The shameless team of ignoramuses think that the study of Ifa is a beer parlour talk. In trying to get at Aregbesola for whatever reason(s), they exposed their screaming ignorance and primitive intolerance.

Ifa study is for intellectuals and it takes years to train a Babalawo. The meaning of Babalawo here is not the corrupted one that is being bandied around by African Magic films or Pastors or Imams. A Babalawo is a bundle of knowledge, tolerance and spirituality.

There are several thousands of verses in the Ifa corpus many of which the average Babalawo must know by heart. Little wonder the United Nations has added Ifa to the World Heritage List. Is this a beer parlour talk?

Children must be given an opportunity to know that Esu is not the same as Devil or Satan as the adherents of Christianity or Islam would want us to believe. If Esu is the same as Satan why then is Orunmila not interpreted as Jesus? How many adults even know this? How many people know that the Esu in Yoruba religion did not quarrel with or rebel against Olodumare (God)?

The influx of foreign religions has emptied the brains of many people who deride, condemn and jeer at indigenous religion. They poke fun at others in their worship centres (e.g. Babalawo's power, powerless power o), yet complain and scream 'thou shall not judge' when commentators criticize Oyedepo or Adeboye. The Muslims are also not left out in the onslaught against practitioners of indigenous religion. Haba! What has happened to 'live and let live'?

With this move, it just shows that Aregbesola is bold, deep and discerning.

Kudos Rauf!

Standing5: Strange

authourity really intoxicate. For being able to sow school uniform and download textbook, with exportation of satchet water this guy just got D impetus to do anything he likes. There are some issues u dont do even if no laws are against it. This issue of Ifa should be reserved mainly for D higher institution. And we have nt yet verified if its procedures wether it is harmful or barbaric as in D old days. This is an issue that involve physical idol and precision, roles ( i dont knw D english to put) should be termed spiritual subjects. They require and have d fact of personality determined decision, trust-oath, vow and more than a free-will issue. Also it has ability of unexplianable circumstances which is of dare concern! So D FG should try and ban that inclusion, the board of education and ppls consent should have been sought b4 this and a governor should nt have right to introduce any subject, becus we are all under nigeria's democracy and D other ppl have right to knw wht a section studies sinces its in D nigeria terriority. Matter that are unexplianable physically, humanly, through characteristics of hope, faith(believing) good workse.t.c.(nt magic, spells and D others which have encouraged corruption and intimidation) Should nt be given to children who are underage. Are there no ppl who can challenge senile decisions?

Pukkah:
The shameless team of ignoramuses think that the study of Ifa is a beer parlour talk. In trying to get at Aregbesola for whatever reason(s), they exposed their screaming ignorance and primitive intolerance.

Ifa study is for intellectuals and it takes years to train a Babalawo. The meaning of Babalawo here is not the corrupted one that is being bandied around by African Magic films or Pastors or Imams. A Babalawo is a bundle of knowledge, tolerance and spirituality.

There are several thousands of verses in the Ifa corpus many of which the average Babalawo must know by heart. Little wonder the United Nations has added Ifa to the World Heritage List. Is this a beer parlour talk?

Children must be given an opportunity to know that Esu is not the same as Devil or Satan as the adherents of Christianity or Islam would want us to believe. If Esu is the same as Satan why then is Orunmila not interpreted as Jesus? How many adults even know this? How many people know that the Esu in Yoruba religion did not quarrel with or rebel against Olodumare (God)?

The influx of foreign religions has emptied the brains of many people who deride, condemn and jeer at indigenous religion. They poke fun at others in their worship centres (e.g. Babalawo's power, powerless power o), yet complain and scream 'thou shall not judge' when commentators criticize Oyedepo or Adeboye. The Muslims are also not left out in the onslaught against practitioners of indigenous religion. Haba! What has happened to 'live and let live'?

With this move, it just shows that Aregbesola is bold, deep and discerning.

Kudos Rauf!

Only fools come to NL without picking one or two new knowledge from this place in a day....

You've just opened up a new frontier into this topic.

Esu after all is not the same as Satan according to what the Caucasian religion want us to accept...

ilugunboy:

Only fools come to NL without picking one or two new knowledge from this place in a day....

You've just opened up a new frontier into this topic.

