Ayankola Ayanwuyi

Ayankola Ayanwuyi, a native of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́,  is an author, documentary filmmaker and media personality. He produced many documentaries, for example a digital content on Ọ̀rànfẹ̀ Onílé Iná, the progenitor of the Yorùbá people from Ifẹ̀-Oòdáyé. It was produced under AIF YORÙBÁ CULTURAL CENTRE, where he is currently the lead curator. In this interview, he narrates why he wrote the book and speaks on Yoruba religion and culture

What motivated you to write the book?

Answer: I was born into the hands of my paternal grandmother, Princess Jadesola Ayanwuyi (Nee Oladeji/Atoyebi) with my immediate family. She exposed me to the depth of Yorùbá indigenous practices. I come from a long lineage of Àyàn-Àgalú and Ọbàtálá devotees. Growing up, I discovered there are a lot of lies on our cultural heritage and it has run deep. I couldn’t continue to live with such misrepresentation, hence I developed a passion to create awareness and educate people. Over the past seven years, I have been working openly to educate people on Yorùbá culture, clarify misconceptions and expose the true African identity that is submerged underneath lies and misconceptions.

What were the challenges you encountered in the process of writing the book, and how did you overcome them?

I wouldn’t say I encounter that many problems putting the book together because I wrote my practical experience and knowledge of the Yorùbá indigenous practices. I have been leading campaigns and sending articles on Èṣù is not Satan through my mailing list since 2018. This is what I grew up knowing. A lot of people who knew that I have been a cultural advocate said the book was long overdue when I published it in 2023. I therefore thank Olódùmarè and my Orí. I appreciate all who have contributed to my knowledge since birth to date.

You are trying to do a reprint. Does it mean the first edition was completely bought?

No, we had a reprint, not a new edition. When it was first published in 2023, the sold copies were all printed in the UK. Based on people’s demand, I decided to make a reprint and distribute it locally in Nigeria.

The book is not only about satan or Esu. It goes beyond that. Did you use the Esu is not Satan title as a marketing strategy?

No, I didn’t use Èṣù as the marketing strategy but anchor fact to start with. The book is an introductory book into Ìṣẹ̀ṣe, the Yorùbá Indigenous Practices. It explains some basic concepts of Yorùbá practices and worldview.

Before the coming of the Abrahamic faiths, Yoruba people had their ways of life. Looking at the situation, is it that the imported religions are completely bad?

There is a Yorùbá proverb I have to use here. It says “Tẹni ni tẹni, tàkísà ni tààtàn.”

Will you admit that certain practices in our indigenous culture were bad? For example, Ifa could demand human sacrifice to end a plague in a community. The same ifa could recommend that some people be buried with a dead monarch. What is your view on these? Will the new edition objectively look at these issues?

To use another proverb here would have been the best for me but let me say it and expatiate a bit. The Yorùbá would say, “Ìdálú ni ìṣèlú.” In a simple term, we may say “How a town is founded is how it would be governed.” Nothing in our indigenous culture is bad, except we don’t have the right knowledge of what brought it about. We may also need to find a contemporary balance to them, but our culture is holistic and perfect for our world before the western civilization. Moreover, we only have a new print of Èṣù is NOT Satan. It is not a new edition.

Why do you think ifa is considered fetish?

Ifá is not fetish. By the way, what do you call fetish? A bulletproof is science, but our armlet is fetish? Ifá is a compendium of Yorùbá wisdom. That’s the way I put it in the book. There is science, medicine, history, mathematics, geography, divination and many more in Ifá.

Esu is not Satan is a catchy book title. Critics accuse Bishop Ajayi Crowther of creating that distortion. What is your view on this?

Some scholars believe Ajayi Crowther intentionally put Èṣù as Satan to spite his own people. Ajayi Crowther was about 11 years old when he was enslaved from his hometown. We may say he barely knew anything about Yoruba culture and traditions.

Many have also said that among the Yoruba pantheon, esu is seen as not a particularly straightforward being. What is your view on that?

Answer: Èṣù is very straightforward. Èṣù is not a trickster. In this book, Èṣù is Not Satan, there is a chapter dedicated to the relationship between Èṣù and Ọ̀rúnmìlà. Èṣù is the most loyal. He is the most friendly.

As part of your cultural renaissance  advocacy, do you intend to use video to drive home your points. This is because, they attract more views than the written words in the internet age.

Yes, I am a documentary filmmaker and media personality. I have been working for the past five years to do cultural storytelling through multimedia. I have produced many documentaries. For example, I am the first to produce a digital content and documentary on Ọ̀rànfẹ̀ Onílé Iná, the progenitor of the Yorùbá people from Ifẹ̀-Oòdáyé produced under AIF YORÙBÁ CULTURAL CENTRE, where I am currently their lead curator. I have the record to be the one with highest number of digital content on Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, my hometown, in the media space. Some of my documentaries have been screened at international folklore film festivals around the world.