Abstract

A big part of the growing literature on African philosophy has focused on the deep thoughts of the Yorùbá. Such studies have examined Yorùbá religion, Yorùbá ideas concerning gods and goddesses, and Yorùbá thoughts about the relationship between humans and the invisible “spirits” or beings. Another part of the literature has explored the contextual elements in Yorùbá philosophy, like the ideals that govern relations among people. These include knowledge, wisdom, bravery, power, compassion, truthfulness, and character. This chapter belongs to the latter group. It contextualizes Yorùbá philosophy in relation to the changing views about money, as nearly every transaction, whether economic or social, is monetized. It covers the elevation of money, having money, or being rich, from being just one of the society’s ideals (exemplified in the saying owó fún ni kò tó ènìyàn, meaning “giving someone money is not as important as demonstrating good character”) to now becoming the foremost pursuit in society. Relying on current literature and intensive interviews of Babaláwo, Ifá priests who are also repositories of Yorùbá indigenous knowledge, this chapter explores the changes that have taken place in Yorùbá perceptions of money vis-à-vis other sacral or core elements of Yorùbá culture.