Trades and Commerce from Ancient Times in West Africa

Trades and Professions

The principal occupations of men are: --- Agricultural, commerce, weaving, iron-smelting, smithing, tanning and leather working, carving on wood and on calabashes, music, medicine, barbing, and other minor employments.

Agriculture. --- This is the most general occupation of the bulk of the people. It is carried on with simple and primitive instruments, viz. A hoe and a cutlass, and nothing more, both of home manufacture. Ploughing is unknown, and it is very doubtful indeed whether a plough would be of much service to them under present conditions; experiments with that instrument by those who understand the use of it have not proved successful.

The principal articles of food and of commerce grown are: - Corn (guinea corn in the North and maize in the South), beans of several varieties, ground nuts (arachis hypogea), yams of various species, sweet potatoes, koko (colocasia antiquorum), pepper, piper, calabashes and other kinds of gourds, coffee, cocoa, kola nuts, vegetables of all sorts for home consumptio, cotton for weaving, etc.

When a plot has been worked with rotation of crops for a few years, it is left to lie fallow for some years whilst contiguous plots are put under cultivation, and so on alternately; manuring is unknown. The soil is remarkably fertile under present system.

Women and children assist in reaping and in bringing harvest home. No beasts of burden are employed in agricultural operations.

All farmers and men of any importance have generally smaller farms nearer home “Oko Etile” and a more distant one generally smaller in the forest “Oko Egan.” When engaged in the nearer one, they work form 6 or 7 a.m. To 5 p.m., with intervals for meals, and remain there for weeks and months before returning home. Regular farmers do so only at the annual festivals. In these farms, not only are fruits of the Earth cultivated but also poultry and and smaller cattle are reared for the market. Fairs are held periodically in some central farm markets where these products are disposed of to market women from surrounding towns and villages.

Although the soil is well adapted for raising fruits, yet fruit trees are rarely cultivated for the supply of the markets.

• Commerce. --- Commerce comes next in the order of importance. Yorubas are keen traders, they are to be found in every part of neighbouring countries for that purpose. A large trade is carried on by barter. Cowry shells, the medium of exchange, being too clumsy for large transactions, are used by travellers. Costly beads are used by many on distant journeys for trade, they are valued as precious stones. Thus the products of the North are given for those of neighbouring states always by barter. Both sexes are engaged in trade but each in his own line.

• Currency. --- Metallic currency was unknown previously to the arrival of European traders, and even as lately as 1897 in places far off from the coast coins were regarded more or less as a curiosity. Silver was better appreciated than gold and copper, because it can be converted to ornaments. Silversmiths abound in the country whilst there were no goldsmiths. Shells then stood for money and are thus calculated:

• 40 cowries = 1 string

• 50 strings = 1 head

• 10 heads = 1 bag

The value of a cowry was never fixed. Countries nearer the coast can obtain them with greater facility than those inland, and therefore they are higher value in the interior; but since the British Occupation of Lagos the principal port of the Yoruba country, and English coins began to circulate in the country, the rate of exchange became practically fixed at 6d. For a “head” (the usual standard of calculation) i.e. 2,000 cowries; hence 3d. = 3,000 cowries. Cowries are an absolute necessity at the present stage of the country, and should be used pari passu with coins for purchases below one penny. Fruits, herbs, and small articles of food may purchases for a few cowries, beggars collect them by two's and three's from passers by, and thereby earn enough to keep life going; to what extent they are rare, to that extent the hardships of life are felt in the land.

The custom of stringing cowries was for the facility of counting large sums; they were usually strung by 200 in 5 strings of 40 each, three of 66 of 100 each and with a discount of one per cent.

Esusu is a universal custom for the clubbing together of a number of persons monetary aid. A fixed sum agreed upon is given by each at a fixed time (usually every week) and place, under a president; the total amount is paid over to each member in rotation. This enables a poor man to do something worth while where a lump sum is required. There are laws regulating this system.

Weaving. --- This is also carried on by both sexes but in different styles of manufacture. Men weave cloths of narrow breadths about 51/2 inches wide called Alawe. The loom is operated upon with both hands and feet; the threads of the warps are so arranged that they open and close by a mechanical contrivance worked by both feet moving alternately as the pedals of an harmonium, whilst the shuttle about 8 by 2 inches carrying the woof is tossed and caught by the right and left hand alternately through the opening, the disengaged hand being rapidly used in ramming in the thread. The cloth is woven in one long strip and then cut to the required lengths and tacked together.

Tailoring is done mostly by men only as it is only men's dress which requires a tailor. It includes embroidery made in the neck and breast of men's gowns. Women being wrapped in plain cloths hardly require tailoring. The stiches are made the contrary way to that of Europeans tailors, the needle being pushed away from the seamsters, and not toward himself.

Iron Smelting was carried on more largely in earlier than in modern times. Certains districts are rich in iron ores, its iron production gave its name to the City of Ilorin, from Ilo Irin, iron grinding, also to Eleta a district of Ibadan “Eta” being the term for iron ore. Certain districts in the Ekiti province are also famous for their iron ores from which good steel was made , such as OKE MESI. Charcoal from hard wood, and the shells of palm nuts are the materials generally used for generating the great heat required for the furnace(called Ileru) which is kept going all the year round. Iron rods and bars of European commerce being cheaper are fast displacing home-made products, and here and there all over the country the furnaces are being closed, and soon will doubts begin to be expressed as to whether Yorubas ever knew the art of smelting iron from the ores.

Other products of the mines e.g. gold, silver, tin, etc., are not known among the Yorubas.

Smithery is carried on largely. Before the period of intercourse with Europeans, all articles made of iron and steel, from weapons of war to pins and needles were of home manufacture; but the cheaper and more finised articles of Europeans make, especially cutlery though less durable are fast displacing home-made wares.

There are also brass and copper smiths who make ornaments from these materials; for this purpose brass and copper bars are imported from foreign parts.

Workers in leather were formely their own tanners, each one learns to prepare for himself, whatever leather he wants to use; black, white, green, yellow, and brown are the prevailing colours given to the leather.

The Law of the Land

Principles of Land Law

The Land Laws of the Yoruba country are simple and effective, there being no need of any complicated or elaborate laws, as there is enough land for all the members of the various tribes. Whatever land for all the members of the various tribes. Whatever land is not effecively occupied is for the common benefit of all; no one need own any land which he cannot utilize, except farm land left fallow for a short period.

Theoretically and traditionally we have seen above that Yoruba land belongs to the Alafin of Oyo as the supreme head of the race. “The land belongs to the King” has passed into a proverb. But it must be understood, that it is not meant that the land is the private property of the King, it is only his as representing the race, in other words, Yoruba land belongs to the Yoruba people and to the no other, hence as the Yorubas are split into so many tribes, the head of each tribe, and even he has no power to alienate it permantely of his own accord to an alien. All lands, therefore, including forests and the plain are owned by some tribe or other, and no one belonging to another race or another tribe can make use of the land without the permission of the King and chiefs who hold the land for their tribe. Members of the tribe have no difficulty at present in obtainings as much land as each requires for agricultural purposes in which every one is supposed to be engaged; with the increase of population however , it is felt that some difficulties will arise in future, but the chiefs can cope with such cases.

