The allegation that Brazil’s minister of culture had announced that Yoruba will become one of their official languages and that African history will be added school curriculum has been proved not-to-be-true many times but some people still peddle the rumour.
Over the years, Brazil has accumulated quite a number of Yoruba speakers and Orisha worshippers.
The African slaves from the western Nigeria, carried along their Yoruba religion with them when they were taken to Brazil.
The Yorubas are among the people who hold their culture in high esteem until recently when they start prioritising English culture over theirs.
Afro-Brazilians see Yoruba beyond a culture but call it a religion that seeks harmony with nature.
They referred to it as Candomblé. Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religion that developed in Brazil during the early 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa and the Roman Catholic form of Christianity.
This culture and religion is still very much relevant and gave birth to the Òrìsà-worshipping and Yoruba-speaking people of Brazil.
Articles and social media posts shared thousands of times claim that Yoruba has been made an official language in Brazil and will be taught in primary and secondary schools across the country. Many posts include quotations from the former Brazilian minister of culture, Sergio Sa Leitao. But Brazil said it has not adopted Yoruba as one of its official languages and the former culture minister did not make the statements attributed to him.
If this move is made, it will do well in bringing Afro-Brazilians closer to their roots and help them better understand the link between the current Brazilian practices and Western Yoruba cultures.
Other Countries that speak Nigerian Languages
However, outside Nigeria, you can find large yoruba-speaking communities in Togo and Benin Republic. Smaller communities can be found in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other African countries.
In these countries, French is the lingua-franca but per chance you can’t speak it, Yoruba is your next best option.
In Ghana, Yoruba and Hausa language are widely spoken.
