Yoruba Body Attitude in Communication

This article helped me to understand the fundamental role played by non-verbal communication for the Yoruba people. Understanding the strong connection between the verbal and non-verbal is essential to grasping the speaker's true meaning. It is easy for me to understand now why the Europeans were confused by the Africans they encountered, not being accustomed to the complex set of rules for communication.
The philosophy that forms the basis for the Yoruba culture struck me as being very similar to the concept of yin and yang from Eastern philosophy. The idea of complementary opposites rather than good or evil is foreign to Western thinking. The gods of the Yoruba people seemed very similar to the Greek deities who controlled the natural forces of the universe. The Yoruba gods embodied the emphasis of symmetrical balance by being divided into hot and cold deities.
Both the philosophy and the emphasis on body aesthetics are illustrated in the dance that comes out of the culture. I was struck by the statement that Yoruba dance is "actually a dialogue between the music and body" which seemed to summarize everything I have learned about African dance up to this point.
Martin Breu
Dance 163-A