The opening ceremony of the Conference was very well attended and interesting.
There were delegates from throughout the African Diaspora, Cuba, the
U.S., Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and Australia. The energy of the
Conference reminded me somewhat of my experience in China, in that both
peoples, the Chinese and the Yoruba have something that they wish to
share as a gift with the world. For the Chinese it is Traditional Chinese
Medicine and Qigong. For the Yoruba it is the Orisa Tradition, the Root
of Human Spirituality.
The Conference presenters highlighted several key points.
(1) Ile-Ife is where land was first separated from water when
the world began. (2) It is where the first creatures (including humans) and plants
were created. (3) Ifa respects a balance of power between the masculine and
feminine principles of Creator, and therefore between the man and the
woman. (4) Ifa belongs to the entire world of humans and Ile-Ife is
home to all human beings and creatures of the earth. (5) We, Africans should take no shame in honoring our traditions
and culture. (6) Ifa does not reject other religious paths and therefore does
not seek to convert; therefore it is open to everyone. (7) The Orisa Tradition is being officially recognized as a world
religion in places like Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti; and this trend
needs to occur throughout the world. (8) Attendance at Orisa gatherings, conferences, and celebrations
is increasing worldwide. (9) The world can not destroy Ifa and the African Spiritual Tradition;
but a lack of Ifa Consciousness in the world is destroying the world.
For example, Ifa, the Root of the Indigenous Ecological Worldview, promotes
respect for nature whereas the Western Cornucopia Worldview has devastated
the Realm of Orisa and is bringing about negative consequences. (10) Ifa can help to heal the world of the negative consequences
of its past choices and current path. I was honored to meet Professor
Wande Abimbola, President of the International Congress of Orisa Tradition
and Culture. His is the archetype of the Seat of the Pope in Rome.
