Meet Samuel Johnson (1846–1901): The Man Who Saved Yoruba History

Meet Samuel Johnson (1846–1901): The Man Who Saved Yoruba History

Long before African history was taught in schools, one man took it upon himself to preserve the legacy of the Yoruba people. Samuel Johnson — not the British one, but the proud Yoruba Anglican priest and historian — wrote The History of the Yorubas, a masterpiece that still shapes how we understand Yoruba identity today.

Born in Sierra Leone to freed Yoruba parents and later raised in Ibadan, Johnson saw how colonialism threatened to erase African memory. So, he fought back with a pen. For years, he traveled, interviewed elders, studied oral traditions, and documented wars, politics, religion, and culture — crafting one of the most detailed accounts of any African nation.

Though British publishers lost the original manuscript in 1897, Johnson’s brother, Dr. Obadiah Johnson, made sure the work saw the light of day in 1921.

More than a book, The History of the Yorubas is a cultural monument. Without Johnson, so much of Yoruba heritage might have been forgotten. He wasn’t just a historian — he was a guardian of a people’s soul.