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Showing posts from May, 2016

the New Afrika Shrine

recent history at the new afrika shrine Fela used to play in a space called "the Shrine" which is no longer existing. His children have revived it in a new location called the "New Afrika Shrine". It is nonetheless full of the presence of Fela. The walls carry paintings, pictures, work of art and one corner is even a proper Yoruba shrine with all the wooden gods statues which Fela used to worship. Fela's shirt hanging The New Afrika Shrine is now located in Alausa a recently redeveloped area not far from the airport. This is actually a mix of governement buildings, compounds and not far a Shoprite mall. Avenues lined with trees have pushed away the once unsafe neighborhoods. the shrine within Security is anyway taken seriously around the Shrine, with a crew of watchman carrying sticks and whip to deter potential robbers that could be lurking in the dark around cars parked on the streets. on stage

the gods and the Ifa in Ile-Ife

the grand priest of Ifa, Araba-Agbaye on the day of reading the future The grand priest of the Ifa is  Babalawo Adisa Aworeni  Awoyemi.  He is the Araba-Agbaye (Head of all Ifa priest in Ile-Ife) . Every June, which coincides with the beginning of the Yoruba year, marks the beginning of the rainy season. I t is then that the oracle will read the Ifa on a wooden board on which seeds linked by a string are thrown, from which the Ifa priest can interpret the future. Ifa is a divination system of drawing marks on the sand or on cam wood with Arabic origin (ARABIC GEOMANCY) entered into Yoruba land in the 16th century.  Ifá divination system incorporated into its system the already existing stories, tales aspects, religious structures and functions of the Yoruba Ò rìsà Mythology. the Araba-Agbaye in his reception room The town of Ile-Ife is hosting a number of shrines to several Yoruba divinities such as Obatala, the one that is moulding the body of human creatures at their bir