Lands are never sold, but may be granted to outsiders for life, and to their heirs in perpetuity; but where the land so granted had been under cultivation, it is understood in every case that the fruit bearing trees, especially the palm trees, and kola-nut trees, etc., on the land are not included in the grant; hence the common expression “The grantee is to look down not up,” i.e. he is to confine his attention to plants he has cultivated and not on fruit-bearing trees he met on the spot.

Land once given is never taken back except under special circumstances as treason to the State which renders the grantee an outlaw, and he is driven altogether from that State or tribe, and his land confiscated. Even when left unutilized, if there are marks of occupation on it, such as trees planted, or a wall built, etc., it cannot be taken back without the consent of the owner.

There is no subject in which the Yoruba man is more sensitive than in that of land. This normally quiet and submissive people of their land forms one of the main conditions of their admitting an European officer among them by the Ibadans at the beginning of the British Protectorate.

The forests are under the direct guardianship of the hunters who form among themselves a fraternity recognized all over the land, subject of course to the town authorities. Any laws, rules, or regulations relating to forests that are to be made, must recognize the rights, privileges and services of the hunters, especially, as it is by them effect can be given to those laws. It is their duty to apprize the chiefs of any town, of any spies, expeditions, or raids that have that town or its farms for their objective. Crimes commited in the forest must be traced, and the authors tracked and unearthed by them. Any animal bearing traces or marks of their bullets or arrow-wounds must be restored to them. All information relating to forests must be given by the hunters to the chiefs of the town.

The forests are free to every member of the tribe for procuring building materials, medicinal herbs, firewood, etc.

Inheritance. --- When a man die, his farms are inherited by his children, and so from father to son in perpetuity, and, like the house are not subject to sale. If this children are females, they will pass on to the males relatives, unless the daughters are capable of seeing the farm kept up for their males relatives until the boys are of age to take up the keep of the farms.

No portion of such farms can be alienated from the family without the unanimous consent of all the members thereof.

These are the simple, fundamental and universal laws applicable to all the tribes in general, but subject to modifications and development according to the local exigencies of each place. These exigencies may be due to the proximity of large populations, and consequently higher value of land, the nature of the land, whether forests with economic plants in them or pasture land, and the locality whether near the coast where foreign intercourse affects local habits, or far inland where the tribes remain in their simplicity. But in every case the ruling of the local chiefs, and their councillors must necessarily be the law for that tribe since the fundamental laws are not-violated.

None but citizens born or naturalized can own land permanently in this country. Land granted to foreigners for a specific purpose reverts to the owner or the State on the grantee leaving the country. These are the general laws, to be observed rather in the spirit that in the letter.

Extract from the Gospel of Thomas - Verse 6

 

Extract from "The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas – Meditations on the Mystical Teachings" From Tau Malachi

Say 6:

His disciples questioned him and said to him, " Do you want us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we observe?"

Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered."

Religious doctrine and observance is a human invention. It does not necessarily have anything to do with spirituality and the Divine Life. Spiritual practice, devoid of spiritual living, will not bring about the necessary change in consciousness for enlightenment. The foundation of a true spirituality is the cultivation of your humanity and of the Divine potential with your humanity. Only when you cultivate your humanity and practice truth in your daily living is there fertile ground for spiritual practice to take root and bear fruit.

Receiving oral transmission of teachings and initiation but do not practice spiritual living and the cultivation of your humanity, there will be no change in you and higher awareness will not dawn. What do receiving teachings and initiation or engaging in prayer, meditation, and ritual mean if one does not live the Spirit and Truth of these practices daily? To learn about love and compassion, but not actively practice love and compassion in one's life, has no relevance. To study spiritual and esoteric teachings, yet not cultivate such qualities as patience, tolerance, understanding, generosity, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and so on, has no relevance. The real meaning of whatever we might do spirituality, the teachings and initiations we might receive, the spiritual practice we might perform, lies in our ability to integrate the Truth and Light revealed in our experience and live according to it.

Here, the Master speaks of a spiritual life that anyone can practice. Fundamentally, he says, " Practice speaking the Truth and treat others as you yourself would want to be treated." He tells you to live in an open and honest way and to practice the Golden Rule. Who can say that they do not understand what this means or that they are incapable of practicing it? Indeed, it is a way that everyone who is willing can follow.

Now here is a secret. Your ultimate health and happiness is completely interconnected and interdependent with the health and happiness of everyone else. Your own well-being and the well-being of others is connected. You are not separated and isolated from anyone or anything else in existence. All of Creation is intimately interconnected and interdependent. What you do to your environment and the world, you do to yourself. When dealing with others and your environment, you are dealing with yourself, so, in reality, acting toward others as you could want to be treated is giving to yourself what you most desire. Indeed, it is a practice of a true or enlightened selfishness, as opposed to the ignorant selfishness we practice that brings harms to ourselves, others, and our environment. The Master is speaking from a awareness of Sacred Unity and encouraging the truth seeker to live in such a way as to cultivate that same awareness.

Suppose what you are doing is writing a book as you live your life---a book of your life? It is a book that is finished and made complete only at the moment of your death. Now reflect upon this book and consider the possibility of studying and rereading this book in the afterlife. Is it an interesting book? Do you like the central character and what he or she is accomplishing? Is the book uplifting? What sort of book is it? Is it a book akin to the Holy Scriptures that you could reread and study forever, or is it a book you would never be inclined to read again?

What sort of book is being authored with your life and the way you live it? It is good to inquire what you would change of this book and to set about making that changed. All is said and done and that is it---and it goes with you.

Truly, it is a dangerous thing to live as though there is no consequence for one's actions or as though there is no accounting for how one has lived. The masters of all Wisdoms Traditions tell us that our future is born of our present actions, that the nature of our existence beyond the threshold of death is determined by how we are living now. Living without this awareness, one may, indeed, bring greet harm and suffering upon oneself.

Gnostic Christianity does not believe in eternal damnation but rather in reincarnation, which is to say a journey of consciousness through diverse states of existence that tend toward a progressive development and evolution of the soul or of consciousness itself. In the midst of this journey, there are heavens and hells and realms of admixture, as in the life of our present experience. Whether heaven or hell or something of admixture, each individual generates the causes and conditions of their own experience. One's own state of consciousness, one's own self-grasping, desire, and fear, brings one's experience. The creative power in oneself generates one's experience and manifests it. It is all a question of how one uses the Life-Power. The Soul enters into the experience and becomes the sentient being, corresponding with what one most desires. The soul travels the path one's desire follows.

