Samuel Oyebode

Samuel Oyebode (b. 1973, Nigeria) is a contemporary Yoruba artist whose expressive, large-scale and vibrantly coloured tie-dyed canvas works are grounded in Yoruba humanist and philosophical concepts. Currently immersed in his artistic pursuits within the South African landscape, Oyebode centres Yoruba visual language and aesthetics while exploring the relationship between the Yoruba concept of Ìwà l’ẹwà and the South African philosophy of ubuntu. His work considers Ìwà l’ẹwà as a philosophical framework concerned with the qualities that distinguish good from bad character in Yoruba society. Oyebode sees a profound connection between this concept and ubuntu, both of which form part of broader African humanist philosophies that emphasise human relationships, communication and communal responsibility.

Confronting the recurrent xenophobic violence experienced in urban South Africa, Oyebode uses visual art as a means of rebuilding and fostering a communal spirit. His work argues that such violence challenges the fundamental principles of African humanism and communalism, and advocates for a reconnection with traditional systems of knowledge and values. Oyebode believes that African people should draw on and from the philosophies of iwa-pele (calm character), suuru (patience), imoju-mora (sensibility), ifokanbale (calmness), iluti (understanding) and itoju ti asa (preservation of culture), to promote love, humanism, communalism and ubuntu in South African and other African societies.

Contributors: Bulelwa Kunese (A Gathering) and Fulufhelo Mobadi (A Story of Nothingness)

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