Introduction
Understanding the place
The sacred wood of Osun-Osogbo protects one of the last large areas of the sacred primary forest of Yoruba, associated with Osun, the divinity of fresh water, fertility and protection.
To be retained
- Yoruba Sacred Forest
- Major link with the river and the river Osun
- Annual festival alive
- Cultural and ecological conservation
History and context
The site is part of the history of the city of Osogbo and its ritual pacts with the river. In the 20th century, artists and priests, including Susanne Wenger with Yoruba actors, participated in a renewal of the shrines and sculptures, without this phase summarising the whole tradition.
Why is this place spiritual?
The forest is a space inhabited by divine presences in the Yoruba cosmology. The annual festival of Osun attracts faithful and visitors. Water, trees, shrines and practices form a set that a simple landscape visit is not enough to understand.
What the landscape makes you feel
The route follows the river under a dense canopy and meets works that seem to emerge from the living. Attention to sounds, humidity and changes of light helps to perceive why the ecology of the place is inseparable from its sacrality.
Energy, atmosphere and feelings
The faithful can understand the power of the place in the language of l'òrìsà and l'à
Discover with respect
- Follow the instructions of the guardians and priests.
- Do not touch offerings or interrupt rituals.
- Avoid dexotizing or unifying Yoruba religions.
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