Arabirin Sola

An ancient Awùjalẹ̀ of Ìjèbú once told his subjects "I'm not an Aláàfin, it's in Ọ̀yọ́ where the leaders live all their lives serving the Followers". We've had our own form of democracy before the Greek discovered theirs. The Ẹ̀gbá ran a Tetrarchy The Ìbàràpá ran a Confederation Ifẹ̀ ran a Theocracy Ìjàyè ran a Military dictatorship The Awori ran a Constitutional monarchy  Ìbàdàn ran a Gerontocracy (The most restless population in Yorùbáland needs to be ruled by sages and elders or there won't be peace anywhere close!) We've got so much of our own to pick from and refine.

In Yorubaland, leadership was never a joke. Our ancestors understood that power must be tied to accountability, truth, and consequences. Before colonialism, Yoruba leaders took oaths with deities that represented justice, balance, and truth! Ogun, Sango, Esu.  These oaths were not for fear, but for discipline, character, and responsibility. Then colonialism came, and we replaced our cultural systems of accountability with foreign ones.  Oaths became symbolic, not binding.  Leadership became performance, not duty. I believe Yoruba leaders need to reconnect with the traditional moral codes that once kept them honest.  Not necessarily by invoking any danger but by returning to the spiritual values that ensured integrity. Our ancestors understood something important,  when you swear before a divinity that represents justice, you remember that betrayal carries consequences both moral and ancestral. Today, we see too much selfishness in leadership because the oath has...

  KWARA STATE OR ỌYA STATE?  Historically, the territory we now call Kwara State was originally proposed to bear the name "Ọya State," in honour of Odò Ọya, the great river whose identity and cultural significance are deeply rooted in Yorùbá tradition and in flow with other Yorùbá state like Ọ̀yọ́, Ògùn, Ọ̀ṣun and Òǹdó states. However, pressures from the Ilọrin emirate and some Yorùbá Muslims, working in concert with other non-Yorùbá groups within the region, led to the rejection of the name Ọya. Their objective was straightforward: to forge a distinct identity for Kwara that would set it apart from the other clearly Yorùbá states. What is particularly ironic is that the chosen name, Kwara, is itself a Nupe word for the same River Niger that the Yorùbá call Odò Ọya. In other words, the name was not changed because the proposed name was inaccurate; both words reference the exact same river, but purely because the name Ọya carries spiritual and cultural associations linked to t...

Patience is the Greatest Virtue While Èsù’s character is synonymous with impetuous motion and perpetual change, other òrìsàs epitomize unwavering stillness and abiding calm. One such deity is Obàtalà (Lisa, Òrìsànlá, Oxala). As the Yorùbá Arch Divinity, Obàtalà is the venerable father, whose wisdom fills the devotee with aristocratic poise and regal presence. From his oriki we get a glance of Obàtalà’s austerity: He is patient. He is silent. Without anger he pronounces his judgment.  Here it’s important to note that we all enjoy some degree of Obàtalà consciousness. For example, recall a time when you had to demonstrate deep cool. Maybe you were confronted by an emotionally intense situation, like natural childbirth or attending a loved one’s funeral. Perhaps you were facing a fast-approaching deadline or you were about to present some very important information. Think about what it was like to be “at the eye of the storm”, where, in spite of the fact that everything around you was...

  It was then proclaimed in the Holy Odu Ifa Osetura Meji: Osun must be included in all that you are doing You must involve Osun in them (women) Then life will become smooth Olodumare said that if someone is pounding yams without the knowledge of Osun His/her pounded yams will not be smooth. If someone is preparing Okra, without involving Osun in it. His/her food will not come out fine Osun must be involved in whatever is being done. The male Orishas declared that they will involve Osun. In all their creations and deliberations. We will involve Osun in whatever we do. We will involve Osun in all our deliberations. Our great Mother, who must be presented at every important deliberation We will involve Osun in all our deliberations Agberegede Ajuba Ajuba Agberegede Divined for Osun Sengesi Owner of a hair comb decorated with Iyun When she was in a secret place She spoiled the sacrifice of other divinities Who is performing a sacrifice? Without involving the owner of sacrifice Osun wh...

Never existed as a separate Irunmole among the Yoruba Pantheon, it is venerated under Ogun energy, called 'Ogun Agbejo'.  Ogun Agbejokorun is celebrated in the month of Agemo' in some parts of Yoruba land like Igbomina, some areas in Idanre, Abeokuta, Ikire and so on. Sadly enough this practice is dying out over time, and with it the important knowledge which it holds.  The month of 'Agemo' celebrates the renewal of fertility in Nature.  During a dance among the worshippers,  snakes symbolize the umbilical cord which connects all humans to Mother Earth. The great deity of formidability and mysteries, intertwining snakes around their neck, is an annual ritual connecting one’s soul to Mother Earth . It is to be reborn, and Osumare is worshiped as the guardian of mysteries of birth and regeneration. Custodian of the creation wisdom and hidden secrets of the beginning.  A healer and an herbalist patron. The Rainbow has always been the sign of an accepted annual cele...