Here, the Master speaks the plain and simple truth. It is a truth in your present experience, if you have eyes to look and see it. Anyone with any degree of understanding will surely see to live with this awareness. This awareness might be spoken of as living as though you were going to die tomorrow. How could you live today if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?c

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Extract form the Gospel of Thomas - Verse 3

 

Extract from "The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas – Meditations on the Mystical Teachings" From Tau Malachi

Say 3:

Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'see, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the air will precede you. If they say to you, 'it is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."

Malkut, the kingdom of Heaven, is within you and all around you --- yet, if you do not know that the kingdom is within you, then you will not see the kingdom outside of you. Such is the nature of reality, this magical display of consciousness. The inside and the outside are not separate but are intimately connected. The reality of your experience is the magical display of your own consciousness. A change in the reality you encounter is an expression of a change in consciousness.

In the world and waking consciousness there are many co-creators of the magical display. There is the individual and the collective creation of this magical display---and the individual, the collective, and the universal consciousness are completely interconnected and interdependent. You alone are not the creator of the reality you experience. Every living being is a unique individual expression of the Life-power, the Holy One of Being, and a co-creator with God of the reality you experience. Nevertheless, when there is a transformation in your own consciousness, there is a proportional and corresponding transformation in the world, in the reality of your experience. In transforming yourself, you transform the world in which you exist. Do you want to change the World? You are the world and the world is you. If you want to change the world, make a change in your own consciousness.

Whether heaven or hell or a world of admixture, it is all a state of mind, a condition of consciousness-being. The kingdom of heaven is not a place, but a spaciousness in consciousness, just as hell is a severe confinement and limitation upon consciousness. There are worlds within worlds and worlds beyond, heavens and hells and spaces in between. All are an expression of consciousness-being, which is the radiant nature of consciousness, and all exist within consciousness.

There are higher, holier worlds than this one. No one can know how many there are. Nor can anyone be certain that any given world of level of consciousness is the same ofro different person, and for a saint, "hell" could be the most intense joy. What is known is that, most of the time, people are toot busy here in this world to notice what is transpiring within it and beyond it, too lost in distraction to know themselves and so realize the wealth of higher and holier worlds that occupy the same space. Most ordinary individuals do not know the creative power that is in them and do not know that they are world and the world is them. In ignorance, they remain bound to lesser gods and shadow lands, and do not know the world of Supernal Light within and all around them.

So many souls are asleep and dreaming strange and fitful dreams. They are asleep and do not know that they are dreaming and so cannot awaken in the dream to transform it. To the awakened ones, the holy ones, it is a sad and sorry sight. It is a vision of sorrow to behold the nightmares created by self-grasping, desire, and fear, and all of the suffering that naturally follows. The awakened ones know the world of Supernal Light here and now, yet they also know how how very real the suffering is of those who remain ignorant and asleep. It is not an issue of personal salvation. No one is perfectly free until everyone is free.

" The first shall be last and the last shall be first" (Mark 10:31). Until the last "wicked" person repents and seeks righteousness, the great transformation of the Second Coming shall not be complete.

The force that binds is the force that will set everyone free. It is the same consciousness-force that manifests as the adversary or the Messiah, as heaven or hell. Enlightenment or un-enlightenment are expressions of the very same consciousness-force, the one Life-power. There is one Divine mind, but two paths. This world stands on the threshold in between. It could go either way at any moment---toward heaven and toward hell---yet salvation is always at hand, the Second Coming ever near, as near as your consciousness-being!

Now listen and hear the World of the Lord. You are free to choose! It could be heaven or it could be hell, but everyone must choose. Within you are the powers of salvation and damnation, the Light and the Darkness. When you are at last transparent, there will only be the Light and Life. That is the certainty of salvation in our Lord. Yet the suffering of damnation is all too real until salvation is attained. You must choose each moment. You must know the creative power that is you and live in remembrance of the Spirit and Truth.

What is is to be attained? Knowing and experiencing yourself as part of the Sacred Unity that is God, here and now. You have always been part of that Sacred Unity, are and always will be part of that Sacred Unity, the Holy One of Being. Never have you been separate from the Unity, the Holy One of Being. Never have you been separate from the Holy One. Union with God is not really an attainment; it is a present reality and truth. You need only remember the Spirit and Truth. You need only awaken and live with this awareness. It is not something you lack, but who and what you most truly are, the son or daughter of the Living God---the child of the Light, the Light of awareness itself?.

Who are lost that they should be found? I tell you, none are lost that they should be found? The one who is lost has never existed, and the one to be found was never born. You are what you are seeking, the bornless Spirit.

This is the good news!

Malkut, the Kingdom, is within you and all around you.

Eternal life is the Truth of your inmost being.

Death has never existed.

You are free.

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The Curse of the Woman - Could we help them take the curse from their Head? Birth of Eshu (Also known as Jesus according to the Yoruba's Mythology))

At the beginning, the Serpent was an individual walking like us. a lot of people tend to think of the pictures related to the subject that the Serpent has the form known today but it's simply a lie.

It always bothered me what I called the curse of the Woman. I mean how in the World that someone eats a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and sins. I really don't understand that fact. it's the biggest nonsense ever produced by Man. However, if someone comes with the fact that something else happen after they all ate that specific fruit, it would make sense.

For that reason, let's go if you don't mind go to the Egyptian mythology.
Most of the books stipulate that Seth (which is the same Seth from the Genesis) has his penis cut because of a fight with Osiris.

Some other scholars stated that the fight began when Seth slept with Isis. There was a fight between Osiris and Seth because of this adultery's act. Seth, stronger than Osiris, finally killed him. Horus (Osiris and Isis legitimate's son) cut by revenge Seth's penis.

Finally other scholars, Stipulated that Seth slept both with Isis and Horus. He killed Osiris for putting his mouth in this weird affair and Isis took the revenge by cutting his penis.

From all of these three stories, which one is the Real one.

We still don't know to this day.

Anyway, let’s come back to the Genesis, it would make sense if the Serpent slept with Both Adam and Eve, and God angry put a curse on all of them.

Well, the Church has nowadays this nonsense stipulating that the Sins came to being because eve gave to Adam the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.

In West Africa, we have a different story regarding that nonsense, we thank the Woman for giving us the fruit from that Tree of Knowledge. It’s because of the Woman that we have a better of understanding of life

In the United States, most of Women are in control, like the Churches, the Banks, the Hospital, the Shelters, the Household except in the Bowery Mission where they are only in control of the finance department.

Even in Christian Herald, they are in charge.

Is it the reasons why we cannot have everything in order at the Bowery Mission?

Is it the reasons why something missing in the teaching at the Bowery Mission?

I would like to include a file which explains the real Genesis according to the Yoruba (Kiki Adebola’s tribe, director of the Bowery Mission Discipleship Institute, in Nigeria, birth place of Humankind)

Important remarks:
You will remark that the fifth son of Oludumare (God) is Eshu or Eleggua.

