Yoruba Canadians are
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
s of
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
descent. The Yoruba people are an ethnic group of southwestern
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and southern
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
in West Africa. They represent the second largest ethnic community of Nigerians in Canada. According to the
2016 Canadian census by
Statistics Canada, 16,210 respondents spoke Yoruba at home ranking it as one of the most spoken Niger-Congo language in the country. Many are descendants of
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
slaves while recent migrants come directly from
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...
.
Notable Yoruba-Canadians
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Thomas Peters
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Jarome Iginla
Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played over 1500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Br ...
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Bunmi Banjo
Bunmi Banjo is a technology leadership and future of work speaker and adviser. She is also the founder and CEO of Kuvora Inc. Bunmi was previously responsible for Google's Brand and Reputation in Africa where she led the company's effort to prov ...
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Foluke Akinradewo
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Fikayo Tomori
Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola "Fikayo" Tomori (born 19 December 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club AC Milan and the England national team. Born in Canada, he represents England at international level.
Early l ...
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Tesho Akindele
Tesho Akindele (born March 31, 1992) is a Canadian former professional soccer player.
Club career
Early career
Tesho Akindele was born in Canada to a Nigerian father and a Canadian mother and moved with his family to the US at the age of eigh ...
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Demi Orimoloye
Oluwademilade Oluwadamilola "Demi" Orimoloye (born January 6, 1997) is a Canadian professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He attended St. Matthew Catholic High School in Ottawa, and was considered a top prospect in the 2015 Major L ...
See also
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Yoruba Americans
Yoruba Americans (') are Americans of Yoruba descent. The Yoruba people are a West African ethnic group that predominantly inhabits southwestern Nigeria, with smaller indigenous communities in Benin and Togo.
History
The first Yoruba people ...
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Nigerian Canadians
References
External links
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Ethnic groups in Canada
Canadian people of Yoruba descent
Yoruba diaspora
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