It was the morning of July 29th, 2001. Five days before
I left on my journey to Ile-Ife, Nigeria to attend the 7th World
Congress on Orisa Tradition and Culture. I wrote in my journal,
"This
is my personal diary for my journey to Ile-Ife,
Nigeria. Ile-Ife is
to the Yoruba tradition what Mecca is to the Islamic tradition; and
more. In the midst of the political and economic
turmoil and social distress lies the Root of Civilization, the
point of origin of
dry land
and the Yoruba Orisa Tradition. The coastal city of Lagos bears a similar
history to Accra, Ghana. The African diasporia
is filled with the descendents
of Ghana and Nigeria. And so, for me this takes on meaning of a return
home; to my ancestral homeland. Having traveled
to China and Southeast Asia I feel more prepared for this journey,
in some ways. Traveling
in pursuit of knowledge is the easy part of the
process. Traveling in
pursuit of enlightenment is more challenging." [Photo:
Getting ready to leave for Sky Harbor Airport]
The Road to Ile-Ife/My Room in Ile-Ife
[click on image]