Eshu is known as the "Devil" in Yoruba’s Mythology.

Eshu (Pronounced Yeshu)

In Hebrew, he is known as Yeshua.

The Germans, when they translated the Gospels, wrote to keep the syllable Ye in German Je (German syllable), which later became by the English, the well known name of Jesus.

The same for Jacob, which in Hebrew is literally written Yaakov.

From that fact, it’s clear that Jesus is black man.

FORMATION OF THE EARTH

All mythologies are founded in the belied of a Supreme Being or several deities and the Yoruba is one of them. The Yoruba Mythology is based on a Supreme Being and a Pantheon of different deities. Each one of these deities govern a force a nature or a special element. Following you will see the different aspects in which these deities were the first inhabitants on Earth.

The Orishas are beings who were given certain supernatural powers by the Supreme Being. Oludumare gave them the power to be in different places at the same time. From this comes the belief or myth of the Yoruba that we as humans are not worthy of directly asking Oludumare for favors, as he created the Orishas as intermediaries.

IN THE LUCUMI TONGUE: OLODUMARE MEANS THE BEGINNING AND THE END, AND

THE FOUNDATION WHERE THIS PLANET IS BASED.

Oludumare was looking for a place to rest and where he could create his Kingdom, when he caught sight of a heavenly gaseous mass. As he came closer to it he noted it had the desirable conditions he was looking for in order to create his ALAFI (House of God). This place would have the perfect climate and beautiful vegetation thus ensuring favorable conditions for his children (Orishas) during the winter months.

This story takes place specifically on the African continent in what today is known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the cities of Oyo, Ife and Ibadan, places that even today have great natural riches and where nothing is lacking for the development and conservation of the human race.

In the City of Ife, (place where according to the Yoruba the World was created) Oludumare decided to begin populating the planet. He created the first man represented in his material form by his name Oddua, which means beginning of the Human race.

Who is Oludumare

OLODUMARE

Oludumare is the Yoruba’s supreme being, creator of everything in heaven and earth, creator of time, day and night. He is the Creator that has existed since the Beginning of time.

Oludumare is an impartial god who controls the destiny of Mankind. It is commonly accepted for the Orishas to punish Mankind when natural laws are broken; however, Oludumare judges man according to man’s innermost feelings, his personality and character, as he knows and sees everything a person really is, including his innermost thoughts, feelings and desires.

Oludumare is the only one who can judge the morality of a person and accordingly does one receive his just rewards at the end of their life. At the same time, Oludumare is the judge of the Orishas and supreme regent in the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth. Nothing can be done against his will as this is the omnipotent force of the Universe; it moves because of him controlling the elements of everyday life on Earth. The difference between the Orishas and Oludumare is that Oludumare is the Supreme being and therefore represents a more abstract concept of nature and human qualities.

The first historians of the Yoruba mythology were unable to understand the subtle differences that exists between Oludumare and the Orishas, neither were they able to understand the significance Oludumare has in the religious life of the Yoruba nation, nor could they discern the essence and tributes of this Yoruba deity as they are so subtle, complex and spiritual just as the characteristics of the deity. The concept of Oludumare for the Yoruba is similar to those of the Ancient Egyptians. There is data about the Yoruba so similar to the Egyptians that they could be rooted in Northern Egypt or Sudan under the first Egyptian dynasty and when they abandoned Sudan they brought with them the cosmology of the Egyptians.

It is believed the presence of a deity as sublime in the Yoruba Pantheon could be derived from the possibility that a Supreme being revealed itself to other people besides the Jews.

Oludumare is also known as Olorun, and he lets himself be seen during the daylight hours in the highness. The Afro-Americans have brought him closer to Mankind with the name of Olofi. While remaining the same deity as the Yoruba’s (Olofi-Supreme Sovereign of the Heavens), this deity had no temples nor directly consecrated priests , but all the priests consecrated to the other Orishas give offerings. The most qualified priests to interpret the Oddun of the Oracle where he speaks are the ones consecrated to the god Orumila.

In America as in Africa, Olodumare has the same power but the Afro-Americans make him more human and bring him closer to the things of men. In the Americas this deity is called either Olodumare, Olorun or Olofi, because he is identified with the Sun or a great place in Heaven.

The black Afro-American population perceived the Catholic religion from their own point of view. For them this religion is based on the presence of a remote supreme being of high spirituality but always willing to help man in exchange for offerings and prayers. It was not very difficult for Afro-Americans to start adoring the Supreme Being.

It should be noted that the Afro-American people have a great imagination, are very progressive and have always come up with something new. This is one of the reasons why in the Americas Olodumare had been humanized to the extreme that in some houses of the Orishas he is worshipped like any other Orisha from the Yoruba Pantheon.

Olodumare decided his kingdom needed inhabitants capable of multiplying, it was then that he determined he would form the earth in that mass he had chosen and he would call it Oddua (beginning and end, in Lucumi it means Longitude). Oddua would have inside his body the Spirit of Olodumare and would physically act as Oludumare. He would be in charge of governing the planet being the highest authority and all futures generations would have to give him tribute.

Oddua has to do with everything that happens on earth beginning at birth and ending at death (when I say all, its all that concerns the planet). He is the Father of all the Orishas as they were borne of him. He is the first inhabitants of Earth, it would be throught him the Earth would mold to what is today its round shape. Oddua is the Earth and at the beginning it was composed of nothing more than gasses and fog. From these gasses and fog what we know today as the Earth was formed. From the highest mountains on Earth, the Spirit of Oddua was born and took the material shape of Man (as Man was born or formed of the Earth).

Once Man was created his name was Oddua, he analyzes the situation and felt it was a lonely and dry place. As he started to walk he saw this place needed much in order to be hospitable and would not be able to complete his tasks alone. So walking and thinking he comes to a place of such great depth he could not see the bottom. That is when he decided to fill this deep hole with some of the gasses left from the formation of the planet. As he filled the hole the gas turned into a transparent liquid which is known as water. Once the vast hole was filled with this liquid there was the creation of another Orisha with the same faculties as Oddua, at the same time with opposite representations and facets, they would be only one identity.

Once water was created so was Yembo, Oddua’s wife. Yembo in Lucumi means MOTHER OF THE WATER, THE PLANET AND THE HUMAN RACE. She could have one of the most important roles in the evolution of the Kingdom together with Oddua. As she was created so were formed the great oceans, rivers, waterfalls, lakes as well as the rain. Her birth also brings love and marriage and the creation of the human race.

ODDUA – EARTH, SOIL, FATHER

YEMBO – WATER AND MOTHER

OMI OLORURE – RAIN WATER, WATER FROM HEAVEN

When Yembo is created the Earth acquired a magnificent splendor as she brought with her a sense of what beauty is, she is a brunette of inexplicable beauty which hypnotized the Earth with her femininity and when she united with the Earth it was the beginning of Oddua and Yembo’s marriage (Marriage of the Earth and the Sea) and the love of these two Orishas, destined to be the parents of the Yoruba Pantheon.

