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- Convenors:
-
Olukayode Eesuola
(Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos)
Muyiwa Falaiye (University of Lagos)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Location-based African Studies: Discrepancies and Debates
- Transfers:
- Open for transfers
- Location:
- S44 (RWII)
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 2 October, -, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
This panel invites papers that discuss the different location-based approaches, traditions and sub traditions of Ifa studies that add values to the contemporary world, and how Ifa Studies itself can be reconfigured based on these, as part of Reconfiguration of African Studies.
Long Abstract:
This panel will invite papers to discuss the approach, tradition and sub traditions of Ifa studies that have the most capability of adding significant values to socio-political, economic, scientific and technological discourses in the contemporary world. Though generally viewed as a critical aspect of African Indigenous Knowledge System, Ifa has different dominant interpretations, traditions and sub traditions across different geographical locations around the world. These differences sometimes appear as discrepancies, and they continue to generate debates over the 'proper' Ifa conceptualizations and study approaches that have greatest potentials for contemporary global discourses. 'Is Ifa a religion, a divination or a thought system' remains, for instance, one dominant controversy that keeps reverberating across different geographical locations where Ifa is practised. Other controversies include the standard chronology of the 256 odu Ifa, appropriateness of basic totemic items, as well as recitations and narrations of the odu. All these differ from Benin Republic to Nigeria, other countries of ECOWAS, South and North America. Amongst the Yoruba of Nigeria alone, Ifa traditions of Ife, Oyo and Ekiti have some differences that can produce discrepancies in divinations, interpretations and thought systems. In line with all these, how is Ifa Studies reconfigured as a a part of the greater theme of reconfiguring African Studies in such a way that gives it contemporary values around the world?
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Wednesday 2 October, 2024, -Camillo César Alvarenga (Postgraduate Program in Sociology - Federal University of Paraíba (PPGSUFPB))
Paper short abstract:
This text explores the Yoruba cosmological order in the cult of Ifá and its implications for international science policy. It discusses the critique of colonial reason and the production of knowledge in Yoruba cosmology through social practices and interactions.
Paper long abstract:
This text explores the Yoruba cosmological order within the cult of Ifá and its ritual practices from Nigeria. The goal is to understand the implications of indigenous West African sociologies for international science policy in the field of Social Sciences. The author argues that the transformations of sociology in modernity provide a critique of colonial onto-epistemological reason through Yoruba cosmological reason. Nigerian sociology has shifted from African Studies/Yoruba Studies to Ifá Studies, considering social practice as a process of knowledge production. This approach identifies the conditions of possibility of Being and emphasizes social action as a knowledge-producing endeavor. In Yoruba cosmology, the production of sociality occurs through interactions and operations between practices, guided by rules, roles, ethics, morals, rituals, myths, narratives, and cosmological beings. These elements represent native logics of social agency and action, extending to include interactions with extra-human nature. Overall, the text highlights the unique perspective that indigenous sociologies offer for understanding knowledge production and social dynamics.
Hamed Olanrewaju (UNILAG)
Paper short abstract:
The study foreground is that Africa in general and the Yoruba people of the southwest of Nigeria have a means of knowing (Research Process) called “Ifa”. The Knowledge system is based on mathematical (Binary) and textual corpus rendered using a poetic line.
Paper long abstract:
The adoption of a Western periscope for interrogating Africa’s problem has been influenced by colonial legacy and the lack of an auto-centric nature of formal curriculum in Africa.. These imply that digging deep to understand, explain, interrogate, or deconstruct phenomena or societal problems has continued to majorly align with the Western ontological, epistemological, and methodological routes. The study foreground is that Africa in general and the Yoruba people of the southwest of Nigeria have a means of knowing (Research Process) called “Ifa”. The Knowledge system is based on mathematical (Binary) and textual corpus rendered using a poetic line. The research processes of Ifa traces the spiritual genealogy of events and being in relations to its physical space. Yet, this knowledge system is scientific, employing the use of different methodological strands and research instruments such as opon-ifa, and Agere ifa amongst others. The validity and reliability of Ifa as a knowledge system have gained traction that the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization sees as intangible knowledge system. This study argues the knowledge system intersect between the tangible and intangible. Relying on the Conversationalist Theoretical lens, the study concludes that knowledge of Ifa can co-exist in congruence with other means of knowing around the continents. Hence, the paper tentatively recommends Ifa as a knowledge system should be understood from its epistemological and methodological relevance to the society and the epistemic community.