Esu after all is not the same as Satan according to what the Caucasian religion want us to accept...

Oh yes.

Esu was simply the victim of the interpreters' mental block. They pounced on him when they couldn't find something else to use for Satan or Devil. Why they didn't settle for 'Satani' or 'Defulu', rather than wrongly use 'Esu' beats me.

However, when they got to the noble and divine work of Jesus, which aligns with Orunmila's mission on earth, their mental block cleared and they settled for 'Jesu'. Why didn't they use Orunmila?

okunboy: So, more Babalawos will be produced in Osun! 1daful!

How does that affect your pathetic and ignorant life??

[size=13pt]I have always opined that Ibos and Hausas are not any different in religious intolerance.

Just like An Hausa would attack anyone who practises anything other than Islam, An Ibo would attack anyone who doesnt practise Christianity

They deserve each other thats why they are always at each others neck like Slave and master[/size]

In Yorubaland all religions are welcome, In all families you have Christians, Moslems and Traditional worshippers

Katsumoto:
That Mathematics, English Language, Biology, well doesn't mean the students of Osun state or any other state in the SW shouldn't learn about the Ifa Corpus.

The Ifa Corpus you are ranting about is not alien to me 'Mr Storyteller' you may keep your usual 'intellectual show-offs' to yourself I was only particular about exposing these 'future intellectual' to a broadbased deep subject as ifa at such tender age learning science is more beneficial than opele

tomakint:
The Ifa Corpus you are ranting about is not alien to me 'Mr Storyteller' you may keep your usual 'intellectual show-offs' to yourself I was only particular about exposing these 'future intellectual' to a broadbased deep subject as ifa at such tender age learning science is more beneficial than opele

You have unknowingly made a foray into a complex area.

Any connection between science and spirituality?

What was the religion of the early scientists, eg Galileo, Copernicus, Pythagoras, etc?

tomakint:
The Ifa Corpus you are ranting about is not alien to me 'Mr Storyteller' you may keep your usual 'intellectual show-offs' to yourself I was only particular about exposing these 'future intellectual' to a broadbased deep subject as ifa at such tender age learning science is more beneficial than opele

Why not just tell the other states to expunged CRK and IRK from the curriculum too since Science should be more beneficial to pupils than learning about Bible and Koran

Pukkah:
The shameless team of ignoramuses think that the study of Ifa is a beer parlour talk. In trying to get at Aregbesola for whatever reason(s), they exposed their screaming ignorance and primitive intolerance.

Ifa study is for intellectuals and it takes years to train a Babalawo. The meaning of Babalawo here is not the corrupted one that is being bandied around by African Magic films or Pastors or Imams. A Babalawo is a bundle of knowledge, tolerance and spirituality.


Kudos Rauf!

Absolutely correct. As usual some will never confront their own intolerance and prejudice before they come here to make a fool of themselves. Look at the fascinating real life story below about Onaje and Folashade Woodbine and their devotion to learning Ifa spirituality and divination they have now developed as an app to assist those interested in Ifa divination.

Inspect even the related tale of Bishop Lijadu who, exemplifying the famed religious tolerance of the Yoruba, doubles as an authority on the real essence of Ifa. I really despise ignorance mixed with intolerance and prejudice. Simply abhorrent and the cause of some of the biggest problems the World faces and will continue to face. In a world run by ideas, some continue to display bigotry, superficiality, ignorance, prejudice and intolerance regarding what they have no authority to judge. Regrettable to say the least.



http://ifadivination./about/

Ifa Divination for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad

OUR STORY


Onaje Woodbine is a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at Boston University. He specializes in African and African American religious thought and practice.

Folasade Woodbine, born and raised in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, is a student of Art Therapy at Emmanuel College.


Onaje and Folasade met in 2005, when Onaje was a Fulbright-Hays Scholar Abroad, studying Yoruba language and religion at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Before they met in 2005, Onaje visited Nigeria for several months in 2003 to study Ifa in Ile-Ife and in Oyo. Folasade had also studied Ifa in Ile-Ife for some time.

