AADS2400 · African and African Diaspora Studies

Ifa: an Indigenous African Literary & Divinatory Tradition

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

This course dives into the sacred oral literature of an Indigenous West African thought system known as Ifa. We will explore the structure of the verses and the divinities who feature there. An in-depth reading of several stories will provide cultural context for major themes such as the concepts of personhood and character, predestination, the role of women, and respect for nature. We will also discuss four divination systems that arise out of Ifa.