Banjo, Ibadan

Community Commentary

Community Commentary by Akinwale Fadoju within research project: 'Rethinking Relationships and Building Trust around African Collections' 2021

This photograph was taken at the State Service of Thanksgiving for the Independence of Nigeria held at St. James Cathedral, Oke-Bola, Ibadan, on the 2nd of October 1960.

Nancy Stanfield who attended the service alongside her husband took this photograph outside the chapel as the congregation gathered.
The service was delivered by The Venerable Archdeacon S. Vincent Latunde, O. B. E.

Two women wearing similar attire stand together in close proximity – probably in conversation - with, Rev S. A. Banjo who conducted the thanksgiving in honour of Queen Elizabeth & “for those in positions of responsibility & authority, especially the Prime Minister of our Federation, the Premiers of the Regions & all Ministers of State.”
Rev S. A. Banjo (in white priest robe) who would later be appointed Archdeacon is the father of one of Nigeria’s prominent scholar, Professor Ayo Banjo, an Emeritus professor of English Language.
Nancy Stanfield who was a lecturer in Teacher Training in Ibadan was probably a close acquaintance of Rev S. A. Banjo who founded Ibadan Archdeaconry Teacher Training College.
From the photograph, it could be inferred that special attire was chosen by the congregation from the dominant blue colour of women’s headgear and similar wrapper; the men in the pictures are also dressed uniformly in white.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk