Beautiful picture of Pastor Nike and her husband, the youthful Reverend Sam Adeyemi, who serves as the senior pastor of Daystar Christian Center, on their wedding day in 1993. A lovely couple indeed.
Aláafin Abiodun Adegorolu was the successor to Aláafin Ajabo, a strong monarch at the time. A girl named Osu was born to Aláafin Abiodun. She grew up to become the mother of Olámínigbin, who married Omo-oga-egun. Together, they had a child named Ibisomi Telerinmasa. As the princess or priestess of the great god Obatala (the god of white cloth), Telerinmasa was said to possess a unique dignity that was recognized by her people as “Afala” (the one who loves purity or the pure one). It is said that the province of Obatálá is a domain of perfect and brilliant purity. Afala wed an Edu clan member whose name was also given as Ajayi; his grandfather was the Baale of Awaiye-petu, who moved from Ketou Dahomey (now in the Benin Republic) to the Oyó empire. After the Fulani slave traders invaded their town, Oshogun, near Isheyin, in approximately 1821, Afala parted ways with her handsome son when he was just 12 years old. As a devoted mother, she eagerly anticipated the day she would undoubtedly see her son once more. Slavery had kept them apart for decades, but during Ajàyi’s missionary journey in Abéökúta, they were eventually reunited. On February 5, 1848, in Abeokuta, Madam Afala was given the name Hannah and subsequently baptized by her own son. In Abeokuta, Madam Hannah and a few other family members moved in with the bishop, where she lived to be over a century old.
Regarded as some of the most advanced works of art in the world at the time. Over time, the true historical account surrounding these outstanding pieces of art has assumed various forms. If the terracotta figures from Ilé Ifè are any indication, civilization there began a very long time ago. During his 1930 visit to the Iwinrin Groove, Wilfrid D. Hambly, the first curator of African ethnology at the Field Museum of National History in Chicago, was guided along a narrow path to see a scared ceremony and the unveiling of the sacred terracotta. The sculptures were initially protected from theft at the shrine by being hidden beneath clay pots; later, they were kept in a padlocked box in a specially made mud building in the groove. The artwork was brought to the Palace in 1934 by HRM, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ilé ife, for safekeeping until they could be moved to the National Museum of Ife Antiquities. Image 1: In Iwinrin Groove in Ilé ifè in 1930, a priest opens a box containing holy terracotta heads. Image 2: In 1931, terracotta heads were found in Iwinrin Groove at Ile Ife.
Obi Okosi was a king who was not just descended from nationalists. He discovered an African leader in Nigeria, and he perceived Africa as a powerful force in resolving global issues. He devoted his life to achieving internal harmony, peace, and security because he felt that “charity begins at home.” Thus, King Okosi of Onitsha labored nonstop and in silence to foster respect, understanding, and unity among all the tribes that were under his sphere of influence. His goal both inside and outside the Palace was to unite all different viewpoints in order to advance a cause of peace and unity beyond his own borders in this nation and, in the end, to take all of Africa with her into the front ranks of global powers by blending all of Nigeria into a single understanding. Among all his forebears, Obi Okosi lived to witness a united Onitsha, a place where all tribes coexisted as one, sharing one another’s problems and struggles through mutual understanding. He was a kind and endearing king. Image info: Queen Elizabeth Il, Obi Okosi of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Prince Philip discussing at a reception in Enugu.
The long-standing custom of carrying babies is progressively dwindling. Mothers of the more recent generations, particularly the young and well-educated ones, prefer to wear their babies rather than carry them. On the other hand, elderly mothers frequently condemn these women, arguing that the fad is merely “fashion” and not something to be supported. Warmth and the promotion of mother-child bonding are two benefits of backing, particularly for premature infants. The way kangaroos carry their young in pouches has given rise to a phenomenon known as the “kangaroo phenomenon.” In medicine, this type of system is used to assist the infant in producing warmth, particularly in cases of premature birth. In addition to fostering the mother-child bond, it provides the warmth that a baby needs to live a healthy life.