Omotayo Oloruntoba-Oju (Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria)
Paper short abstract:
The deployment of Ifa in drama, through personages and texts of Ifa, keys into debates around versions and subversions of the phenomenon. This paper examines symbolic and realistic presentations of Ifa in drama and whether or how these confer authenticity or reduce its cultural and aesthetic value.
Paper long abstract:
The issue of contestant versions of Ifa is complicated by the appropriation and incorporation of the paraphernalia of Ifa into secondary forms of expression such as secular drama and film. Ifa itself has been closely linked with ancient Yoruba drama, since the drama emerged from ritual and Ifa is a prominent component of the ritual. The deployment of Ifa for secular drama, through personages of Ifa such as Orunmila and associate gods, through various insignias of Ifa, and above all through texts of Ifa, is therefore irresistible. For example, as a symbol of wisdom and ethical conduct, Orunmila often serves as moral compass in drama. The deity’s teachings can be woven into the drama to convey moral or ethical principles and resolve related challenges. This paper explores models of integration of idioms of Ifa into Nigerian drama and film (Nollywood), and the relationship of convergence or divergence between principles of Ifa worship and elements of dramaturgy. Following models of text incorporation and text adaptation, the paper examines the versions of Ifa texts that dramatists are wont to employ for their dramas, and the degree of fidelity to, or modes of subversion of, these versions. The paper suggests that specific treatment of Ifa texts by specific dramatists/producers/directors will be determined largely by their perception of the continued potency of Ifa or impotency as a mere cultural relic. I examine symbolic and realistic realms of representation of Ifa and whether these confer authenticity or reduce the mythical, cultural and aesthetic value.
Chiedozie Okoro (University of Lagos)
Paper short abstract:
There are epistemological issues involved in Afa/Ifa divination, which necessitate that Afa/Ifa divination should be subjected into critical investigation using the tools of hermeneutic phenomenology and K .R. Popper’s falsifiability theory.
Paper long abstract:
There are epistemological issues involved in Afa/Ifa divination. One of such issues is the problem of epistemological certainty which further border on the question whether Afa/Ifa divination is fallible or infallible. Afa/Ifa divination is a hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry of how the life-forces of entities is harmonized with the universal life-force in the lifeworld. Lifeworld in this instance, refers to human existence in relation to the cosmic environment. From the purview of Afa/Ifa hermeneutic phenomenology or the phenomenology of life-force, the lifeworld is said to be controlled by plenum of forces. If the world of the multiplicity of forces is said to be constantly in mutation, the problem that ensues concerns how epistemological certitude can be attained in such a world? In response to the foregoing question, Karl Raimund Popper’s falsifiability theory would be used to peruse Afa/Ifa divination within Igbo/Yoruba cultural hermeneutics to decipher if such hermeneutic inquiry involves the processes of subjectivity, inter-subjectivity, intentionality, eidetic reduction and a transition from the lebenswelt to a transcendental state of phenomenological standpoint. This apart, does such system of hermeneutic inquiry entail a presuppositionless appraisal of issues meant to support scientific investigation or is it meant to reveal existential conditions of entities with a view to reintegrating them into the cosmic order? Lastly, can Afa/Ifa divination be made to be scientific? These pertinent questions shall be answered in this essay.
Keywords: Afa/Ifa divination, epistemological certitude, epistemological inquiry, hermeneutics,
phenomenology of life-force.
Katia de la Cruz Garcia (University of Cape Town)
Paper short abstract:
This presentation delves into Caribbean Ifa practice through Pedro Arango's books 'IFA,' aiming to reveal insights into the unique concept of 'Eniyan L'aso Mi.' The focus is on philological analysis of Arango's second version (1948), unveiling connections to broader Ifa teachings.
Paper long abstract:
This presentation delves into the philosophical depths of Ifa in the Caribbean, concentrating on Pedro Arango's work titled 'IFA.' As a priest of Ogun, Arango produced two distinct versions of his work, the second one around 1948, in Cuba when photocopiers were not available. In this era, each babalawo received a unique typewritten book. Arango's motivation for creating the second version was to maintain the advantage for babalawos and introduce more stories.
