Find, cite and preserve Yorùbá texts.
A growing, community-built catalog of Yorùbá literature and scholarship, from Fágúnwà‘s 1938 classic to recent works. Records include publication details, a ready-made citation and, where known, where to find a copy.
102Texts
67Authors
9Categories
1938 to 2022Years covered
Updated as new records are verified.
Why this work matters
01
Yorùbá texts are disappearing.
Decades of Yorùbá writing are out of print and undocumented. Every record we add is one less text at risk of being forgotten.
02
There's no single place to find them.
Yorùbá texts are scattered across libraries, bookshops and family shelves. We are bringing their records together in one place.
03
Literature is cultural memory.
Every Yorùbá text carries language, knowledge and a way of seeing the world. Preserving them preserves how we speak, think, teach and remember.
04
This is collective work.
Readers, librarians, publishers, teachers and volunteers build this catalog together, and every contributor is credited.
The founder's story
Why YorùbáTexts exists
As a doctoral researcher, Damilola Adebonojo (Ìyá Yorùbá) struggled to find basic Yorùbá texts. Many were out of print in Nigeria and reachable only through libraries abroad. YorùbáTexts is her answer: a shared record of what exists, so less is lost.
Preliminary data
Where are Yorùbá texts held?
Our preliminary research maps Yorùbá materials held in US library collections, starting with the Library of Congress and Northwestern University.
Static preview image of the US libraries visualisation
Help build the catalog
Submit a text.
Seen a Yorùbá text we haven’t listed, at home, in a library, a church or a market stall? Tell us.
Verify entries.
Help check titles, dates, authors and publishers against real copies.
Spread the word.
Share the catalog with readers, teachers and librarians you know.
Volunteer your skills.
We need grant writers, publicists, developers, outreach partners and catalog editors.