Yembo has under her domain everything related to water, she is the Mother of the World. When the Sun rises and we see that beautiful sky in the horizon that is when she breathes and rules us all. She was the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom of Olodumare, her sensuality was such that one could resist her; they all wanted her, she represents life in all of its splendor. During the night she becomes Nana Burucu (moon) which is one of her facets or identity. During this facet, she becomes mysterious and mystic, her body is elevated to the heavens and lights the planet with her majestic light. She is the one who lights the dark of night the Earth less somber. We owe her for the cool nights, she is the one that gives respite from the hot rays of the sun balancing the course of nature, alleviating with her dew everything on the planet, not permitting the day or night from being too long, she rules the marine currents and gives life to Earth as she is the blood running through Earth’s veins since from her run the rivers, brooks and lakes.

She is also known as Olokun. In this facet, she is more human and compassionate and is the one that rules the seven seas to this day but is all one entity.

ODDUA AND YEMBO ARE THE PARENTS OF THE YORUBA PANTHEON

Once these two Orishas were born and ruling their corresponding elements they decided to unite and form a marriage in order to populate the planet, thereby starting the process and evolution of the Orishas.

ODDUA AND YEMBO’S LOVE

The love they professed for each other is the greatest love story ever to be written in the History of the planet. The Union of these two Orishas is so beautiful and lasting that it is still alive today. Under this union they had all sorts of problems, there were many who tried to split them apart but they were unsuccessful, no one was able to separate them as they were destined to be together till the end of time. From their love all other Orishas were born (the vital elements for surviving). The day their love stops and the earth and the water are separated will be the day of Armaggedon in this Kingdom of Olodumare called Earth.

First Child – Argayu (Sun)

Oddua and Yembo once united on this planet, which was still in darkness during the day, needed someone to illuminate it and give it the light necessary during the day since Nana Buruku (moon) shed some light at night time. It was then that their first son was born. When he came into this world he did so with two very important identities. At once he went into the core of the Earth while at the same time elevating himself to the Ile Olodumare (heaven) where he shines in all his splendor and gives the Earth the necessary light during the day. When he is in the heavens he is known as Olorun (Sun), when inside the Earth, he is known as Argayu (volcano). We owe him for not freezing to death, he is in charge of keeping the Earth warm with his solar rays. He has a very strong and masculine character and is one of the most important and oldest Orishas in the Yoruba Pantheon.

ARGAYU WAS ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED ORISHAS BY THE YORUBAS BEFORE THE TREATY OF THE SLAVES

With his birth would come very importants events to the planet since he brought with him the calendar separating night from day, divided the continents during one of his furious attacks (that is when eruptions occur) and there is in the volcano is where the Orisha Ogun would be born.

Second Child – Ogun (Metals)

After Argayu was brightly shining on the Kingdom, Oddua and Yembo decided to a have a second child. Ogun. He would give them the most trouble ever known on the Kingdom. When he was coming into this world the volcano was erupting, Yembo decided that would be where she should have her Omo (child). Amiss the volcano eruption, he was born and baptized with the name Ogun, that is when all the metas were formed.

OGUN MEANS ALL THE METALS OF THE WORLD

That is the reason he was born in the volcano. Oddua and Yembo resolved to also make him responsible for the distribution of food in the Kingdom.

He had a strong and blood thirsty character, he was to obtain a position in the hierarchy of the daily life in the Kingdom of the Orishas. He was tall, dark and handsome with features that attracted the attention of the Kingdom’s inhabitants; his fury and blood thirsty instincts were reasons enough for everyone to respect him.

With his birth also came a series of qualities, some good and some bad. With him vice entered the world, it was the first time the Kingdom knew of it is a general sense; also wars became known with him, as he lived in it throughout time.

With the birth of Ogun, the planet was moving toward development and was progressing rapidly becoming very beneficial for all. Oddua and Yembo continued to procreate; as they were expecting their third child.

Third Child – Oshosi (Hunter and Judge)

Oshosi, that is how the parents of the Yoruba Pantheon would name their third son. He would come to implement rules to be followed by everyone in the Kingdom. He would be the provider of all the protagonists in the Kingdom, he would also be the one who would explain and apply the laws by which they would have to conduct themselves upon their entrance into the world. Oddua and Yembo gave the beautiful Oshosi the task of hunting in order to feed the people.

With him some good and bad was also brought into the world as he was a sorcerer the birth of Oshosi brought the Yoruban refrain IN ORDER FOR THE WORLD TO BE A WORLD THERE MUST BE A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING. Olodumare would permit Oshosi to use his powers of witchcraft only for the good of mankind.

He was very good looking and enchanted many in the kingdom; he had a look in his eyes that attracted everyone he came in contact with. He was respected by all as he was the judge of the Kingdom of Olodumare.

WITH HIS BIRTH JUSTICE AND WITCHCRAFT BECAME KNOWN IN THE KINGDOM

Fourth Child – OSUN (Good Standing, Communicator)

Shortly after Oshosi was born, Yembo was already expecting her fourth child. Odua needed someone responsible who would be able to help him with his tasks in the Kingdom and it was Osun in whom Odua placed his confidence. He gave Osun responsibilities none of his elders brothers had. Osun, at birth, would be the head that would always reason. His mission would be to let Odua know what happened in the household during his absence. Osun had great virtues; he was wise, very responsible but he also had a bad quality and that was to be a glutton; he would let food rule his life and would forget his obligations (Ogun would take advantage of this defect). He paid very dearly for his fault as he lost his position as his parents favorite because of it.

His mission was to keep everyone in good standing. Odua trusted him so much he would have Osun take his place in the household when he went away, since Osun was very responsible and just. All the world’s trust Odua had placed in Osun.

OSUN SIGNIFIES TO BE IN GOOD STANDING IN THE WORLD

OSSUN NEVER SLEEPS, WHEN HE DOES, SOMEONE DIES.

With the birth of Osun, Odua had help at home since Osun was always willing to help and Odua had plenty to do in the Kingdom with its evolution. This gave Odua and Yembo more time to spend together. Shortly after Osun’s birth, Yembo became pregnant again with her fifth child, who would come to change the lives of all in the Kingdom. Yembo gave birth to another beautiful boy and named him Elegua.

Fifth Child – Elegua (Ruler of all paths and Opportunities in Life)

Eshu or Eleggua is an Orisha known and revered in Cuba as well as Nigeria. It is said that Eshu’s cult leans toward the fear he inspires and that he possesses great malevolence. It can’t be denied he inspires and that he possesses great malevolence. It can’t be denied he inspires a great admiration from his followers and the great powers and responsabilities he commands in the Yoruba religion. He is to be respected and adored because of his different personalities. He can be noble and good if he is well tended to, if not, he can be very destructive. Eleggua (he saves or destroys) is one of the most effective gods Olodumare made. He likes to create compromising situations creating animosity among men knowing they will come to him for help offering something in exchange. Eshu is cruel, generous , unexpected, quick, powerful, treacherous and whimsical as luck, just a s man’s destiny. Many think Eshu is man’s luck. All the other Orishas are afraid of him since they know that if he wishes, none of the offerings made to them would reach them as he is the messenger of the gods.