When they decided to marry, they vowed together, to continue to humbly seek the wisdom of the Ancestors and Ifa. This application is the birth child of their struggle and journey to know and share a small amount of Ifa wisdom. Here is the true story of how this application came to fruition:

Sometime after we met, we combined our efforts in intensive Ifa training with several competent Babalawo from the Ile-Ife and Oyo lineages in Nigeria with mixed results. Sometimes these Babalawo were truly master teachers who embodied the ethics of Iwa pele (gentle character). Other times, our teachers sought to take advantage of our genuine desire to learn and used this as an opening to try to exploit us monetarily. In truth, given that Onaje is African American and Folasade is Nigerian, we sometimes were confronted with Babalawo who tried to use us against each other in order to gain access to our very humble resources as researchers and newlyweds.

After some years of intensive training and confronting the political and economic challenges that come with the struggle to learn and grow in any religious community, we decided to make a journey in Nigeria far beyond the well-known towns of Ile-Ife and Oyo to find a new teacher in Ifa studies. We reasoned that if we ventured to a place less influenced by globalization, we might find a Babalawo who would be more interested in our spiritual growth, than our economic and political resources. So we decided to journey to the town which esteemed Nigerian novelist, D.O. Fagunwa called Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale, which Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka translated as The Forest of a Thousand Demons. This was the first novel ever written in Yoruba language, set in the hills of Oke Igbo, a remote town outside of Ondo, Nigeria, where some mysteries may remain in spite of modernity. Without knowledge of the location or of a single living soul in Oke Igbo, we ventured to Oke Igbo to continue our
training.

Before our journey, we decided to consult a Babalawo as soon as we arrived in Oke Igbo, to ask the Ancestors and Orisa for guidance during an unknown journey in search of an upright teacher in a place we were total strangers. Looking back, we are very thankful we chose to consult Ifa, because the advice and guidance we were given, made all the difference in our subsequent quest. Here is the Ifa Verse from Ogberikusa (Ogbe Osa), we were told by the Araba of Oke Igbo who we met almost immediately upon our arrival in Oke Igbo. The story goes like this:

Ogberikusa

The blind and disabled are friends

The disabled person asked the blind person:

Is this how we are going to die of suffering?

The blind responded: what shall we do about it?

The disabled answered: let us go and ask a wise person what to do.

They inquired of the wise person: will we ever walk or see again?

The wise person queried: Have you ever walked or seen before?

They answered: never!

They were asked to perform an offering

They were perplexed: What is he talking about?

Can we afford to pay for any offering?

The disabled suggested suicide as an option

Days latter the disabled repeated the suggestion to the blind person

The blind responded: you know I cannot see, so whatever you suggest is okay

We have been friends for too long and I could not live without you

The disabled responded: I know a place we can go to kill ourselves

The disabled person added: when we get to the water, I will just jump into it

The blind person questioned: how would I know?

The disabled said: I will bring you close to the edge so when you hear the loud sound of falling, you know it is time to jump

On the second day they decided to end it all

The disabled led the blind to the water

As they neared the edge the disabled lamented and threw a huge stone into the water

The disabled hoped he tricked the blind person to jump

But the blind person was so worried and upset that threw his walking stick around and hit the disabled person

The disabled person shrieked!

The blind person was so surprised

He asked the disabled why he wanted to trick him to die

The disabled apologized and the blind person could not be too upset

Did he not need the disabled to bring him home?

As they continued along in the bush they came across some food

Cooking the meat seemed to take too long. but

The blind realized that each time the disabled spoke it sounded as if he was eating

Since the blind person kept asking the disabled person for food, the disabled gave the blind a toad to eat instead

The blind could not see so he put the toad’s head in his mouth

As he bit the toad the water from the toad’s eyeball broke and splashed into the blind’s eye

He regained sight!

As he regained sight the blind took over the cooking and gave the toad to the disabled person to eat

He then went to the waterside to drink

But he told the disabled person that if the disabled person was still present when he returned, the disabled person had only three options:

To be pushed into the water

To be beaten

To be taken into the forest and abandoned

The disabled person chose to be beaten

The previously blind person went to beat the disabled on his head

The disabled suggested being beaten on the buttocks, knowing that from the waist down was paralyzed so he would not feel any pain

As the previously blind started to beat his buttocks with a walking stick

The disabled stood up and started running!

