Nudity in Pre-Colonial Yoruba
In many parts of precolonial Yorubaland, nudity and partial undress carried symbolic meanings of power, authority, and cultural identity rather than shame or mere exposure. Scholars of Yoruba history, particularly in studies of northeastern regions like Akoko, argue that public nudity (especially by women) functioned ritualistically, politically, or symbolically. For instance, female nudity was at times used in festivals, spiritual rites, or even protests to claim moral authority, shame wrongdoers, or demand social justice. Such practices suggest that nudity was not simply tolerated but embedded in culturally normative frameworks of sacredness and power (Daniels O. I., 2020; Oyeniyi, B. A., 2012 ).
Over time, external influences and changing sociopolitical conditions altered Yoruba practices of dress. One major influence was the introduction of the flowing robe known across West Africa as the boubou (or grand boubou)—in Hausa parlance often called babban riga—which was brought into broader regional circulation through trade networks and Islamic cultural exchange (Adire, 2002; Dr. Y, 2013; Fincher, T. 2020) Yoruba elites and commoners, exposed to this sartorial model, gradually adopted and adapted it to local aesthetics. The Yoruba iteration of this style evolved into what is known today as the agbada (Adire., 2002; Mchunu, K., 2023; Oyeniyi, B. A., 2012; Wikipedia, 2025). Over the 19th century, the agbada came to occupy a place of prestige, ceremonial importance, and identity among Yoruba men, often incorporating Yoruba-specific fabrics, embroidery, and tailoring practices (Adire., 2002; Fakunle, O., 2022; Oyeniyi, B. A., 2012; Wikipedia, 2025).
Nevertheless, not all Yoruba cultural narratives accept the view that the agbada represents a borrowed form. Some Yoruba accounts assert that the agbada was an indigenous creation as early as the late 18th century (circa 1770). Yet the historical and material evidence suggests that, rather than an entirely original creation, the agbada is more plausibly understood as a localized modification of the babban riga / boubou system—a garment style already widespread in Sahelian and Islamic-influenced West Africa (Adire., 2002; Eve, D. N., 1979; Drewal, H.J & Mason, J., 1998; Fincher, T., 2020; Fakunle, O., 2022; Lawal via Encyclopedia; Oyeniyi, B. A., 2012; Wikipedia, 2025). While the agbada in Yoruba lands became distinctive over time (in its fabrics, cut, and symbolic uses), the broader historical pattern supports the view of adaptation rather than purely independent invention (Lawal via Encyclopedia).
Precolonial Yoruba 1910
1950 Imaginary
In the 1950s, British colonial photographers documented Yoruba women who expressed a traditional cultural ideal in which selective nudity signified feminine strength and authority. These images, taken during the colonial period, captured a practice long associated with women’s spiritual power, protest, and social influence within Yoruba society.
Ìtẹsíwájú Àsà Ọmọbìnrin Yorùbá
Reported by Adekunle as “Ni ọdún 1950, àwọn onísàkóso Gẹesì ya àwọn àwòrán obìnrin Yorùbá tí ń fi ìlànà àsà wọn hàn, níbi tí ìwọn ìlò òmìnira ara àti ìfarahàn àìfìmọ ara se jẹ àmì agbára àti ọlá obìnrin. Àsà yìí, tí ó ti wà látọ́dọ̀ àtijọ, sàfihàn bí obìnrin Yorùba se lo ara wọn gẹgẹ bí àkúnya ìmúlò agbára àti àsẹ nínú awùjọ wọn”
In the early 20th century, French colonial photographers also documented scenes of Yoruba women wearing the minimal clothing typical of pre-Fula influence, capturing a way of life in which nudity and simple adornment were expressions of dignity, strength, and cultural identity. These images, taken before the widespread adoption of the Fula-introduced boubou (babban riga) that later evolved into the Yoruba agbada , provide visual evidence of longstanding Yoruba customs of dress and the social meanings attached to women’s bodies prior to outside cultural transformations.
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