Sacrifices and worship are offered to him first (he acquired this priority when Ogun faulted)

In order to be everywhere at once he manifests himself as follows: his the highest and the lowest, prince, garbage collector, adolescent, old, etc. He adopts any identity in order to make his presence, power and will felt. In Cuba as well as in Africa he is the Messenger of the gods and is closely involved with all the other deities. He is close to Shango, Oshun and Ogun; he is Orumila’s guardian. He, together with Shango, Obatala and Oddua form the four cardinal points of Orumula’s Board. He together with Oya dominates the four winds. He is the ruler of all opportunities in a human’s life, possesses great psychic powers over Orumila’s Board, which he tends to with great care. He is a great psychic and so are his children. He is a great doctor and very knowledgeable in spells and talismans. His spells cannot be broken. This divinity has 21 personnalities or facets.

Eleggua lives in the house entrance and everyone wants to have him as protector. Much has been written about him and his bad influence but this concept is erroneously imagined by those who do not want to understand that the Yoruban religion is here to stay with Eleggua’s h

With Elegua’s birth came, all paths and opportunities this world had to offer to future human beings who would populate the world in time. Truth and honesty were also his virtues. He was a beautiful child and somewhat playful. He always liked to do good and helped those in need. He also had a great love for his parents.

Odua and Yembo saw in him a great prince with very special talents. Of all the virtues he possessed there was one that shined above the rest and that was he would always tell truth and be Just with everyone.

When he was born it was plain to see that he had some airs of grandeur that gave him the title of a great prince (as would become one). No matter how hard the truth he would always say it regardless of the consequences. He would become the most respected Orisha in the Kingdom of Olodumare and all the other Orishas would have to come to him to ask something of their parents.

Ogun, since Elegua’s birth, had become jealous and mistreated Elegua. Ogun would come to pay dearly for his deeds as Elegua was destined to occupy a very special place in the Kingdom which all the other Orishas would have liked to occupy and would come to need his help.

Odua saw in Elegua virtues none of his other sons had. This gave way to jealousy and mistreatment against Elegua by his brothers. Elegua was always in trouble with his older brother by always defending their parents. They were all mortified by Odua and Yembo’s preference with Elegua.

Once Elegua was older and becoming a handsome young man did Yembo become pregnant again thus awaiting together with Odua their sixth child.

Sixth Child – Osain

Osain was born and his birth would spring to Earth inmeasurable benefits as he would be the Orisha to populate the Earth with animal life and plants. He would be the doctor in the Kingdom of Olodumare since medicines would be prepared from plants. He would give the Kingdom a beauty never seen before. With his birth, the Earth would acquire a sublime beauty where life would become very pleasant for all of its inhabitants. Besides plants he brought with him all animals such as:

AFRICAN PARROT

SNAPPER

LEOPARD

GOAT

LAMB

BUZZARD

COIDE

ELLA TUTO

ECUN AUNCO

ABO

IBU COLE

Among the plants, the most distinguishable was the Ceiba-Araba, which along with the above named animals would later come to play an important role in the life of the planet as you will see in later chapters. Osain populated the Earth with this much needed landscape since up to this time it was composed of land and sea. Upon his arrival, everything changed as his plants with their different shades of green and the multicolors of the forests gave the Earth an impressive and marvelous beauty. He also brought the feathered animals with their beautiful plumage and songs giving a peaceful touch to the inhabitants of the Kingdom.

WITH THE BIRTH OF OSAIN DID THE EARTH KNOW OF MEDICINE, ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE.

His birth also brought the beginning of everything sacred in the world. Future generations would have to ask his permission in order to use them. He is the Orisha that brought the greatest progress. Osain and Yembo were the two greatest contributors to the Kingdom. Yembo was the water and Osain non-human life. The first gave the planet what it needed to live and when Osain is born in his second facet (as he became with 2) is when the brings the marsh, lagoons, and stale waters. It is at this time he acquires another aspect, and becomes known in the Kingdom as Shopwana.

Shopwana or Babaluaye

With Osain’s birth, he lets everyone see he had two distinct facet or personalities in one body. The first one would refer to everything that was beautiful; the second everything that was bad such as epidemics and illnesses. In this entity, he is known as Shopwana or Babaluaye.

Babaluaye is born in the marsh and putrified waters. At first, he was a very handsome, masculine man but as time went one his body began to decay. His body became full of putrified blisters and brought to Earth the other side of the coin and that was when epidemics became known. None of his brothers liked him. They found him revolting and repulsive but he never cursed them or complained about his misery. He always respected his parents who were testing him and would later compensate him by giving him the opportunity to be the Orisha of the epidemics and health. He would play an important role in the Kingdom.

WITH THE BIRHT OF BABALUAYE PLAGUES AND

PUTRIFICATION OF THE BLOOD AS WELL AS HEALTH

BECAME KNOWN IN THE KINGDOM

With his birth, the Kingdom was also complete and Odua and Yembo decided to go on with their mission of populating the Kingdom. They continued populating the Kingdom and the Yembo had Dada at a time when the planet was fairly populated by human and animal life. They were all in the Kingdom but they really did not know the reason why they were there. In the instant Dada was born they were enlightened as to the reason for being on Earth.

When Odua and Yembo had their first daughter, it became an event, as all in the Kingdom rejoiced at the sight of such beautiful and wise child. Even at an early age, she was able to display her wisdom. When she came into the world, she brought with her everything that was ignored up to that time such as fundamentals of the human and animal bodies, the brain that commands the body all its senses to react. She is the Orisha of Reason. She gave human beings something they were lacking and needed, as a person who cannot reason may as well be a dead body. That is why Dada occupies such a high position in the Kingdom. She is responsible for human being able to think, smell, see, walk, hear and above all else reason. It was something not known in the Kingdom and it was fascinating being able to discover these things existed as up to that time no one had noticed. Dada gave them the knowledge of all this.

WITH DADA THE BRAIN AND ALL ITS SENSES

WERE BORN WHICH UP TO THAT POINT HAD BEEN

IGNORED BY THE BEINGS LIVING IN THE KINGDOM

Dada is the Orisha that lives in the Head of all Humans and she is also known as Eleda (brain). She has lived with us from the day of her birth through the present time and will live with us till the end of the time.

Odua and Yembo were hypnotized by their daughter Yembo was so fascinated by this little creature that while looking at her one day, she felt movement in her womb and that is how she came to know she was expecting again and told her husband.