But the two of them were so carried away they could not see what was happening to both of them

As the disabled was running and the blind chasing

They ran into a prophet

The disabled screamed for help

Help me Baba!

The prophet asked them what the problem was between them

They explained everything that happened up until that moment

Then the prophet asked the disabled: Ever since you have been disabled

Have you ever thought of asking your Blind friend or family to beat you with a walking stick before?

He answered: No!

The prophet also asked the blind person: If you had known that it was the water from toad’s eyeball that would heal you

Wouldn’t you have asked your disabled friend or family for it?

He also answered: Yes!

Then the prophet told both of them to embrace each other

They should forever be friends and never let anyone come in between them. Ever!

They were happy and started remembering their journey together

The prophet then said to them that a little bit about Olodumare had been revealed to them

Indeed, after we listened intently to Ogberikusa, little did we know that the story predicted the events of our subsequent journey in Oke Igbo. Indeed, Onaje would play the role of the blind person and Folasade would play the role of one with disabilities for the remainder of our search for a teacher. You see, although Onaje had the desire and will to venture into very remote towns and villages on motor bikes on lumpy unforgiving dirt roads, with scorching sun, miles away from any hospitals, and had been to Nigeria five times already, most of the time Onaje felt culturally, socially and environmentally blind, unable to rely on past experience to perceive even the next bump in the road. Everything felt new to Onaje and he complained or questioned our movements each time we made a decision to go deeper into the village and forest. Folasade was truly leading a blind man and over time it was a burdensome task that slowed and worried her. Not only did she have to listen to his complaints, but she had to be careful that others did not notice his African American accent or appearance, less they exploit us. Many people sought to divide us. In a cultural and emotional sense, Sade was truly disabled. At some points to relieve herself of his complaints she would find ways to get her message across to him. Sometimes, to be honest, he did not appreciate her approach, and found himself upset wanting to tell her off like the blind man did once to the person with disabilities. We encountered so many challenges, endured so many hardships on our journey together in Oke Igbo in search of an upright teacher who might guide us in the next phases of our Ifa studies and journey together. Moreover as we neared the end of our journey, although we found some great medicine men and some great diviners who helped with our healing along the way, we still had not found a Babalawo we felt we could really trust as a teacher. It was at the end of the trip, after discovering how much we helped each other heal, however, that we met an upright teacher. His name is Bishop Ezekiel Soniran Adekunle Lijadu.

[b]Throughout our trip in Oke Igbo, we heard there was a Bishop in Ondo, who was also a pioneer in Ifa studies. To be honest, we doubted that a Bishop in Nigeria would know much about Ifa, because of the amount of discrimination and bias many Christians have toward Ifa religion in Nigeria. It was not until toward the end of our journey that we decided to visit Bishop Lijadu and we are thankful we did.

When we met Bishop Lijadu, who is now 79 years old, over the next few days, he, unlike any Babalawo we met on this trip, sat with us for hours sharing his wide and deep knowledge of Ifa verses, Yoruba philosophy, and Yoruba history, including the noted history of his own family lineage. We discovered that his grandfather, Bishop Emmanuel Moses Lijadu, married a re-captive slave from Brazil, left the Anglican Church to start and independent African Church based on his own self-help philosophy, and wrote two of the earliest texts on Ifa and Orunmila at the turn of the 20th Century.

We liked Bishop Lijadu, not only because of the history and knowledge he shared with us, but because over the next couple weeks, he did not try to establish his authority over us, did not ask us for money, and instead listened to our questions, and always directed us to find the answers for ourselves. We felt that he applied the Ifa concept that each individual’s Ori comes to this world already with knowledge and power, to his work with us. He was there to assist us on our journey and not to impose his own. Over time he became our esteemed teacher and taught us countless Ifa verses during the next phase of our training which eventuated in our initiation. Without his dedication, sacrifice and deep knowledge of Ifa verses, we would not have been able to develop this application years later.[/b]

We dedicate this application to him, who like the wise prophet, has been a great teacher. We also pay homage to the esteemed Lijadu family lineage. Indeed, like the blind and the disabled persons in the verse of Ogberikusa, we hope with all humility, that the verses in this application reveal a little bit of Olodumare to you.

Folasade and Onaje

Asoozy: Fantastic development!

