The subconscious notion of gender roles is one that has been prevalent in Yoruba culture for as long as can be remembered. Although the Yoruba use the same word for him and her pronouns in everyday communication, there has always been an understanding within the culture of what the ideal man should be and the characteristics he should possess. The Yoruba worship patriarchal and matriarchal deities and view a family without children of both genders to be incomplete. This is how big a role gender plays in the idea of living a successful life. Sango, the god of thunder, as well as other Yoruba deities in their complexity and duality, often parallel contemporary masculinity. The tales of these Orisa give noteworthy insight into the behaviors and ways of thinking perpetuated by men of all ages in modern-day Nigeria. These Orisa act as threads in the very fabric of Yoruba spirituality and are a part of a very complex divination system.
Nigeria is one of the most religious countries in Africa with 50% of the population being Muslim and 40% Christian. The remaining 10% are the followers of indigenous beliefs still practicing traditions of the ancestors. Before these Abrahamic belief systems were introduced to African colonies, Nigeria was made up of hundreds of tribes who practiced their own beliefs. One of the most well-known is the ancient Yoruba religion consisting of the worshipping and praise of the different deity figures known as Orisa. This religion is also the basis of many others around the world, notably the Afro-Caribbean Santeria religion born of the slave trade in Cuba, the Candomblé which is mostly practiced in northern Brazil, and Haitian Voudu.
The Orisa religion is a very multifaceted one with elements of theology, worship, and sacrifice. They are also venerated by the Edo of southeastern Nigeria; the Ewe of Ghana, Benin, and Togo; and the Fon of Benin (who refer to them as voduns).[1] Although there are many differences in the details of the rituals and mythology of these deities among these West African peoples, the underlying religious concept is essentially the same. It is taken very seriously and requires practice and devotion. The Orisa are the pillars of this religion and act as the mediators between the human and spiritual realm. They are to be respected and are an amalgamation of psycho anthropology and magics. The Yoruba believe heavily in the power of magic and the other worldly. They work together to make up this philosophical religious model. They believe in a plain that cannot be seen by the naked eye but wields so much power in how everyday life is conducted and played out, in terms of justice being served, lessons being learned, and so on. They also believe strongly in the afterlife and future judgment as may be inferred from the following adage, “Ohungbogbo ti a se l’aiye, li a o de idena Orun ka” which loosely translates to “Whatever we do on earth we shall give an account thereof at the portals of heaven.”[2] It is inferred that one’s actions in the physical realm directly impact their relationship with a God figure in the next. It should be of note that this superior being is genderless. They believe in God as nature and find them in rivers, the wind, the sun, the moon, and all things native-born. It is understood that something of value has been left behind for them in these little bits of nature; it could be guidance, advice, commandments or even warnings. It is their way of connecting to God through the landscape around them. The Yoruba see God in everything. It is a truly beautiful way to have the human experience. God is such an insurmountable concept, and the Yoruba religion really encapsulates this. He is too vast to truly ever comprehend, too big to pray to directly, a supreme being known as Olodumare, Olofin, Olorun, etc. As the owner of the heavens, they do not have enough time to interfere in the daily struggles of mankind and so have enlisted the aid of Obatala to rule in their absence and Olofin to divide the rest of his powers among other deities which we know as the Orisa.
These forces are the ones who have been delegated to deal with the affairs of mankind on Earth. The word Orisha is related to several other Yoruba words referring to the head. The main one, Ori, refers, first, to the physical head atop a person’s body. This visible “Ori”, however, serves as the vessel for an invisible head, the Ori-inu or internal head, the indwelling spirit of a person, and the kernel of that individual’s personality.[3] The Orisa serve as guides almost with their inestimable wisdom. They are very complex beings that represent the divine but also possess human like qualities. They can be mischievous, competitive, and even proud. They are portrayed as these imperfect beings in many stories to help followers relate to and learn from them. Their counterparts would be the angels in Abrahamic religions or the many Saints in Catholicism. They govern different parts of the universe and are also associated with ancestors and various classes and spirits. There are an infinite number of Orisa. Some are indigenous to Yorubaland which spans parts of modern-day Nigeria, and Togo and Benin like Obatala, Elegba, Ogun, Osun, Orunmila, and their origins can even be traced to Ile-Ife, the sacred first city of the Yoruba. Other Orisa like Sango, Babaluaiye, Oya, and Osoosi were introduced to the area by waves of northern conquerors and migrators.[4] Each human possesses the ability to become an Orisha, whether through sacrifice or leading a just life; this is the case with Sango, a god of thunder and fire.
