Pages: (61-78 )
Abstract
This study examines how Christianity was received in Ijebu and Lagos. Ijebu and Lagos are two Yoruba entities in western Nigeria. The works of indigenous intelligentsia which I call chronicles are analysed to explore the cultural impact of Christianity on the people. It focuses majorly on the colonial era which commence in 1851 in Lagos and 1892 in Ijebu. It explores the various symbols of Christianity in Ijebu and Lagos. And discusses how Christianity influenced the identity of the Ijebu and Lagos people. The study examines the role of memory in the indigenous production of the history of Lagos and Ijebu. Memory study explores the various forms in which the past is commemorated within a culture. It explains how people remember a shared past. Lagos and Ijebu are geographical neighbours and have had many cultural and trade relations. The chronicles are non-academic production of Yoruba town history (itan)it a contribution to the literary works on Ijebu and Lagos, the specific forms of thinking and writing a town history. This research however is concerned with how the chronicles became a tool for commemorating the Identity of Lagos and Ijebu people. The representation of the past is viewed through the words of the chroniclers which include the coming of the missionaries and the advent of colonial activities in Lagos and Ijebu chronicles.
Keywords: Memory, Colonisation, Symbolism, Missionaries, Chronicles and Educated elites,