Odua was awaiting the arrival of the next child but meanwhile he would contemplate Dada. After a nwould be called Jeggua.

Eight Child – Jeggua (Virginity)

With her birth nature was beginning to mold certain laws by which humanity would have to live in order survive. At her birth virginity was born in the full sense of the word (for women as well as men). She brought to the World everything that was pure and virgin, she was also marked with the mystery of life and death) (it was through her that the world first knew of death). She was one of the most beautiful Orishas Odua and Yembo had. In time, she would be the guardian of the Ile Ocu (House of the Dead).

Jeggua would be wanted and tempted by all in the Kingdom; this would give all the males in the Kingdom a desire to show her, they were the most capable in the art of Love; they would try to gain her affection in order to prove to themselves their power and self worth. She was very pure and Mystic, it only took only one look to comprehend that she was not all of this world since she radiated with something very prohibiting to all in this world.

She was the most beautiful and fragile power born in the Kingdom of Odua and Yembo and had to be treated as such. During the day, she was like a white dove, pure and fragile; at night, she would take on a somber shadow that would scare anyone in the Kingdom. It was impossible to understand how two opposites could live within a person.

Time went on and no one could stop talking about Jegugua’s mysterious personality. Yembo, fulfilling her mission as mother of the Planet, was awaiting the birth of another child and it would be another girl.

Ninth Child – Oba Nani (Wisdom and Teacher of the World)

Yembo gave birth to one of the most fascinating creatures ever known in the Kingdom. She was baptized with the name of Oba Nani and would be known as the teacher and wisdom on Earth. This was another of the most important moments of the human race as Oba brings to the Kingdom many qualities that were unknown up to that instant in the Ile Orisha (House of the Deities). The virtues she brought to the Kingdom were unknown by the other; one of her virtues was to be the teacher to all of the inhabitants in the Kingdom.

OBA’S VIRTUE: TEACHER OF WAR, CULTURE

WRITER, NAVIGATOR, HUNTRESS, JUDGE AND

TEACHER OF LOVE

She was gifted with the art of love and charity which were lacking in the Kingdom; with her birth arrived the understanding between people. Because of her virtues, she became very special in the eyes of her father and very loved by him as he knew of her greatness. Her birth also brought human suffering.

Little did she know, that the good things she brought would, in the future, also be used for evil purposes by the inhabitants of the Kingdom.

Her beauty was both mystic and exotic, and all who lived in the Kingdom were extremely attracted to her. It was clear to see that she possessed the qualities of a great princess as it was demonstrated in years to come. Under the tutorship of Oba, all her brothers and sisters learned the art of survival, as Yembo continued to populate the plantet. Yembo’s next child would be another girl, and she was named Oya.

Tenth Child – Oya (The Air We Breathe)

Oya, like Oba, brought great physical beauty to the Kingdom. Oya’s beauty brought conflict amongst the Orishas. Oya had beautiful big eyes, the color of honey and very expressive. Whenever she made eye contact with anyone , they would without a doubt fall under her spell. Among the qualities she brought into the world on her birth were the air that we breathe, great storms and tornadoes. Although being an extremely feminine woman, she would sometimes have a strong temperament, as she would assume the personality of a very masculine warrior leading the other warriors into war

OSHOSI

Oshosi in Africa and Cuba

Oshosi is a divinity known throughout Yoruba, region where he basks in great popularity. This god has devotees throughout Nigeria. He is the god of hunters and spell casters. There are secret clans in Nigeria and Brasil that follow only his divinity. He is a morning god, lives in the forest with Osain, whose help is indispensable. He is a warrior like Elegua and Ogun. He is alos known as the god of justice. In Nigeria, his Omos (children) dress in leopard skin and use emblems representing him, such as the bow and the arrow. He plays a very important role in the life of the Yoruba since he is the provider of all meats consumed in that region and protector of hunters when they are in perilous situations. He leads animals into the hunter traps. Without his collaboration the hunters would not be successful. He can be benevolent but also malevolent to those who do not respect him.

In the town of Ikiji, near Ijebu Ode, the ceremonies tho this god are very long, usually lasting seceral days, and his cult is one of the most respected (feared) by all. This is the place where he was born to Yemaya.

In Cuba, this god is ruler of the jails, with him those who have problems with the law are protected. Osain together with Obatala are judges in the Yoruban rite. Ceremonies to this god are to be held in open air, preferably in a forest since that is where he lives and he does not like to be confined. Neither does he like for animals to be inside a house since he enjoys the act of hunting. Oshosi is more effective during the morning hours. Which is when he goes hunting. It is erroneous to think that having Oshosi is cause to laugh at justice. He is just and if there is a misunderstanding he could either put you in jail as well as let you go free.

This god had a love affair with Oshun and is eternally in love with her.

The Demonisation of Esu (also known as Jesus)

The demonisation of Esu

By Akintayo Abodunrin November 3, 2009 02:01AMT

People who bind and denounce Esu- often called Satan or the Devil-in their prayer left the hall with a simple message: They have been barking up the wrong tree.

In a public lecture titled ‘Esu Elegbara: A Source of an Alter/Native Theory of African Literature', he delivered on Thursday, July 23 at the National Theatre, Lagos, Funso Aiyejina, a professor of Literatures at the Department of Liberal Arts, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, made some interesting disclosures about the identity and functions of Esu (pronounced ‘Eshu'), one of the gods in Yoruba cosmology.

During the lecture organised by the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Aiyejina cleared the air about some misconceptions about the deity, and highlighted how African writers have used the Esu motif to tell African stories in a bid to bring us back to our roots.

‘Let not your heart be troubled'

Aiyejina sought permission from traditionalists including Sango, Ifa and Yemoja (Mammy Water) priests in the audience who promptly consented before the compelling lecture. ‘The Apostle of Esu' also reassured non-traditionalists that he was not seeking to swell the ranks of Esu disciples.

"Let not your heart be troubled," he said. "There shall be no proselytizing. Actually, as many of you must know, the Yoruba tradition under which I shelter to deliver this lecture does not approve of proselytizing. It scorns the arrogance of those who insist that their deity is better than [another]. ‘Ona kan o wo ‘ja' (There are many routes to the market) is the retort with which the Yoruba mind responds to any such supremacist arrogance.

If the Yoruba tradition had not entrenched the principle of multiple options, a concept that is underscored in the re-tonalisation of Esu's praise name of Elegbara, as Elegba ara, that is, the one with many manifestations. Can you imagine how many religious wars we would have had to fight as devotees of four hundred and one deities go at one other's throats, each claiming that their deity is the only way to salvation?"

The lecturer said that he could not remember when his fascination with Esu began but that his relocation to the Caribbean from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) sharpened his intellectual engagement with the god.

On Esu's place in Yoruba philosophy, Aiyejina said: "Esu emerges as a divine trickster, a disguise-artist, a mischief-maker, a rebel, a challenger of orthodoxy, a shape-shifter, and an enforcer deity.

