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Heart and Soul: Coming out of the Ifá closet

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24/02/2023 GMT

Coming out of the Ifá closet

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Coming out of the Ifá closet

One man’s conversion to African spirituality and how his Christian family reacted

BBC reporter Peter MacJob fell out of love with the Church and decided to embrace the traditional Yoruba religion of his ancestors.

Almost 10 years ago, Peter MacJob’s life changed forever. Born and raised a devout Christian like so many of his fellow Nigerians, he fell out of love with the Church and discovered the traditional Yoruba religion of his ancestors. Other Africans appear to be doing the same thing, both on the continent and throughout the diaspora. But as Peter has found, it is not always easy to convert:  Ifá, or Isese, involves effigies, divination, and making offerings to a range of deities, up to and including animal sacrifice. 

Those not initiated into the faith often see it as superstitious and even sinister. Devotees say that outsiders misunderstand, and complain that Ifá is pejoratively depicted as devil worship. It is perhaps little wonder that after Peter adopted Ifá, he chose not to tell his family about it. But now he has decided it is time to come clean, taking a trip back to Nigeria to confront childhood friends and loved ones, in the hope that they will give their blessing.  

Presenter: Peter MacJob
Producer: Michael Gallagher
Strand producer: Rajeev Gupta
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
Editor: Helen Grady

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