The legendary Queen Amina was referred to as the fierce warrior queen in Kaduna State, particularly in Zaria, the old Kingdom of Zazzau. Thus, Amina, daughter of Nikatau, is still honored today in traditional Hausa praise songs as “A woman as capable as a man that was able to lead men to war,” due to her involvement in leading men to fight in Zaria, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. King Nikatau, the 22nd king of Zazzau, and Queen Bakwa Turunku (reigned 1536–c. 1566) welcomed young Amina into the world in the middle of the sixteenth century CE. Early in the 20th century, the British gave the present-day city of Zaria (Kaduna State) its nickname in honor of her younger sister, Zaria. According to history, Amina was her grandfather’s favorite and grew up in his court. He carried her and gave her detailed military and political orders while he was in court. As a result, when Amina turned sixteen, she was given forty female slaves and given the title of Magajiya, or heir apparent (kuyanga). Many men have wooed Amina since she was a small child. After Amina’s parents died in or around 1566, her brother eventually took the crown of Zazzau. Amina had made a name for herself in the military and was now regarded as a “leading fighter in her brother’s cavalry.” After her brother Karami passed away in 1576, Amina became the first female queen. But Daura, Kano, Gobir, Katsina, Rano, and Garun Gabas were the other six initial Hausa states (Hausa Bakwai). Zazzau was one of these prehistoric states as a result. Before Amina came to the throne, Zazzau was one of these largest states. It also provided Arab dealers with the majority of their slave supply for the slave markets in Katsina and Kano. Three months after becoming queen, Amina began a 34-year battle with her neighbors in an attempt to expand Zazzau territory.…
The African diasporic religion known as Candomblé originated in the sixteenth century and spread to Brazil in the nineteenth. It emerged from a process of syncretism amongst numerous West African traditional faiths, including the Gbe, Yoruba, and Bantu. A small amount of Roman Catholic Christianity has influenced this. Candomblé is based on autonomous terreiros (houses), with no central authority in charge. Because Brazilians love to dance, music and dance play a significant role in Candomblé rituals. The term Candomblé literally means “dance in honor of the gods.” The African diasporic religion known as Santería, or Regla de Ocha, originated in Cuba in the late 1800s. It developed as a result of a process of syncretism including Spiritism, the Catholic branch of Christianity, and the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa. Santería is not governed by a single body, and its practitioners—known as creyentes—are highly diverse. Santería is practiced in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other Caribbean nations. Even though Candomblé is popular in Brazil. Santería professes the existence of an all-encompassing deity called Olodumare or Olorun. Adherents hold that although this divinity is indifferent to human issues, it created the universe. Since this creator deity is not reachable by humans, there aren’t any significant offerings made to it.This deity shares similarities with the Christian Trinity; Olodumare symbolizes the divine essence of everything that exists, while Olorun is thought to be the creator of all beings. These two aspects of the divinity are understood slightly differently. Worship deities (ORIŚAS) in Candomblé and Santería: OLODUMARE (GOD) ORUNMILA (the ORISHA of Wisdom&Knowledge) IFA OLOKUN (Oracle) IYE MAJA (Mermaid) OSHUN (River Goddess) OBATALA (The creator) OGUN (god of iron) SHANGO (god of Thunder) ÒYA (river…
The Yoruba Gźlẹdẹ spectacle is a mask-based art and ritual dance performance that is intended to entertain, instruct, and encourage worship. It is performed in public. Gelede honors “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a category that comprises senior women in the community, female ancestors, and deities, as well as the strength and spiritual aptitude these women possess in society. concentrating on appropriate social behavior in Yoruba society in addition to fertility and parenting. Three potential locations—Old Oyo, Ketu, and Ilobi—are associated with the historical beginnings. One of the most ornate and ancient Gelede performances, Ketu, tells the tale of a dying monarch and his twin sons fighting for the crown. One brother devised a scheme to murder his twin after realizing he would not get the crown. The brother devised a counterplan after learning of the scheme, which included building a mask and a fake person to serve as a decoy. The mythological beginnings are closely related to Iya Nla, the Great Mother, and her association with twins and maternity. The divination stories known as Odu Ifa contain the majority of Yoruba tales. There is roughly 256 Odu Ifa, and each one has several poetries known as ese Ifa. An ese