Esu is the keeper of the divine ase with which Olodumare created the universe; a neutral force who controls both the benevolent and the malevolent supernatural powers; he is the guardian of Orunmila's oracular utterances.

Without Esu to open the portals to the past and the future, Orunmila, the divination deity would be blind. As a neutral force, he straddles all realms and acts as an essential factor in any attempt to resolve the conflicts between contrasting but coterminous forces in the world.

"Although he is sometimes portrayed as whimsical, Esu is actually devoid of all emotions. He supports only those who perform prescribed sacrifices and acts in conformity with the moral laws of the universe as laid down by Olodumare.

As the deity of the ‘orita'-often defined as the crossroads but really a complex term that also refers to the front yard of a house, or the gateway to the various bodily orifices-it is Esu's duty to take sacrifices to target-deities. Without his intervention, the Yoruba people believe, no sacrifice, no matter how sumptuous, will be efficacious.

Philosophically speaking, Esu is the deity of choice and free will. So, while Ogun may be the deity of war and creativity and Orunmila the deity of wisdom, Esu is the deity of prescience, imagination, and criticism-literary or otherwise".

Lost in translation

The author of ‘I, The Supreme and Other Poems', condemned the popular definition of Esu as the devil/satan among some people, especially those who hold the Euro-Christian view.

He blamed, among others, the late Bishop Ajayi Crowther, who chose Satan as the Christian meaning of Esu in his translation of the Bible into Yoruba and bodies like the Church Missionary Society Bookshop and the University of London whose dictionary of Yoruba language reinforced Crowther's definition.

Aiyejina also blamed Africans for allowing Crowther and others get away with the manipulation. "If Africans had been less trusting and more cynical and suspicious, they would have wondered why the same translators of the Bible who saw nothing wrong with equating Satan with Esu did not find a near-equivalent Yoruba deity for Jesus Christ, instead of Yorubanising his name into Jesu Kristi.

If Satan translates into Esu because of some perceived incidental similarities between the two, how come Jesus does not translate into Orunmila, given the fact that Orunmila is as proverbial, wise, calm, peaceful and forbearing as Jesus?" he asked.

Writers to the rescue

The works of the pioneer Yoruba writer, Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa especially his ‘Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole' and ‘Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje', Aiyejina observed, re-echo the Euro-Christian demonization of Esu and African culture.

However, he noted that a crop of writers, including Wole Soyinka, who were influenced by Fagunwa's works were the first to reject his portrayal of Esu "in consonance with the interrogative nature of the Esu principle" and his constant challenge to orthodoxy and authority.

Painstakingly, Aiyejina identified what he called ‘Esu Moments' (when the trickster god tempts human beings and displays his other qualities) in ‘A Dance of the Forest' and ‘Death and the King's Horseman' by Soyinka and in ‘Esu and His Vagabond Minstrels' by Femi Osofisan.

Chinua Achebe in ‘Arrow of God', Ayi Kwei Armah in ‘Two Thousand Seasons' and Ama Ata Aidoo in ‘The Dilemma of a Ghost', the lecturer argued, queried slavery (one of the Esu moments of African leaders who chose to sell their people) and the conflicts arising there from, and European templates of African literature in their works.

Their kinsmen in the West Indies/ Caribbean, including George Lamming and Earl Lovelace, he added, have also not been found wanting in rejecting European paradigm of African literature and criticism.

Aiyejina commended writers' efforts at mining African cultures for paradigms to return us to the centre of our stories and urged critics to join the effort. "Have our critics embraced the need to match our writers with interpretations that are equally bold and native to our persons?

If our writers write of, and for us, do our critics practise their art of criticism in our interest? It would, of course, require another lecture to answer these questions.

Suffice it, then, to say that the challenge for our aspiring literary critics today is how (while mastering the plethora of imported cosmopolitan literary theories) they can generate their own theories that can speak to us as a people with a unique history and experience", Aiyejina concluded with a sustained applause from the audience.

The frills

Ceremonials including drama and speeches preceded Aiyejina's riveting lecture attended by adherents of various traditional religions, students, academics and heads of some culture agencies.

Hafiz Oyetoro and Gbenga Windapo presented a drama sketch that somewhat pre-empted the poet's thesis of Esu as an agent of mischief rather than the devil while the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP)also did a cultural performance highlighting Esu's roles in the Yoruba cosmology.

Director General of CBAAC, Tunde Babawale, subsequently gave his welcome address. He said the success of a lecture held in May encouraged the parastatal to organise Thursday's Lecture.

"The content and reception of that lecture and the positive post-event discourse generated, point to the encouraging fact that the CBAAC Public Lecture Series is a step in the direction," he said, adding that "it is also important to emphasise that the essence of this series is not just to gather people for an ordinary feast of rhetorics, it is indeed a demonstration of our commitment to the good of public life, particularly to issues that border on Black African Affairs".

Chairman of the occasion, Olu Obafemi; chairman, board of CBAAC, Adesina Bakinson and chairman, Senate committee on Culture and Tourism, Bako Gassol all spoke in the same vein. They decried the demonisation of Esu and acknowledged CBAAC's role in projecting cultural heritage.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Goke Adegoroye also commended the initiative of CBAAC, just as he agreed that there was a need for a paradigm shift in the theory and criticism of African literature..

Women's Mysteries

This page was extract from a website:

http://www.awostudycenter.com/womenmysteries.htm

After twenty five years of study I am convinced that effective Awo is not possible without a working relationship between the elder mothers and elder fathers of our Ifa/Orisa communities. My personal involvement in teaching women´s mysteries has created understandable controversy. My ita made it necessary for me to make some effort to reclaim some of the sacred technology related to women´s mysteries that was lost during the middle crossing. I have passed the information I was given in Ode Remo to Apetebi Fasegun Fatunmbi and the responsibility for teaching these mysteries, and officiating at initiations related to women´s society functions is now hers. She has the additional responsiblity of joining hands with members of Egbe Obinrin for further study of awo that remains available only to initiated women. ApetebiFasegun Fatunmbi can be contacted at osomina@hotmail.com

Unfortunately much of the information related to women´s mysteries in general and African Spiritual traditions specially have been unfairly denigrated and demonized to the point of absurdity. Women´s power is a birthright, the development of that birthright is simply the effective expression of latent potential. Olodumare gave us all the tools we need to live a good life and to exprience the blessings of children, abundance and long life. How we use these tools is an expression of who we are, an expression of what Ifacalls Iwa-pele. This section of awostudycenter is dedicated to an exploration of both women´s mysteries and the integration of those mysteries into the fundamental structure of our Ifa/Orisa communities. Much of this information has been considered awo out of a legitimate need to protect women from unfair abuse. This creates a problem. If we do not talk about it, we cannot reclaim it. Dialogue is the foundation of communal elevation.

Ire

Awo Falokun Fatunmbi