The John Randle Centre is a new kind of museum. It adapts Western museum practices to present new modes of storytelling inspired by ongoing (or Yoruba) traditions. It celebrates tangible and intangible culture, preserving, enhancing and promoting the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people.

The Centre is actively collecting a broad range of items that will make it far from a traditional museum. It is being assisted by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and the National Museum Lagos in building the collections, along with private collectors. The John Randle Centre is playing a leading role in bringing Yoruba artefacts back from European institutions working in collaboration with the British Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum and the University of Leeds in the UK.

Intellectually, the Centre’s exhibitions are inspired by Professor Rowland Abiodun’s work, particularly his book Yoruba Art and Language: Seeking the African in African Art (Cambridge University Press, 2014).