Sango is the warrior deity. He goes by many names, including, “The one who fights with stones (Jakuta)”, “One who inverted a mortar and killed a leopard at Enpe”, “Mad man of Ijebu”, and child of “One who sees 200 enemies and conquers them”, Awalawulu which refers to the sound of thunder, and many more.[5] He uses thunder and fire to deliver justice. He is also the spirit of drumming, dancing, male sexuality, and love. He is the deity that symbolizes the wrath of God; living up in the sky, hurling down thunderstones killing those who upset him, and serving a hot plate of justice wherever necessary. These thunderstones are picked up by farmers and normally found at the foot of his shrines.[6] He will even go as far as to burn your house down if he sees fit. By doing this, he makes an example out of people, warning those not on the right path. He is like a strict father, ruling with an iron fist and hardly pitying wrongdoers. We start to see connections between the Orisha and more modern men. Before he was deified, Sango was a mortal who enjoyed bitter kola nuts and yam porridge. He wasn’t just a regular man either, he is said to have succeeded his father, Oranmiyan, as one of the early Kings of the great Oyo empire. He was noted for his magical powers and was feared because when he spoke fire came out of his mouth. It is said that he would use oil-soaked fibers called Itufu from the pericarp of the oil palm, (which is used in making torches) to light fires in his mouth. Sango worshipers would use Itufu to receive help from the deity or in a state of possession would eat fire themselves. Politically he was a good king that brought great prosperity to Oyo and expanded the empire conquering all enemy territory. Lightning is his sign and one of his favorite instruments of destruction. He is both flaming hot and electrifying all at the same time. It can be said that he is a man’s man although he is a divine never-ending spirit. In Yoruba cosmology, lightning is understood as an instrument of divine justice, retribution, and protection from evil. Lightning also symbolizes his tongue, which distinguishes between the truth and the lie. He is enabled to live life on either side as he is an Orisa of opposites and is represented as both honest and dishonest as well as stingy and generous, perfectly encapsulating the duality of man. His imperfectness parallels the morality of mankind. Man cannot be perfect and so his worshippers relate to him more in this sense. Sango was flawed but an effective ruler. His bravery in driving away the hartebeest that had been killing the children of the people of Ijagba was a factor in cementing his place as one of the most powerful deities in Yorubaland still being worshipped today. There are several variations of the events leading up to his divinization. One myth tells the story of a defeat in a magical contest that left the great King embarrassed and ashamed which led to his hanging himself. It is still forbidden to say so according to the Yoruba and that is why he is called Olukoso which means “he never hanged”. When thunder and lightning strike, his followers even shout out “The King did not hang himself”. Suicide is seen as a taboo and a shameful act and even in the wake of his passing, his followers were too prideful to accept suicide as the cause of his death. A more enticing parable goes as follows: Sango’s tyrannical leadership led to him being overthrown and expelled from the capital by his own chiefs. This led to his suicide at Koso. His loyal followers bent upon revenge and learned the art of calling lightning to destroy those responsible for his downfall. When violent storms struck Ile- Oyo, the capital city of the Kingdom, these friends credited Sango with the destruction and proclaimed him deity. Another version told is that Sango himself, experimenting with magic powers, accidentally called down lightning that destroyed a part of his palace and killed some of his wives and children. In repentance, he committed suicide at Koso. His enemies reviled his name, but after a series of storms destroyed parts of the capital city, his loyal followers declared him a deity whose power over the thunder and lightning was the source of the city’s disasters.[7] In all these stories, the themes of power, authority, and pride are present; a combination most male leaders today still possess. He is very reminiscent of Thor or even Hulk in his uncontrollable green state. A superhero that also possesses a lot of the complexities of being male. It is very common for a man to possess this bigger-than-life hero and server of justice complex. Sango makes use of the destructive power of lightning. It can destroy but is also transformative as an instrument of moral agency. It is implicative of the double-edged sword of political authority. A magnificent statue of Sango by Ben Enwonwu was sculpted and placed on the Marina in Lagos in 1964 in front of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Figure 1). It is a great juxtaposition of his insurmountable electrifying might and the laughable inconsistencies of the power availability that has plagued Nigeria for many years. Not unlike the Nigerian government, Sango is proud, temperamental, volatile, and self-serving. He is also amazingly generous, patient, incredibly competitive, and even gets into disagreements with his colleague Ogun often. Sango also exalts in warfare, competitive sports, and martial arts. This archetype of hero and crusader who uses physicality and weapons as instruments of justice has conventionally often been portrayed as masculine.
