ARABA OF OSOGBO - BIOGRAPHY

Conversation with Ifayemi Elebuibon during his visit to Brazil in the beginning of 2016.

About the Araba

Araba Ifayemi was born in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. He cames from a family acclaimed to be one of the authorites on Yoruba Traditional Institutions, A direct descendant of Olutimehin, one of Co-founder of the City of Osogbo. He began his priesthood training at age four.

He received his formal education through correspondence courses. His parents insisted on his through grounding in the traditional institution and culture through his apprenticeship with renowned priests of the day. Araba Ifayemi is a poet, performing artist, play write, herbalist and practising babalawo (ifa priest). He has published several books, and scholarly papers on various aspects of Yoruba traditional religion and culture.

Araba Ifayemi is also a recording artist with several credits on Yoruba poetic genre known as Ewi. His mostly social commentaries and parallax snaps cultural philosophy.

His traditional morality drama, Ifa Olokun Asorodayo called from Odu Ifa, was presented on Nigeria National Television Network popular series.

Yemi is an international scholar in-residence at San Francisco State University in California, USA, where he lectures on African Traditional religion and philosophy.

He is the founder of Ancient Philosophy International, Osogbo, Nigeria a Centre dedicated to teach African traditional religion and preforming arts.

He has trained a lot of students and initiated many into the tradition.

Yemi numerous awards and recognitions include lifetime achievement chieftancy as the Araba of Osogbo a title that elevated him to a venerated position in the priesthood hierarchy.
He has also been honored with a doctorate degree of the Brandice University USA. He is an associate staff at Institute of Cultural. he was appointed a vice chairman of Board of Traditional Medicine, Osun State. He is also the current president of International Congress of Orisa tradition and culture, Nigeria Chapter.

He maintain a botanica and mini-museum at his House of Culture that has become a must stop for visitors to Osogbo for teh city annual Osun Festival. Yemi has travelled to many parts of the world at the invitation of organizations, institutions, colleges, and universities and local governments.