IFA

A summary of a speech given by Araba Aworeni Adisa Mokoranwale at the igbo'du of Chief Adedayo Ologundudu in June 2000 regarding his concern of the practice of the Yoruba Tradition throughout the world and his endeavor to guide and insure high standards of practice among the practitioners:

The Araba expressed a dire need for Ifa, Olorisas and Egungun priests and priestesses to join together for the sole purpose of upholding the Yoruba tradition. He indicated that we must come together as one, as a family, to carry on the tradition as it was passed down for generations. He stated, a divided family creates a divided community. A divided community creates a divided nation. A divided nation creates a people without roots, or a heritage, or a foundation thereby they are blinded by manipulation and confusion and stripped and robbed of the wisdom and knowledge of their culture, their divine heritage. In order for our tradition to survive, unification is imperative. In order for us to move forward we must rely on the teachings of our ancestors and we must adhere to the teachings of Ifa.

We must unite and collectively re-fortify the Yoruba tradition. We must have the initiative to come together in worship to regain our strength. We must come together and share our ideas. We must recognize our similarities and differences and work diligently to come to terms with our differences, thereby our efforts to build a strong foundation will be more effective. This will pave the way to a sound and formidable structure within our tradition. We must do this for the sake of our culture.

Priests and priestesses are traditional doctors, healers, therapists and scientist. Their responsibility is to work towards the betterment of mankind. They are the beacons of truth for the generations to come.

The fate of our tradition is determined by thoroughly upholding the principles of Ifa and incorporating the ethics of Ifa in our everyday lives. Only then can evolution begin, progress begin and unity begin. In the interim, the dilemmas we now face will be dissolved. The Araba would like to hear your ideas and thoughts to improve and uplift our tradition. Please forward your concerns or comments to:

Chief Adedayo Ologundudu

Institute of Yoruba Cultural Studies

112 15^th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Email:  chiefdayo@ileorunmila.org