Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora is a multidisciplinary, transregional exploration of Sàngó religious traditions in West Africa and beyond. Sàngó—the Yoruba god of thunder and lightning—is a powerful, fearful deity who controls the forces of nature, but has not received the same attention as other Yoruba orishas. This volume considers the spread of polytheistic religious traditions from West Africa, the mythic Sàngó, the historical Sàngó, and syncretic traditions of Sàngó worship. Readers with an interest in the Yoruba and their religious cultures will find a diverse, complex, and comprehensive portrait of Sàngó worship in Africa and the African world.

Stories from West Africa and the African Diaspora: a journey into the realm of deities, spirits, mysticism, spiritual roots and ancestral wisdom. Acknowledging that the Yorùbá are one of the largest and most important groups of people in West Africa, apart from its value as a cultural treasure, African Narratives of Orishas, Spirits and Other Deities will delight the readers with its wealth of information on Yorùbá Orisha, Vodun, and Nkisi religious beliefs which are told in a spirited form with humor and poetry. Every page reveals different deeds and aspects of Yorùbá deities known as Òrìṣà, as well as a number of spirits and other deities. This stunning collection of 352 narratives showcases the diversity of Yorùbá Òrìṣà culture and evokes divine àṣẹ power. It gives West African deities their much deserved respect and place in world culture. Alex Cuoco specifically kept the texts in this collection of narratives and supporting topics, in a non-academic format to afford the reader a free flow of thought without interruptions to check notes. He chose to use simple language throughout the book to make the texts understandable and valuable to the general reader, as well as, making it a great contribution to the informed. The narratives of Orishas, spirits and other deities and all other supporting topics in chapters 3-4 examine Òrìṣà, Vodun, and spirit beliefs in cultures in Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, as well as, the Angola-Congo Nkisi deities, thus creating a cross-cultural foundation for spiritual learning and gaining of wisdom and knowledge. (It contains an extensive Yorùbá glossary) An extensive compilation for enthusiasts of African Studies, Mythology, Religion, and Mysticism

There is no recent literature that underscores the transition from Pan-Africanism to Diaspora discourse. This book examines the gradual shift and four major transformations in the study of Pan-Africanism. It offers an "academic post-mortem" that seeks to gauge the extent to which Pan-Africanism overlaps with the study of the African Diaspora and reverse migrations; how Diaspora studies has penetrated various disciplines while Pan-Africanism is located on the periphery of the field. The book argues that the gradual shift from Pan-African discourses has created a new pathway for engaging Pan-African ideology from academic and social perspectives. Also, the book raises questions about the recent political waves that have swept across North Africa and their implications to the study of twenty-first century Pan-African solidarity on the African continent. The ways in which African institutions are attracting and mobilizing returnees and Pan-Africanists with incentives as dual-citizenship for diasporans to support reforms in Africa offers a new alternative approach for exploring Pan-African ideology in the twenty-first century. Returnees are also using these incentives to gain economic and cultural advantage. The book will appeal to policy makers, government institutions, research libraries, undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars from many different disciplines.

Patrick Manning follows the multiple routes that brought Africans and people of African descent into contact with one another and with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In joining these stories, he shows how the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean fueled dynamic interactions among black communities and cultures and how these patterns resembled those of a number of connected diasporas concurrently taking shaping across the globe. Manning begins in 1400 and traces the connections that enabled Africans to mutually identify and hold together as a global community. He tracks discourses on race, changes in economic circumstance, the evolving character of family life, and the growth of popular culture. He underscores the profound influence that the African diaspora had on world history and demonstrates the inextricable link between black migration and the rise of modernity. Inclusive and far-reaching, The African Diaspora proves that the advent of modernity cannot be fully understood without taking the African peoples and the African continent into account.

Shango's Son is a short story based on ancient African knowledge (Yoruba Ifa). Shango has a son who becomes his companion and protector. The son has amazing abilities that help Shango succeed. The story, the colorful imagery, and even some African Yoruba vocabulary will enrich young and older readers alike!

Collectively, the essays brought together in this book represent a discursive confluence on Nollywood as a local film culture with a global character, aspiration and reach. The governing concern of the book is that texts, including film texts, are animated by a particular sociology and anthropology which gives them concrete existence and meaning. The book argues that Nollywood, the Nigerian video film text, is deeply rooted in the sub-soil of its social and cultural milieux. Nollywood is therefore, engaged in the relentless negotiation and re-negotiation of the everyday lives of the people against the backdrop of their cultural traditions, social contradictions and the politics of their ethnic/national identity, longing and belonging. The essays weave an intricate and delicate argument about the critical role of Nollywood to the idea of nationhood and the logic of its narration with implications for language, politics and culture in Africa. The book is a valuable addition to the critical discourse on the important place of film and cinema studies in national engineering processes.

