In the film Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler: “Oṣun-Oṣogbo,” two women from America journey to Oṣogbo, Nigeria to become priestesses to the river goddess Oṣun. They witness and take part in the Oṣun-Oṣogbo festival in an effort to find their roots, rediscover themselves, and re-pave their path in life. Although understanding their past and where they came from was their primary goal, the girls also wanted to visit Nigeria and show the people and practitioners of Orisha that their culture was still known and valued in other parts of the world, especially because Orisha was under attack in it’s home of Oṣogbo. The Oṣun-Oṣogbo festival demonstrates the way that the African diaspora religions have traveled, changed, and come full circle back to their birthplace though people, events, and objects.

Scholars such as Thompson and Johnson all define the African diaspora religions a little bit differently. Johnson believes that “. . . religions like Vodou, Santeria, Rastafari, and Candomble became doubly diasporic, as their practitioners in New York, Paris, London, or Miami not only look to Africa but also to the Caribbean as powerful homelands from which they are displaced.”  Johnson’s definition speaks more closely to the idea that diasporic religions were shaped by the forced and unnatural nature of the environment they were subject to, i.e. the Atlantic slave trade. During the slave trade, people all over the African continent were ripped from their homes and families, stripped of their traditions and culture, and brought to the Americas to perform slave labor. Many of these people managed to hold onto different aspects of their Yoruba culture/religion and did what they could to practice it in the Americas. The two women who visited Nigeria in this film, Alafia and Oni, have ancestors who did just that. These women represent the journey of the Orisha religion. Although the girls’ ancestors suffered immeasurably, they were able to save bits and pieces of their Yoruba culture–enough to evoke a curiosity and longing in Alafia and Oni to visit Nigeria and immerse themselves in the culture that their ancestors grew up with.

In scholarly articles about the Yoruba religion, animal sacrifices are discussed in depth as a typical offering to Yoruba deities. In the film, a chicken was sacrificed to the river goddess Oṣun. A chicken was slaughtered and the blood was poured over the head of a young man standing at the foot of the Oṣun River. He washed the blood over his head as it fell into the water as a sacrifice to Oṣun. As a final offering, the young man threw the body of the chicken into the river. Sacrificing animals is a staple of diasporic religions and the film showed a great example of a natural offering to the Orisha.

In the Oṣun-Oṣogbo festival, soundscapes and movement are a large part of the atmosphere and ritual. The rhythmic drumming, chanting, and dancing serve as veneration to the Orisha. Soundscapes are a large part of the African diaspora–music in these religions went through a great formative period during the Atlantic slave trade. Slaves used music as a way to connect to each other and get in touch with the culture they were forced to leave behind in Africa. Slaves didn’t have access to instruments so vocals became increasingly important in diasporic religions, as demonstrated in the Oṣun-Oṣogbo festival.

I believe the Oṣun-Oṣogbo festival and its portrayal in the film is a prime example of diasporic religion. It’s a wonderful demonstration of the African diaspora that offers stunning visuals and soundscapes that help viewers understand the essence of Yoruba religion. The film includes great examples (within the Oṣun-Oṣogbo festival) of objects and concepts that are typical in diasporic religions such as the journey of the Orisha religion, the sanctity of animal sacrifice, and the importance of singing, dancing, and playing music together.