by Iyanifa Ayaba OchaBi Ifabulluje Ifaseye, 7/2015.
When did God, Olodumare, die (Irete meji)? According to the United States 1860 Census, there were 3,953,761 slaves that represented 12.6% of the total American population. The statue of Liberty and the Statue of Freedom were both created from an African slave woman model. The slaves brought their dance, music, stories and faith. Emerwo Biakolo in the ‘Nigerian Guardian’ of 28th November 1992 asked: “Do men believe just because they want to or because the object of their faith is credible?” According to Edmund Burke (1790), “People will never look forward to posterity, who never looks backwards to their ancestors!” What spiritual faith did our ancestors practice? Today, the popular African based practices in our society are Orisa, Ifa, vodou, and obeah. 
The major one is IFA! What is Ifa? Ifa is the binary numerical system of odus (proverbs). Ifa is the oracle of wisdom, knowledge and messages from Olodumare for an individual’s destiny in life which is governed by the Orisa Orunmila. Orunmila is not Ifa. Professor Idowu Odeyemi (2007) stated that “Ifá among the Edos of Nigeria, Fá among the Fon of Republic of Benin. Eva BY Nupes, Ifa in Cuba, USA, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Surinarm and Haiti, Afá by the Ewe of Togo Ephod by Jews, Geomancy by Europeans and Malagasy as well as Ramal or Hati by Arabs. Ifá is widespread in Africa… it is practiced among the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria, the Kamuku and Gwari of Northern Nigeria, the Igbirra in South Central Nigeria, the Jukun of Eastern Nigeria, and all the tribes in the region around the Cross Rivers. Among the Siwah people in the Sahara, Ifá is known as “Derb el raml” or “Derb el fu” It is also widely practiced in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Sierra Leone as well as in Liberia.” Vince (2010) stated that the “United States is unique and NOT only is it a country, but it’s also an idea [where] people around the world don’t just dream of coming to America, they dream of becoming Americans.” America/Diaspora is truly the land of diversity where ancestors, orisa, and Ifa are widely practiced. In America/Diaspora, the Cubans have Lucumi and Santeria; Brazilians have Candomble, Haitians have voodoo, Jamaicans have Obeah and Gullah have Ogeechee and so on. They have two things in common: roots and goals. At the end of the day, everyone wants to go to Orun (heaven) and everyone wants to practice orisa from their ancestors’ roots of West Africa. Odu Ifa says: Ọna kan ti n ihin wa, ọna kan ti ohun wa. Ipade ọna meji a bi ẹnu ṣonṣo a dia fun Erinmọdo eyi ti o mu jọba igi loko. Ifa lo wa ferinmọdo jọba [A road leads from here, a road leads from there. When two roads merge, they taper down, cast Ifa for the Erinmọdo tree who who was made king over the trees in the forest. Ifa declared Erinmọdo king.] Therefore, the concept of diversity creates assimilation for American/Diaspora cultures and beliefs which brings a special type of unity, ideas for harmony, a unique mechanical design for spiritual growth and plasmatic substance for long life and spread of Ifa. Conclusively, your passport says American; not African American, Cuban American, and White American, etc. It says “American” for ethnicity. Regardless, where you got initiated and you live and practice in the Americas/Diaspora…wouldn’t it be nice if we had a recognized tradition in America and our West African roots are the base? Basically, if you are initiated to orisa and Ifa-Fa-Afa and you live in America and you practice in America, then you are practicing American Ifa-Fa-Afa. It doesn’t take away from where you got your initiation – if you are initiated. Many people have been initiated in more than one system (Lucumi, Congo, and traditional Ifa) and they don’t throw one system away for the next, because those slaves’ DNA…47% Benin/Togo, 25% Congo, 20% Native American and so on is your ISESE (oworin gunda) in America. At the end of the day, why is it a blessing for Brazilians to have Candomble, but we can’t have our own? Why do we allow people to say we need training after 200 years plus of initiations and practicing? 
And what does training have to do with who we are today in America/Diaspora? When the spread of Lucumi/Santeria initiations in American/Diaspora populated the land…were the Cuban Africans fully trained? Are you and I fully trained according people who are no older than me or you? Are you saying Americans can’t have their own tradition because we don’t have any elders that are trained, but everywhere else in the world does? That is ignorant and discriminatory. Be proud and acceptance of who you are.
