Culture

Ẹ̀gbọ́n and Àbúrò: Older or Younger Sibling In Yoruba, age matters. Even if you are only one day older than a person, you are the ẹ̀gbọ́n, and they are àbúrò. You would claim, “Mo mu omi ayé sin ẹ,” meaning ...

AFRICAN AESTHETICS Many universities in the West are developing core curriculum programs focused on “Western Civilization,” while increasingly purging African, African Diaspora, Asian, and other civilizations from their programs. The West focusing on Western Civilization is appropriate. The days of ...

Osun-Osogbo Festival 2026: A celebration of culture, faith, and heritage The Osun-Osogbo Festival 2026 is one of Nigeria’s most beautiful cultural celebrations and a powerful reminder of the enduring heritage of the Yoruba people. Held annually in Osogbo, Osun State, ...

Osun: Motherly Love Yesterday was the peak of the Osun Osogbo festival, and it felt overwhelming.  The exciting bubbles were there as well. This may not be far from the fact that Arugba OSUNBUNMI, who couldn’t carry the sacred calabash ...

TODAY’S LANGUAGE LESSONYoruba words and expressions that don’t have a perfect one-word English equivalentEnglish needs an entire sentence to explain these Yoruba words.You think you can interpret all Yoruba words to English directly with just one word? Okay.Tell me the ...

Some say Isese is a religion.Some say Isese is a spirituality.I say Isese is the collective culture, traditions, worldview, and ancestral heritage of the Yoruba people.Before Christianity and Islam arrived in Yorubaland, our ancestors already had names, languages, governance systems, ...

They aren’t synchronized with anyone. Sango is NOT a mute white woman, trapped inside a castle. Eshu is not a cute holy child that you give candy to. Because these saints may have displayed traits of the Orisha does NOT ...

The Yoruba traditional calendar, called Kọ́jọ́dá, starts the new year on June 3rd and ends on June 2nd the following year. It’s a lunar calendar with a 4-day week (each day honoring different Orisa), 7 weeks in a month, and ...

A few of my friends and students in the diaspora had asked me this question countless times, and I think it’s high time we discussed it.Please note that this is not an attempt to discredit or invalidate any practice or ...