Great move by d governor, its time our children study our culture, dis doesn't mean the kids will start worshipping it, it just allows them know the history, culture and tradition of the people. I really don't see that as a bad thing, dey do study CRS, IRS dere already why shouldn't Nigerian culture too be studied.

abes:
What is wrong with having more babalawos in the future? visiting a babalawo is not by force just like you are not forced to visit a pastor. Learn to be tolerant of other people's religion and culture. You have the mindset of an average boko haram member, in the case 'culture haram'.

you seem to have forgotten the era of human sacrifices and diabological evil, if you've been slapped with one of these 'funnx diabological' rings before, you won't be spewing this nonsense.
I'm from ibadan so i knw what i'm talking about.

@ Gbawe

That was a fantastic piece. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

tomakint:
The Ifa Corpus you are ranting about is not alien to me 'Mr Storyteller' you may keep your usual 'intellectual show-offs' to yourself I was only particular about exposing these 'future intellectual' to a broadbased deep subject as ifa at such tender age learning science is more beneficial than opele

Is learning science more beneficial than the learning you receive in church? I suspect you are a Christian?

Ngwakwe: I was watching Channel TV documentary on Osun State educational revolution. One of the parents complained that the introduction of Ifa Studies will proliferate the number of Babalawos within the next two years.

Ifa Priests wanted for immediate employment in Osun State.

I don't get what she means by "babalawos" I use to fink dat the "street meaning" was a spiritual priest in Yoruba language. So those pastors too are "Babalawos" cos they spiritual priest. For a woman that lives in d state can condemn such action It show how much western/middle eastern religion has eating into us. Take a look @ asia countries they study dere culture in schools/universities and they among the world greatest so is either we deceiving ourselves or...... I rest my case.

Leward:
you seem to have forgotten the era of human sacrifices and diabological evil, if you've been slapped with one of these 'funnx diabological' rings before, you won't be spewing this nonsense.
I'm from ibadan so i knw what i'm talking about.

You obviously don't know what you are talking about, you are from Ibadan and so what? what has practicing Ifa got to do with human sacrifice?

Foreign religions have really messed up the minds of our people.

Stop this nonsense.

Igbos do not attack other ethnicity, Muslims or traditionist neither do they issue threats for difference in opinions.

cKaiser: [size=13pt]I have always opined that Ibos and Hausas are not any different in religious intolerance.

Just like An Hausa would attack anyone who practises anything other than Islam, An Ibo would attack anyone who doesnt practise Christianity

They deserve each other thats why they are always at each others neck like Slave and master[/size]

In Yorubaland all religions are welcome, In all families you have Christians, Moslems and Traditional worshippers

First, Gbawe, nice piece on the Woodbines and Bishop Lijadu. Reading that Odu Im able to reflect on my own moments of handicap in past encounters and gaining wisdom on the virtue of trust, tolerance, patience and growth. It is soothing to the troubled spirit.

Second, tomakint, what is science?

Ngwakwe: Stop this nonsense.

Igbos do not attack other ethnicity, Muslims or traditionist neither do they issue threats for difference in opinions.

Attack here is not limited to just physical blows. The verbal assault and insult of other people's cultural beliefs contain within in it an emotional state of mind which if the right circumstance permits could be extended into physical expression. You have not dealt blows because the circumstance is not in your favor to do so.

Ibos and Hausas are the problems of religious intolerance in this country. You dont tolerate Hausa, they dont tolerate you. You dont tolerate Yoruba but our tolerance is indifferent to you.

Define tolerance in this context.

Please, can you give us a verifiable example of intolerance exhibited by the Igbos (ethnic group) in any circumstance against any other ethnic or religious group?

Mayor_of_Lagos:

Attack here is not limited to just physical blows. The verbal assault and insult of other people's cultural beliefs contain within in it an emotional state of mind which if the right circumstance permits could be extended into physical expression. You have not dealt blows because the circumstance is not in your favor to do so.

Ibos and Hausas are the problems of religious intolerance in this country. You dont tolerate Hausa, they dont tolerate you. You dont tolerate Yoruba but our tolerance is indifferent to you.

Ngwakwe: Define tolerance in this context.

Please, can you give us a verifiable example of intolerance exhibited by the Igbos (ethnic group) in any circumstance against any other ethnic or religious group?