The study seeks to reveal distinctive insights into Caribbean Ifá practice, contributing to a profound understanding of African philosophical concepts in the region. Through an analysis of Arango's compilation, particularly focusing on the copy owned by Babalawo Carlos Luna, marked with a designated code, this study aims to pinpoint the philosophical concept of 'Eniyan L'aso Mi' within Caribbean Ifa.
Adopting a philological approach, the study explores the philosophical concept of 'Eniyan L'aso Mi' by delving into the narratives, stories, and teachings within Pedro Arango's 'IFA' Manual. Recognizing that the divination process guides individuals in navigating relationships and community responsibilities, however, the direct connection to 'Eniyan L'aso Mi' emerges within the broader teachings of Ifa philosophy.
This exploration acknowledges the strong Yoruba presence in the Caribbean and its conceptual impact on thought systems and practices, aligning with the broader theme of reconfiguring African Studies and it positions Ifá studies as a vital component with contemporary global relevance.
Félix Ayoh'OMIDIRE (Obafemi Awolowo University Humboldt University, Berlin)
Paper short abstract:
Within the past 20 years, there has been a boom in Ifá adherence in Brazil where, for centuries, the Erindinlogun tradition had almost completely obliterated the role and place of babalawos in the orisa economy. Such a deverlopment has generated a new dynamics in the re-Africanisation of Candomble.
Paper long abstract:
Candomblé historiography since the 19th century has revealed a gradual but systematic side-lining of babalawos, priests of the Ifa oracular traditions, in the consolidation of the candomblé terreiros otherwise known as Ilê Axé, where a combination of factors gradually placed the leadership of the emerging Afro-Brazilian religious models in the hands of the iyalorixás, making American Anthropologist Ruth Landes to errorneously label the terreiro world of the Brazilian orixá tradition as a "Cidade das Mulheres" in her 1940 book of the same title. Despite the lingering memories of great Bahian babalawos such as Felisberto Souza, Rudolfo Martins (Bamgboxé-Obitiko) and Martiniano Eliseu do Bonfim (Ojelade) whose imprints in the annals of the oldest Candomblé temples are still evoked in the appropriate "esa" litanies today, the bulk of oracular traditions was systematically shifted into the hands of the Iyalorixás with pre-eminence given to "Oosa dídá", otherwise known as Erindinlogun. This is a major contrast with the Cuban Santería tradition of the same period which upheld the Ifá traditions and has rigorously maintained a strict division between the persons and functions of a babalawo and an oba oriaté. The present paper seeks to analyse and problematise the process of re-introduction of Ifá-Orunmila traditions in Brazil in the past 2 decades and the implications for what this author has discussed in other research moments as the Orixá Economy.
Keywords: Ifá/Orisa traditions, Candomblé, Babalawo, Re-Africanisation
Akeem Bello (Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria)
Paper short abstract:
This study explores Sub-Saharan communal alchemy, revealing metaphysical strategies safeguarding cultural marvels. Employing ethnographic techniques, the study unveils clandestine dynamics, emphasizing metaphysical resilience in preserving cultural heritage.
Paper long abstract:
"Whispers in the Wind" delves into the mystical realm where Sub-Saharan communities, practising a unique form of communal alchemy, employ metaphysical powers to safeguard cultural marvels. Drawing on the cultural ecology theory, this study explores the dynamic relationship between culture and environment, emphasising how communities adapt and utilise metaphysical practices in response to external pressures. Employing ethnographic qualitative techniques, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and mapping ritual spaces, and life histories, the research immerses itself within the community. Through these methods, the study seeks to unravel the clandestine dynamics of metaphysical security, shedding light on the subtle alchemical processes that fortify cultural treasures against the relentless passage of time and external threats. The investigation includes an examination of personal narratives, collective beliefs, historical documents, and spatial dynamics within the communities. By mapping significant ritual spaces and constructing life histories, the research captures the interplay of individual experiences and shared practices, offering a distinct understanding of how metaphysical powers are woven into the cultural fabric to ensure the enduring legacy of Sub-Saharan cultural marvels. This study not only contributes to the discourse on cultural preservation but also invites a transformative perspective by recognising and leveraging the unique metaphysical strengths of host communities. This study interrogates a world where whispers in the wind echo the metaphysical resilience, wisdom, and unspoken bonds of Sub-Saharan communities, ensuring the enduring legacy of cultural heritage for generations yet to come.