To explore and document the various forms of connection the Ilaje diaspora in Aiyetoro maintain with their places of origin – facilitating mutual understanding between communities across urban and rural contexts.
The Project
Ilaje migration and homeland interrelations
The Aiyetoro community in Lagos has been home to a diasporic Ilaje population for over 50 years. The Ilaje, originally from fishing communities in Ondo – approximately 250 kilometers north of Nigeria’s capital – have maintained a strong cultural identity and deep-rooted ties to their homeland. Faced with marginalization by both host communities and government authorities in Lagos, the Ilaje diaspora has developed bottom-up governance strategies. These include initiatives such as participatory land mapping and allocation systems that safeguard women’s land rights.
This partnership project aims to deepen understanding of the dynamic relationships between the Ilaje diaspora in Aiyetoro and their communities of origin. It specifically explores how these connections might be reconfigured to strengthen sustainable ‘ways of living’ in both their rural homelands and urban contexts.
To achieve this, the project adopts an action-oriented research approach, employing qualitative and collaborative methods designed to foster critical reflection and promote tangible, community-driven outcomes.
