Oyimbo Diary: Chapter 4

In the summer of 2006, Rainer Doost and his wife Valeria Watson-Doost spend three weeks in Nigeria as house guest of Chief Ifagbenusola Atanda. In this series of 9 weekly installments Rainer a videographer will share his experiences in words and video.


Osun temple and the Osun Grove

Around eleven, the activity level in the house increases. I hear the drummers out in the yard so I rush to put on my shoes and grab the camcorder and extra tape but forget to put on my shotgun microphone. This continues a patter where I’m always trying to catch up with the action. I run to the third floor and get there just as the two initiates and priestesses come out of the altar room. Well I missed that shot! I dash back down to the living room and catch them as they come in from the stair well and head out the front door. I don’t feel comfortable running our through the kitchen and its door to the outside so I have to wait until I can squeeze out into the carport/courtyard. It is jammed with people and the whole neighborhood is outside the gate looking in. The drums are going strong, Baba, clad in stunning white robes, is there dancing with the two initiates and attending priestesses. He distributes money to the drummers and priestesses by placing it on the sides of their heads. This is how you honor people.

I’m frustrated, not wanting to be pushy; I can’t get into position for the best camera angles. Half the time I’m totally blocked by other people! This will be a constant problem for me. Camera operators need to be assertive and politeness comes second. For me it is exactly the reverse.

Eventually Baba, Osunyemi, Osundolu, Ifamoyin, Bayo and I get into the van. One of my by now favorite Babalawos, a very gentle soul, shoos the gawkers from the gate so we can make our exit. The rest of our entourage squeezes into another van and we are off. I have no idea where we are going. However, as we pull up to a parking area I recognize the ally that leads to the Osun temple adjacent to the palace. This time our entrance is regal. The drums thunder of the walls as Baba leads us into the temple. We are thirty strong. Our attending priestesses dressed in white surround Osunyemi and Osundolu who are still in bright red. The seven Babalowos in our group are also clad in beautiful embroidered robes. I am clearly the gray wren in this colorful flock.

Our arrival takes the temple occupants by surprise. The Iya Osun, the chief Osun priestess, makes a hasty exit to properly dress. Meanwhile the Arugba Osun dances with us.

For days, now, I have felt a dream like unreality. This is just the latest bit of dream magic. I am in a low ceiling room, beautifully painted with fish motives, surrounded by thirty or more magnificently clad Africans dancing to thundering drums. White clad priestesses caringly attend my much-loved wife. She is clad in unfamiliar red and clearly in a transported state of bliss. Concurrently this tall regal man with prominent tribal marks on his cheek is dancing and honoring the, princess, the virgin calabash carrier, the Osun Arugba. My god, can it get any more magical than that?

When the Iya Osun returns, she joins a ritualistic dance with the Arugba while Baba honors her by placing a substantial number of large denomination bills against the side of her head. Then each of the new initiates kneels before her and are blessed. Osundolu is enters a trance state. This is an important event. It is believed that in the trance deities important information can be channeled. Iya Osun wants to keep Osundolu with her while we go on. Baba will not hear of it, he will never leave his guests in the hands of someone else, especially not in a vulnerable state. After several attempts Osunyemi’s voice reaches Osundolu, she slowly re-enters the present. We make our exit and cram back into the vans.




Our next stop is in front of a high steel gate in a heavily wooded area. Baba chats with the attendant and passes him some money and the gates are opened. Within minutes we come to a low sculpted adobe wall, decorated with bass relieve figures and designs. It is the work of the much-revered Austrian sculptor, Susanne Wenger. Now in her ninties she has resided in Osogbo since the 1950s and is credited with having saved the Osun Grove form development. Employing local artisans she restored many altar sites and built several larger sculpture installations. The sculptures are very beautiful but have a European flavor.

Lead by our drummer we enter through a narrow gate and look down a series of step that take us to a lovely low thatch structure, one of several Osun shrines in the grove. As we progress deeper into the grove, we stop a several smaller shrines, each dedicated to a different Orisa. Our two new initiates guided by their attending priestesses offer prayers at each shrine. We make our progress dancing from location to the other. (Dancing is a form of prayer.) Eventually we dance our way to the Osun River. Here the initiates will bath in their mother, the graceful river Osun. I have high hopes that as husband I will be allowed to record this event. However only Baba and the priestesses are allowed to be witness this last important ritual, the rest of us are instructed to retune to the shrine and wait.

I’m really sorry not to be able to witness and tape this final major ritual. Perhaps had Valeria been the only initiate. While we wait I get a chance to get some nice footage of the Osun Shrine. Twenty minutes I hear voices as the group returns from the river. The four drummers rush to meet them and now the dancing takes on a joyous tone. Osunyemi and Osudolu are now dressed in embroidered golden gowns. We all stop at the steps that lead into the Osun shrine. Bayo’s mother, who has been the key attending priestess casts the Obi, Kola nuts, on the steps for our now fully, initiated new priestesses. After several casts a loud cheer goes up. The results are favorable. Every one is excited, HATAFF as added two new Osun Priestess. We dance joyously back to the vans.




Always mindful of the ancestors we next stop at Baba’s fathers grave to pray and give thanks. The grave is a tomb build directly in front of the house. From there we drive to the Laro street house were Baba’s mother resides. We greet her and then pray at Baba’s grant mothers tomb which is part of the large concrete deck looking out over busy Laro street. The house, one of the more substantial structures on the street, backs on the palace grounds and speaks of the families standing in the community. For the next few hours we celebrate on the deck. The drummers play tirelessly and the priestesses dance.

Periodically Baba rises and honors the drummers and dancers by placing money on the side of their heads. I know he is very concerned to maintain traditional practices and this “honoring” process is one way of provide support for traditional people.

Towards evening, we make our way back ‘home’ to the temple. One more ritual is required, a live force offering to Esu. The Esu altar is on the side of the temple. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to participate and retreat up to the third floor deck from which I have a bird’s eye view of the process. A goat is offered (lunch tomorrow will be goat stew!) and a gin libation is poured. A small glass of gin is passed around, every one takes a sip and that completes the formalities of the day. My wife, Valeria aka Yeye Siju Osunyemi is now a twice-initiated priestess of Osun. I am very happy for her and I am equally happy that I can embrace her and hold her hand. Her warm body will lie next to me tonight.