This landmark collection of newly commissioned essays explores how diverse women of African descent have practiced religion as part of the work of their ordinary and sometimes extraordinary lives. By examining women from North America, the Caribbean, Brazil, and Africa, the contributors identify the patterns that emerge as women, religion, and diaspora intersect, mapping fresh approaches to this emergent field of inquiry. The volume focuses on issues of history, tradition, and the authenticity of African-derived spiritual practices in a variety of contexts, including those where memories of suffering remain fresh and powerful. The contributors discuss matters of power and leadership and of religious expressions outside of institutional settings. The essays study women of Christian denominations, African and Afro-Caribbean traditions, and Islam, addressing their roles as spiritual leaders, artists and musicians, preachers, and participants in bible-study groups. This volume's transnational mixture, along with its use of creative analytical approaches, challenges existing paradigms and summons new models for studying women, religions, and diasporic shiftings across time and space.

This landmark volume compiled by Jacob K. Olupona and Rowland O. Abiodun brings readers into the diverse world of Ifá—its discourse, ways of thinking, and artistic expression as manifested throughout the Afro-Atlantic. Firmly rooting Ifá within African religious traditions, the essays consider Ifá and Ifá divination from the perspectives of philosophy, performance studies, and cultural studies. They also examine the sacred context, verbal art, and the interpretation of Ifá texts and philosophy. With essays from the most respected scholars in the field, the book makes a substantial contribution toward understanding Ifá and its role in contemporary Yoruba and diaspora cultures.

Finalist for the 2014 Albert J. Raboteau Prize for the Best Book in Africana Religions presented by the Journal of Africana Religions This is the first collection of essays to analyze intersectional religious and cultural practices surrounding the deity Yemoja. In Afro-Atlantic traditions, Yemoja is associated with motherhood, women, the arts, and the family. This book reveals how Yemoja traditions are negotiating gender, sexuality, and cultural identities in bold ways that emphasize the shifting beliefs and cultural practices of contemporary times. Contributors come from a wide range of fields—religious studies, art history, literature, and anthropology—and focus on the central concern of how different religious communities explore issues of race, gender, and sexuality through religious practice and discourse. The volume adds the voices of religious practitioners and artists to those of scholars to engage in conversations about how Latino/a and African diaspora religions respond creatively to a history of colonization.

......The “ALAAFIN” is elected from among many eligible members of the Royal Family by a Powerful Society of Yoruba Noblemen know as the “Oyo Mesi”, the seven principal councilors of state. There have been 43 “Alaafin”, all drawn from the Same Dynasty which has ruled The Yoruba for over 2,000 years. Before he is crowned “OBA”, The “Alaafin-elect” must become a Priest, usually a Priest of “SANGO”, the Deified “Fourth King of The Yoruba”, and “Third Alaafin of OYO”, who is worshipped as “The THUNDERGOD”. The “Alaafin” has as much Spiritual as well as purely Political work to perform being at once “King” and “Priest” of the State............The West African political system was “Communal Socialism”, in which the vital means of production belonged to each separate Community, which in turn was united with a larger aggregate such as the Provincial State, which was in turn united with a Central State.............. The Old Yoruba Empire distinguished itself in The World, with Three very distinctive and unique models.First, it evolved a wonderfully developed Constitution, though Unwritten, the average Yoruba man is governed by strong convention.Secondly, the Yoruba evolved a Military System that allows them to develop Weaponry. The Yorubas are the first to smith Iron and thus, they built foundries from where they also produced agricultural implements to boost food production.Thirdly, the Yoruba Race, evolved a very practical method of Administration, by adopting the Cabinet System of governance. So, as far back as the 16th Century, the Old “OYO” Empire developed the Cabinet System of Government. And from the Prime Minister, to “The Alaafin”, and the various Divisional Heads, all tiers have their Roles and Responsibilities clearly spelt out and adhered to, with Separation of Powers and inputs for checks and balances............The Legend of "The GOD OF THUNDER", The Great King “SANGO”, 4th King of The Yoruba, 3rd “ALAAFIN” of The Ancient City of “OYO”, is a tale of Command. “OYO” the Ancient Political Capital of the “Yoruba”, took its rise somewhere in the 8th Century. “OYO” was founded by “ORANMIYAN” a grandson of “ODUDUWA, the Father of the “Yoruba” Nation. “Oranmiyan” was succeeded by “AJUAN, AJAKA” who proved too mild for the aggressive,conquering temperament of his times. The people rejected “Ajuan” in favor of his more flamboyant, warlike brother “SANGO, OLUFINRAN”.