The Village Witch Doctor Historical Context

The Village Witch Doctor Historical Context

Nigeria

Tutuola was born and lived throughout his life in Nigeria, and his life spanned most of twentiethcentury Nigerian history. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the area of West Africa now known as Nigeria was inhabited by various tribal peoples often at war with one another. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the area came increasingly under the rule of British traders and missionaries, and eventually was politically conquered by the British. In 1894, the two protectorates of Benin and Yorubaland were combined by the British to create the Niger Coast Protectorate. The British government eventually took control of the areas which had been run by the Royal Niger Company. The British re-divided the region into the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria. In 1914, these two territories were merged by the British and renamed the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. In the early twentieth century,...
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