Born in Nigeria in 1981, Adolphus Opara originally worked as a graphic designer for the small but influential Nimbus studio and art gallery in Lagos, a hub for local artists and photographers. "I bought a film camera in early 2005, but I threw it away after a month because the pictures I took were so terrible," he says, laughing. The following year, armed with a digital camera (a Fuji Finepix S3Pro) bought from his friend, the acclaimed Nigerian documentary photographer George Osodi, Opara travelled by road to Senegal and back, "shooting all the way, totally trigger crazy". Looking at the photographs on his return, he realised then that he had a love for photography but "no real understanding of what a series was or how to create one". That came soon afterwards with a project called Rugball, which captured in impressionistic black and white a bunch of young Nigerians on a beach in Lagos playing the rough-and-tumble hybrid game that merges the rules of rugby, basketball, soccer and even wrestling.

Opara describes himself as "first and foremost a storyteller". The stories he tells with his camera have, he says, deepened and widened since he began taking photographs in 2005. "I never plan anything. I follow my instincts and often my projects start off as quite small, intimate explorations that grow into something more. By the end, there is always a bigger story underneath about Nigeria or Africa, about the forces that shape us either from within or from the outside." His most well-known series to date is the grandly titled Emissaries of an Iconic Religion , painterly portraits of the chief priests and diviners of the traditional Yorùbá religion, which was shown as part of a group show, Contested Terrains, at Tate Modern last year . The exhibition focused on "artists working in Africa who explore and subvert narratives about the past and present".

The project began, Opara says, "from a conversation with a friend who was a traditional Christian and, like many Christians, thought that Yorùbá was a bad religion like voodoo. I began to think about how quickly we can leave our beliefs and culture behind us. I visited shrines all around the country and, as people came to trust me, they began to tell their stories. It is a story about Africa's past but also about Africa today. "

One of Opara's ongoing projects is called Shrinking Shores. "It is about where I live, Lagos, and how it has been affected by climate change and oil spills. There are 30 abandoned shipwrecks on our shores and all tell a tale of destruction, of villages destroyed, people displaced."

When asked if he is weary of how Africa is portrayed by photographers from outside the continent, Opara is diplomatic. "As someone who trained and works as a journalist, I can see why people go where there is disaster and war, but there is another Africa, many other Africas."

Is he optimistic for the future of his country? "Well, Nigerians are naturally optimistic, but we can never agree on anything. It is out strength and our weakness. It takes us too long to say, 'This is enough.' There are people who have been in power too long. In a way, we are too tolerant. We need real change. It does not just happen, it needs action to make it happen."

Missionary activity in Africa, coupled with the recent growth of the Pentecostal movement, have contributed to the widespread misrepresentation of traditional religious practices in Nigeria. Indigenous philosophies and the belief systems that influence daily life have been either ignored or disparaged. Emissaries of an Iconic religion is an ethnographic documentation of people in disappearing traditions and aims to redress this cultural negation.


who says a Babalawo can't be a model or pose for a camera?

Plz enjoy the Photos!

1. Orisa Egbe (deity-of-destiny) Mrs. Osun Yita

2.

3.

4.

5. Orisa Ayelala (deity of protection) Chief Olasupo Awolowo

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7. Orisa Imole [deity of defence and judgment] - chief Aderemu Awogemi

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9.----

10. Orisa Sanpanaa (diety of measles/disease) Chief Bolanle

11. Orisa Osun [diety of good of prosperity and of water] Mrs Titilayo Ogunrimu

12. Orisa Esu [the morning star], Chief Kayode Idowu Esuleke

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15. Orisa Lajoomi [diety of children & the young] - Mrs. Ogunremi Lekun

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18. Voodoo Festival in Ouidah, Benin.

ok the thread is ready now!

Was waiting for that Erm erm the last gurl is way too ugly its a girl right?

Are they all Yoruba?

CAMEROONPRIDE: Was waiting for that Erm erm the last gurl is way too ugly its a girl right?

yes.

dont judge by the looks.

CAMEROONPRIDE: Are they all Yoruba?

yes ofcourse.

PAGAN 9JA:


yes ofcourse.

What do they do concretely?

Are they priests for Yoruba(the ethnic group) , I mean they are here to protect(pray) for the Yoruba people or Their powers know no boundaries?

PAGAN 9JA:


yes.

dont judge by the looks.

Eh eh

CAMEROONPRIDE:

What do they do concretely?

Are they priests for Yoruba(the ethnic group) , I mean they are here to protect(pray) for the Yoruba people or Their powers know no boundaries?

They are Priests and hold all the ancient knowledge with respect to the deities they are associated with. they have studied this under their masters/teacher. You can say, they are authorities on the rituals, etc., associated with the SPiritual Force they deal with. Yes they pray for the Yoruba people. But I s'pose their Spiritual powers have no boundaries. This is just the Yoruba version of SPiriuality so yeahh.

for e.g., one of my friend had an upcoming exam, so he contacted a Babalawo. he is not Yoruba. The Babalawo told him to prepare a concoction (honey, red oil, salt, etc.). the same was done on the Babalawos side. they did some prayers over it and drank it on the said day on either side and that was to aid him in his examinations. I think the Babalawo invoked Goddess Orunmilla of wisdom/knowledge/studies.

However, every tribe has its own Gods-given Spirituality and it is best to adhere to that for best results.

w0w but most of dis people are old its just a matter of time most of their knowledge are lost thanks to d abrahamic religion.

I appreciate your concern. However thankfully, the knowledge of Ifa-Orisha Religion and Vodun is much safer because we have many younger Babalawos and apprentices today. It is the other tribes of Nigeria that have to watch out and stand more of a chance of losing all the ancient knowledge to the abrahamic religion.

Ighogho mask dancer performing in front of a house belonging to O. Aigouba Rueghian. He is the chief priest of Ighogho, a masked dancer that wards off small pox and other dangerous diseases. 1970s

nice thread. I'm quite educated. Well done.