In his newest book
Ifá Lucumí: o resgate da tradição (2020), about the Ifá system of divination, he intends to “Show the public a religious practice that deserves a lot of respect. And, from there, provide information on one of the oldest and most pretigious forms of African religiosity, present in the Americas since, at least, the 19th century and today expanded, from Cuba, to the United States and Brazil, among other countries”. (...)
CONTINENTE: where did you begin your research to write your new book
Ifá Lucumí: o resgate da tradição?
NEI LOPES: first of all, I will tell you about this Ifá tradition, which even exists in Recife. I don't know it if exists openly, but historically it is there. The House of Pai Adão (
Terreiro Ilê Obá Ogunté) worships Orunmilá, who is the patron Orixá of the Ifá oracle. Ifá is, first of all, an oracle. It is a form of communication with the deities, which means that one does not have to use trance, or possessions. The consultant, the interested person, contacts the deity through the Ifá oracle. Spreading this information is essential. Who conducts the consultation to the Ifá oracle? Who translates what Orunmilá determined through the oracle? It is a specialized priest called Babalaô (
Bàbáláwo). It is not necessarily a Babalorixá (
Bàbálórìṣ
à), who is the ritualist responsible for conducting ceremonies. The Babalaô is different because he is the vehicle which leads the consultation to the Ifá oracle.
I have contact with this tradition, which had been missing from Brazil since the 1930s, if I am not mistaken. It was hardly talked about anymore, nobody knew what it was. I have a copy of
Dicionário de cultos afro-brasileiros (Dictionary of Afro-Brazilian cults), by Olga Cacciatore, released in 1977, very important. In the Ifá entry, it says: “it is a missing tradition in Brazil”. But, in the third edition, in 1998, this information was removed, as the tradition had been taken up in Brazil again. And I was present at the time of this revival, in the early 1990s, when a Cuban Babalaô came to Brazil to do research and we had contact with him. He ended up settling in Rio de Janeiro and continued this type of religiosity. I participated since his arrival here, in 1991. Time passed, he passed away and then another one came. This one was older, by the way. And we continued.
Illustrations from the book Ifá Lucumí, by Pedro Rafael
Thus, since the 1990s, this tradition has already been established in Brazil, by way of Cuba. And from there, it was extended to the USA, with a large number of aficionados, followers, etc., and to other countries in the Americas. Therefore, my contact was direct, it did not begin with a research, although I read a lot during this time. I was initiated, I was confirmed four years ago, so I am also a Babalaô, but I do not practice, I don't give consultations. I am really more of a student and researcher, as was Pierre Verger, who went to Nigeria. He started there as a Babalaô and, as far as I know, he was not a consultation person. He would write and publish things about it, important articles.
One day, when I published, in 2017, the first volume of
Dicionário de História da África: séculos VII a XVI (Dictionary of African History: 7th to 16th Centuries), my
Oluwó, my spiritual father, said to me: “Nei, why don't you write about Ifá? So you can show the people how it is, what it is and what it represents”. I took on this honorable task. It took me almost three years and I finished it at the end of last year. It should have already come out, but due to the pandemic, it is being released now; and with great interest and reception. I am very happy to be doing this interview with you and the journalists. This is not a book in which we teach Ifá, because it is an initiatic knowledge. The only way you can learn is being initiated into it. The goal is to show what it is and there is a great lack of knowledge when it comes to religions of African origin, which many people still think is Spiritism. And it is not. Some people say it is unfounded superstition, it is not. Some people say it is
macumba, it is not. Some people say it is witchcraft, it is not. It is a religious form, like most religions of African origin in Brazil, which have a very large foundation, very complex in terms of philosophy, liturgy and doctrine. And some people make light of it. (...)
The rhythm has had me jamming all morning. And then the switch around the 3 minute mark 