Exploring the Language AND Style in Ese Ifa in Yorubaland for Contemporary Global Relevance
Exploring the Language AND Style in Ese Ifa in Yorubaland for Contemporary Global Relevance

Summary/Abstract: This paper attempts an exploration of the language and style in Ese Ifain Yorubaland with the purpose of revealing the gross under – utilization of the resources of this vital Yoruba cultural heritage. The other purpose in this paper is to show the elaborateness, the universality and the antiquity of Orunmila’s Ifa as the religious and philosophical Scripture of the Yorubas.Through interviews, personal experience, and observation, the paper establishes that the language and style in Ese Ifa is an oral tradition deep lyrooted in the culture of the people and it is essential to preserve its indigenousnature. This is discussed from mythological and spiritual perspectives. It highlights the role of Ese Ifa in the social, religious and political milieu of the Yoruba people; and finally, the paper concludes that even until today, Ese Ifa,with its rich linguistic and poetic features, is recognized by the Yoruba traditional body of knowledge embracing history, philosophy, medicine and folklore despite the trappings of modernization. It is expected that the paper will help in illuminating important aspects of the dynamics and significance of the Yoruba Oracle, Ifa within the context of religion-spiritual vision in the post – colonial Nigeria, in modern Africa and the globalized world.

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