When ‘Gods’ Return in Body Bags: The Evolution of Depositions, Exiles and Medical Tourism among Yoruba Traditional Rulers in Southern Nigeria, c. 1476–2016

Abstract

Why is it that the traditional rulers, who barely left their territories in pre-colonial African societies, now travel outside their territories and even abroad for health tourism, births, social functions and diplomat-ic meetings, among other things? The sad stories are some of them ‘joining the ancestors – being mummified’ in these foreign lands. With focus on the Yoruba traditional rulers in Southern Nigeria, the study relies on critical analysis of extant literature, oral interviews, media reports and archival sources. This paper argues that certain factors such as the contacts with Europeans, colonialism, and globalization have been the evolution of the fate of traditional rulers into deposition, exile and medical tourism. While foreign visitations or tourism are crucial to modern statecraft, this paper further argues that the reasons why such visitations of our so-called ‘gods’ end up in return-ing to us in body bags is due to, among other things, the enervating health care system of African states,. Based on the findings, recom-mendations were made.