The word masculine is derived from the Latin word mas, which means “male”.[8] This shows that our understanding of what is masculine and feminine are intrinsically tied to our understanding of gender. A man should not be feminine, and a woman should not be masculine. This is the understanding of most countries around the world, especially African countries like Nigeria. Society is generally polarized between male and female sexual categories, each with its own conventions and societal laws to live by. Nigeria is highly patriarchal, and males are more often highly valued than women. This notion can be seen in the way Sango treats the women in his life. He is said to recognize no daughters and his female children are addressed as his sons. We see this in modern-day Nigeria with the importance put on having a male first born, the heir to the throne. It is seen as an accomplishment on the man’s behalf to have a male firstborn and a testament to his prowess in the bedroom. “Sango is total maleness.” (Mason p58) He is the ruler of the testicles. His semen is said to replenish the rivers, oceans, and seas. As much as he is an icon of male fertility and undying masculinity, he exhibits a certain level of polarities. A “twoness” that acts to render balance. So, in this contradictory manner, his male children wear their hair braided in women’s styles as a sign of his dominant position in their lives. He is also said to be a womanizer and charming romantic, having three wives: Oba, his first wife, Oya his favorite wife, and Osun who was said to be a concubine. This polygamous practice is still seen today among the Yoruba. Men are allowed to marry more than one wife but never vice versa. Data analyzed from the 1973 surveys of the Nigerian segment of the Changing African Family (CAFN) Project, which covered Yoruba women and men in Ibadan and the Western State of Nigeria stated that of the 5874 women who were in the union during the CAFN 1 survey, 54% reported that their husband had only 1 wife and 46% that their husband had more than 1 wife. Of the 1234 women in unions in the CAFN 2 survey, 49% reported monogamous husbands and 51% polygynous husbands.[9] This practice is a status symbol showing that the father being the head of the house can provide for all his wives and children, meeting all their needs. Sango is also all about having fun. His followers express his love for music and dancing in their worshipping him. He is known for enjoying “hanging out with the boys, talking nonsense…” (Mason p62). This is almost surprisingly parallel to everyday male behavior we see in modern-day Nigeria today. The trope of “The Boys” is one that is very widespread all over present-day Nigeria. Going to the bars in the evening and watching a football match, placing bets, and talking about women is an experience that can be enjoyed every night of the week unfailingly. One wouldn’t think a divine spirit such as Sango would enjoy such simple pleasures, but it sounds like the type of activity he might revel in, as long as it’s all “good clean fun.” (Mason p62) We must remember he was a mortal before anything, and the residual easy-going spirit of a youthful man still lives in him. He enjoys gambling, friendly competition, and camaraderie and is even easily bored. He has many skills but lacks the patience necessary to master any of them. In summary, he has the makeup of a lively University student coupled with the wisdom and intellect of an experienced King.
Sango in all his emotional complexity is the perfect representation of masculinity in today’s Nigeria. He is by no means flawless and thus does a great job of portraying the duality of man. Although a patriarchal system is enshrined in Yoruba traditional sacred and secular philosophy, there is still bountiful evidence of the feminine energy and imagery in the culture and arts. This is because, in Yoruba social structure, the masculine figure is incomplete without a feminine figure. A king without his Ayaba (Queen) is not respected; a man without a wife is regarded as unsuccessful. Just as gender duality is reflected in Yoruba social structure, the religious structure of the Orisa also reflects similar gender factors. One can only wonder what Sango looking down at today’s Nigeria makes of the shifts in gender norms taking place. Is he preparing his thunderstones or is he pleased with the progression of the giants of Africa?
Figure 1
Ben Enwonwu, Sango, 1964. National Power Holding Company, Lagos, Nigeria, nairaland.com, https://www.nairaland.com/5570983/black-nepa-sango-statue-marina (Accessed May 24, 2022).
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[1]Brandon, G.. “Orisha.” Encyclopedia Britannica, May 4, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/orisha.
[2] Johnson, Samuel. “RELIGION.” Chapter. In The History of the Yoruba: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate, edited by Obadiah Johnson, 26–39. Cambridge Library Collection – African Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511702617.008.
[3] Brandon, G.. “Orisha.” Encyclopedia Britannica, May 4, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/orisha.
[4] Mason, John. Òrìṣà: New World Black Gods. Brooklyn, NY, NY: Yorùbá Theological Archministry, 2016.
[5] Bascom, William Russell. Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba Divination from Africa to the New World. United States: Indiana University Press, 1993.
[6] Lum, Kenneth Anthony. Praising His Name in the Dance: Spirit Possession in the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work in Trinidad, West Indies. Netherlands: Harwood Academic, 2000.
[7] Wolff, Norma H., and D. Michael Warren. “The Agbeni Shango Shrine in Ibadan: A Century of Continuity.” African Arts31, no. 3 (1998): 36–94. https://doi.org/10.2307/3337575.
[8] Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “masculinity,” accessed May 24, 2022, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masculinity.
[9] Ahmed, J. “Polygyny and fertility differentials among the Yoruba of western Nigeria.” Journal of biosocial science vol. 18,1 (1986): 63-73. doi:10.1017/s0021932000006507