Chief Dr. Fakunle Oyesanya, Akoda Awo of Ibese and Eletu of Ojokoro land and a babalawo (spiritualist) by birth and vocation, in this interview with Gboyega Alaka, condemns the rampant wanton waste of human lives going on in our society in the name of money making rituals, arguing that it is not only alien but outright ineffective.
This idea of wasting human lives and cutting human head, limbs and private parts for money ritual; is it really effective? Does it work?
There is nothing like that in our culture and religion; that is if you are talking about our African traditional religion (Isese). This habit was smuggled into our system from some foreign cultures/traditions. The Ifa oracle which is the basis of our traditional religion tells us that we do not use a human as sacrifice for another human. This is the same way you cannot use a bed as sacrifice for a bed or a ram as sacrifice for ram; ditto for every other animal. You cannot use like as sacrifice for like. Of all the goodness that Olodumare blesses the human race with, money is not even the first. That is why when assessing Yoruba values, money is not number 1. A child, for instance, is more valuable, more cherished than money, and so comes before money in the hierarchy of values. If you dig well into the olden days, you’d never hear that anyone sacrificed human life for wealth or used human hand, leg or any part at that for monetary ritual. Besides, there is another Yoruba saying that says: He who forcefully attains wealth does not live round the year (A fi’pa l’owo kii ka’dun). This means that even if you apply such unhealthy means to attain wealth, it will not last. So anyone who uses such violent means to attain wealth will inevitably die a violent death.
There are consequences for every action that one takes. The evil spirits that they have gone to invite to bring them the quick money will at some point demand other things; and when they make these demands, it may be too daunting. They may request the person to, at certain time and date, make certain offerings or sacrifices. And because of man’s imperfect nature, forgetful and inconsistent nature, they may be unable to fulfill this requirement at some time or the other. Unfortunately, these spirits don’t understand ignorance or forgetfulness; so excuses that you forget may not stand. Inevitably, they would deal with the person and collect whatever they want to collect.
So, like I said earlier, it is only these days that we are hearing all these gory activities of spilling innocent blood and cutting off human parts for sacrifices or money rituals. Ifa does not teach all such things and does not recommend them. Don’t forget, Ifa also tells us what will befall anyone who uses force to draw wealth.
Is there anything called Osole. The popular opinion is that Osole or Oso is a ritual people do that draws wealth and prosperity to them. And what are the things they use? Could it be the secret people, especially young men purportedly into internet scamming, are using to attract success in their ‘trade’?
There is Osole, but the osole that we know, it is animals they use- such as rams, goats, or birds or rats or fish. But once it gets to using human being, count us out. And you will never go unpunished. This is because you have deviated. Osole is different from money rituals as we see it today.
Please help differentiate them.
Osole are rituals you do that makes you meet with fortune, such as meeting people who will help you in your journey towards success. It is almost like Awure. It helps you meet helpers; you can call it destiny helpers. Osole is however stronger than Awure. Awure are like prayers, where you wish yourself success, Awure makes your success wishes/prayers come to pass. But osole is stronger; it connects you with highly influential or successful people, who would literally lead you by the hand to your success. It naturally makes you attract helpers. But if we talk about seso owo, that is ogun owo (money rituals). Our Ifa tradition does not believe there is money ritual anywhere – except mischievous/diabolical means or methods. Those who engage in money rituals only invite some dangerous spirits to go and bring them money. That’s why you see in movies where people put some effigy in their homes and when they chant certain incantations, money will come pouring. Where do you think such monies are coming from? It is the dangerous spirits whom they have sent to get the monies; and those spirits would collect something/s in return, no matter what. For some, once they engage in these money rituals, the condition is that they must not sleep outside their homes under any condition. It could be that their assignment is to pour certain libation or sacrifice at 1 o’clock. For that reason, you will see them being desperate to return home, no matter where they are and however dangerous going back home may seems.
And if for any reason he fails, the spirit has played his part, so he entertains no excuses. And if for some reason he is not able to get him, he targets his child or wife. So these are all imported acts. Some go as far as Mali to seek these powers. And those are not clean money. They force it; and when you force certain things, there is no way you won’t get the repercussion.
In summary, there is osole, awure, eyonu, and ebe agba. Ebe agba ensures that you get favours from the elders. Notably, all the things they use for these different procedures are mainly herbs. Do you know they can even use ewuro (bitter leaf); some may use omonigelegele tree (a tree which end or source no-one can trace); some use sea water because of its boundless feature, and then they recite some incantations asking for boundless fortune. Some even use snail for asiri bibo (ability to meet all their needs). These are simple things that we see around us. Even pigeons, for their simple characteristics and natural principles associated with them. So I have not seen where you are required to use human being as sacrifice for human wealth. It is impossible and highly discouraged. And anybody who tries it would meet grave repercussion or consequence.
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In other words, those who are cutting their girlfriend’s head, arm, legs, even private parts, are just wasting these innocent lives?
Majority of them are mere waste of precious lives. They rarely work. But of course they are usually left to wallow in their disappointment.
A spiritualist, during an interview, once said they sometimes give these young people uphill tasks such as ‘go and bring your mother’s head or human breasts and stuffs’, to discourage them, but that they’re usually surprised to see them show up days or weeks later with these things.
Why not tell them it is not possible? How is that difficult? If they all tell them that it is not possible, they would desist. If you ask me, that spiritualist only said that to free himself. I am a babalawo, and if anybody comes to me for such, I will tell them it is not possible. If indeed there is legitimate and safe money ritual, would I not have done it for myself? Who doesn’t need money?
Ifa clearly tells us that anyone who does not work does not prosper. You have to have a job or profession. Even babalawos in the past have farms aside their babalawo work. I don’t know where they learnt this juju of using human being for money ritual. Once in the days of Orunmila, they muted the idea of using a human being to worship a deity, but when Orunmila got there, he decreed that never ever must they use a human being for any kind of sacrifice. And since then, it has never happened. Any deity you hear that they’re using humans to worship or appease is a concocted deity. We also know that Ogun eats dogs or cork; Esu eats cock and goat, Sango eats rams; and for Egungun, it is also ram. As for Obatala, it is igbin (snail). For Orunmila, the father of Ifa, it is ewure, awo ediye, eku eja…. So where did they get their own that is claiming human lives? Therefore I can tell you that theirs is not about our deities, maybe some foreign deities, alien to our tradition.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Chief Dr. Fakunle Oyesanya, Akoda Awo of Ibese and Eletu of Ojokoro land. I am a babalawo by vocation. My father was the former Araba of Odi Olowo, he is late. He was also the Oluwo Ijo Orunmila Ato in Ebute-Meta, Lagos. I was born into this Ifa religion and I never met or heard my father doing money ritual or even using human being or human body parts for money ritual or any ritual at that..