Ifa typically tells the story of an animal or person with a problem and the methods taken to solve it. The story of Gelede’s beginnings is told by an ese Ifa, who describes Yemoja as “The Mother of all the orisa and all living things.” When Yemoja was unable to conceive, she went to an Ifa oracle for advice. The oracle suggested that Yemoja dance while wearing metal anklets on her feet and wooden pictures on her head. This ceremony worked, and she got pregnant. The boy who was her firstborn was called “Efe” (the humorist); the Efe mask draws attention to songs and jokes due to the character of its namesake. The daughter who was Yemoja’s second kid was called “Gelede” since she shared her mother’s obesity. Gelede cherished dancing, much like her mother did. Neither Gelede nor Efe’s partner could have children after getting married to each other. The Ifa oracle advised them to attempt the same rite that their mother had found success with. Efe and Gelede began bearing children as soon as they carried out these rites, which included dancing while wearing metal anklets and wooden representations on their heads. The Gelede masked dance originated from these rites and was carried on by Efe and Gelede’s descendants. The Gelede festival is a fertility-focused…
Big crimes have been suffered and overcome in Nigeria. The 1970s saw Oyenusi, the 1980s saw Anini, and the 1990s saw Shina Rambo. Their atrocities lasted no more than five years, according to Derico Nawa mama in the early 2000s. But one of the largest and longest periods of terror in Nigerian history was the reign of Abbey Godogodo in the early 2000s. Abiodun Egunjobi, also known as Godogodo, 36, emerged as the leader of a group that terrorized Lagos and the southwest with reckless abandon. The gang defied all logic, struck with accuracy, and killed without compassion. Godogodo, who had served seven years in prison for a crime he believed to be insignificant, set off on his journey into the dangerous world of crime. He was a junk trader in the Abule-Egba slum of Gatankowa when he got into a brawl and was taken into custody by the police. Godogodo was put in jail because he had no one to save him, him, and he felt that the police had wronged him by sending him there. He made friends with more dangerous armed robbers while incarcerated, formed an alliance with them, and spent time learning under their tutelage. Upon his release from prison, he resolved to take legal action against the police for their seven-year incarceration of him. Godogodo, also referred to as the one-eyed assassin, caused the Lagos State Police Command so many headaches during the course of 14 years prior to his arrest on August 1, 2013, that the command rejoiced on the day of his arrest, knowing that at least its men would be safe from his guns. Godogodo, a ‘hefty man’ who was born in 1977 in Atan, Ogun State, turned to crime after he ran away from his parents’ house to live in the slum of Gatankowa in the Abule-Egba neighborhood of Lagos. In order to survive, he sold cigarettes and booze here. Later, he would run into a group of criminals who had a bag of firearms with them. “I was co-opted into the gang, but I wasn’t satisfied with what they were giving me after each operation, so I joined another …
Adunni Olorisha Susanne Wenger (left) and Ajagemo (right), a high priest of Obatala in Ede, Osun; Obatala is the father of all orishas and all humankind. She contracted tuberculosis within a year of her arrival from Austria, which led to a spiritual awakening and her conversion to the Yoruba religion. She met Ajagemo, an Obatala priest, at Ede and was drawn to the religion. Wenger was first exposed to the Yoruba language, religion, and way of life by Ajagemo, and the two quickly grew close. Wenger experimented with vibrant designs inspired by Adire manufacturing methods during this time. In the end, Wenger and Beier got divorced. Wenger then wed a local drummer named Lasisi Ayansola Onilu, and by then, she was making a name for herself as a leading figure in the Orisha faith rebirth. After leaving Ede and relocating to Ilobu, Wenger settled in Osogbo in 1961 and rose to prominence as an advocate for the Osun Grove. She performed community service by working with the Public Works Department and an artist collective to destroy termites and rebuild the shrine’s buildings and carvings using cement and wood. She became the protector of the Sacred Grove of the Osun goddess on the banks of the Osun River in Oshogbo and founded the archaic-modern art school “New Sacred Art,” which was a branch of the larger Oshogbo school. In addition to expressing the actions and purposes of the particular orishas, Wenger’s artwork also portrays the social lives of both traditional religion devotees and non-adherents. Her home serves as a gallery for her artwork because so much of the furniture inside features motifs from Yoruba art. At the age of ninety-three, Susanne passed away at her Òṣogbo residence on January 12, 2009.