"#EsuIsNotSatan: New Yorùbá Indigenous Religion Trends and Campaigns on Social Media" - Olúwábùnmi Bernard, University of Ghent

This occasional talk will be given by our 2022-23 A.G. Leventis Visiting Fellow and current University of Ghent Visiting Fellow, Dr Olúwábùnmi Bernard, and will be chaired by Prof Joerg Haustein from the Faculty of Divinity.

All are welcome to attend, no need to pre-book.

Abstract:

Secrecy has long been associated with Yorùbá Indigenous Religion and its ritual practices. However, secrecy, which is a key feature germane to the acquisition and protection of deep knowledge of the Yorùbá Indigenous Religion, was also its undoing as it competed for space with other religions in modern Nigeria. While, for instance, Christianity and Islam made use of modern media to propagate its practices, Yorùbá Indigenous Religion shut out the media. However, in recent times, things have changed. In a bid to denounce the hostility towards its practices, the devotees of Yorùbá Indigenous Religion have entered the new media space to compete for space and followership. Hence, this essay explores new Yorùbá Indigenous Religion trends such as the “Èṣù Is Not Satan” campaign on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) as a case study. I contend that Yorùbá Indigenous Religion has embraced modernity in the performance of her rituals. This and some other activities are targeted at bringing positive awareness to and correcting misinformation about the ritual practices of Yorùbá Indigenous Religion. I will provide insights into the performance of Yorùbá Indigenous Religion in Southwestern Nigeria (and in some instances, the diaspora) to buttress my position, that Yorùbá Indigenous Religion is opening up to non-devotees in the way it did not do in the past that caused it to be labeled as evil using the new media platforms.