Your intolerance doesn't have to be physical .....you don't have the capacity to do physical violence like the Hausa/Fulani.

But your utterances so far here have shown how intolerant you are to other religious view aside Christianity...your borrowed religion.

If you have the capacity to unleash violence on adherents of other religions....you will do it gauging from your utterance here.

Sincere 9gerian:
Tell your governor not to compound the problems of Nigeria by encouraging the sins of idolatry

Your own idolatry is insincerity. And it is worse than Learning IFA as a subject.
While I do not support idolatry of insincerity, I do support fairness.
If there is CRK, IRK. there's nothing bad in having IFA religious knowledge.

Your are talking of people's opinions which are individualistic.

Igbos hardly hold one opinion among them which is a major obstacle to our political strength in Nigeria

I am certain and can affirm to the best of my knowledge that Intolerance (ethnic or religious) is not a trait of the Igbos.

ilugunboy:

Your intolerance doesn't have to be physical .....you don't have the capacity to do physical violence like the Hausa/Fulani.

But your utterances so far here have shown how intolerant you are to other religious view aside Christianity...your borrowed religion.

If you have the capacity to unleash violence on adherents of other religions....you will do it gauging from your utterance here.

Katsumoto:
Is learning science more beneficial than the learning you receive in church? I suspect you are a Christian?

Don't commit the fallacy of taking all religion to be one, they are not! Allah is not the same thing as Yahweh (Hebrew God Christians worship) neither is Olodumare (god of esin abalaye) the same as the christian God. Science is good and to an extent complement religion but religion appeals to spiritual things while science is logic. I am a christian and you?

Ngwakwe: Your are talking of people's opinions which are individualistic.

Igbos hardly hold one opinion among them which is a major obstacle to our political strength in Nigeria

I am certain and can affirm to the best of my knowledge that Intolerance (ethnic or religious) is not a trait of the Igbos.

Ngwakwe....

Learn to walk your talk of Live and let Live

The way some of you castigate religious views that are different from your religion of Christianity is not a good virtue.

You abuse those that practices Islam....you abuse traditional faith believers.....

Katsumoto: @ Gbawe

That was a fantastic piece. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You're welcome. It really is abhorrent how Nigerians take no deep pride in their own culture and heritage. Ironically, there are so many like the Woodbines keen to appreciate what we discriminate against and prejudicially malign for nothing other than how we have been brainwashed to the extent we are now even guilty of the worst form of self-loathing - intolerance against ourselves and our ancestral ways which are actually replete with wisdom and spiritual richness.

I walk by some set of principles in matters of human relationship and not by religious inclination that are not reflective in people character.

This is why you are my friend and most times I admire Negro for his defence of what he believes in.

ilugunboy:

Ngwakwe....

Learn to walk your talk of Live and let Live

The way some of you castigate religious views that are different from your religion of Christianity is not a good virtue.

You abuse those that practices Islam....you abuse traditional faith believers.....

IFA is not Idol nor Worshipping any gods .....

IFA is a Yoruba Scientific tool which fails to follow normal Logical Scientific axioms thus PseudoScience ......


IFA is a means to Knowledge and a tool for Uncovering Hidden Spheres .....!!!


IFA is a means to Knowledge !!!

I Feel it's WRONG! If this piece of news is accurate, what stops other governors from imposing their traditions on students.

Ngwakwe: Your are talking of people's opinions which are individualistic.

Igbos hardly hold one opinion among them which is a major obstacle to our political strength in Nigeria

I am certain and can affirm to the best of my knowledge that Intolerance (ethnic or religious) is not a trait of the Igbos.

How many mosques are in iboland?

joseph1832: I Feel it's WRONG! If this piece of news is accurate, what stops other governors from imposing their traditions on students.

What exactly do you mean by "imposition" and if other Governors decide to do the same, it is their prerogative and good-luck to them

donroxy: IFA is not Idol nor Worshipping any gods .....

IFA is a Yoruba Scientific tool which fails to follow normal Logical Scientific axioms thus PseudoScience ......


IFA is a means to Knowledge and a tool for Uncovering Hidden Spheres .....!!!


IFA is a means to Knowledge !!!

Correct.