A new publication, Sacred Art of Odu Ifa detailing West Africa’s Yoruba People Binary and Visual Writing Language is set to launch April 13, 2024 at the Kongi’s Harvest Art Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos.
Authored by twice Grammy Award-winning percussionist, cultural curator and founder of the UK-registered charity Ifa-Yoruba Contemporary Arts Trust, Olalekan Babalola, the 200-page book shares the philosophical essence of the 16 principal odus of Odu Ifa, what it means to the Yoruba people of West Africa, its influence on contemporary art, and how Jazz maestro, John Coltrane believed its traditional wisdom should play a significant role in the 21st century thinking.
“In this book, the Sacred Art of Odu Ifa, Lekan has summarized the philosophical essence of each of the 16 principal odus in writing, and vividly stunning self-illustrated artistic aesthetics. Detailing the depth to which its sixteen variations are woven into well being and life cycles of west Africa’s Yoruba People (who lives predominantly in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togo).
“Featuring 15 photographic plates and over 20 artworks by the author, Babalola’s book is a visual feast that brings a unique language, as well as its potency and wonder to the consciousness of a whole new audience,” said the publisher, Ifa Yoruba Contemporary Arts Trust.
For Babalola, the celebration of the art and writing of 16 principles of Odu Ifa will help not just the Yorubas but culture and language enthusiasts feel connected to its energy and motion, while appreciate the power and majesty of the art crafted out of it.
“Sixteen essential life situations are represented which have sixteen possible variations each. Through these linked concepts of order, creation and destiny, the narratives of each Odu have created the prayer that would enhance the motion of human lifecycle and well-being.
“Each Odu of Ifa has its own music, food, herbal prescription, iconic symbols, stories, allegory, morality, meaning, divination, colour system, dance, sensibility, poetry and therapeutic effect.”
