get the book
Ordering for a church, school, youth group or book club? See group orders.
Our promise
If your copy arrives damaged or is not the book you ordered, tell us within 14 days and we will replace it or refund you. See our Terms of Sale.
About the author
He studied how seeds grow. Then he helped people grow.Read his story
Prof. Ayodele Rotimi Fatubarin was a son of Ilesa who gave his time to Ijesa life: a member and one-time president of the Ijesa Patriotic Klub, Honorary Secretary of the Ijesa Restoration Club and the Ijesa Forum, and a member of the Iwude planning committee. A botanist and ecologist, he taught in universities and colleges and became a Professor of Botany. A gifted speechwriter, he was always ready to lend a hand to others.
He brought his training as a scientist to the Ijesa story: record it, then hand it on. This book asks a plain question: what can a trade built on trust still teach us today?