Following criticism of a video showing renowned gospel singer Tope Alabi using the Yoruba traditionalists’ common greeting phrase, “Aboru aboye,” in a worship song, an Ifa-priest, Oluwo Jogbodo Orunmila, advised the award-winning singer to get a DNA test to confirm her ancestry.
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Tope Alabi and her backing singers were heard in the viral video referring to themselves as “ebo,” which is a literal translation of the word “sacrifice.” They emphasised that they were “Aboru Aboye,” which means that God had accepted them as a sacrifice.
In an interview on Monday, Orunmila, the chief priest of the Iledi Imule Agba in Oyan, Odo Otin North Local Council Development Authority in Osun State, highlighted that Alabi has always been deeply ingrained in the language of traditionalists.
He mentioned the singer’s use of ‘Eledumare’ and several other appraisals usually meant for Orunmila (god of wisdom) and Yoruba deities.
The Ibadan-based priest said;
All these phrases showed that Tope Alabi needs ancestry DNA to confirm that she belongs to the Ifa tradition. Those words are forcing their way out, she only needs the right teachers to get fully on track.
Ifa is ancestry. When a lineage known to be Ifa practitioners stop its practice, there would be a day when one of the family members will illustrate the doctrines of Ifa, knowingly or unknowingly.
He maintained that whoever has come out to tag Alabi as an idol worshipper is just fuelling public opinion and is particularly not knowledgeable enough to know that Ifa only identifies those who want to be identified because it embraces secrecy.
Identifying with Ifa is discretionary. One can either let the public know or not. Ifa does not stop you from identifying with other religions even when you are under its supervision.
While fielding questions on whether the phrase is a usual lexicon that anybody could use, Orunmila said;
It is not. It is certainly used by the Ifa initiates.
The Ifa worshippers (Babalawo and Iyanifa) are the ones that use that to greet one another because it was a legacy passed by Orunmila. In fact, ‘Aboru Aboye’ is often accompanied by ‘ni Ile Ifa’, meaning ‘May everything including sacrifices be accepted in this Ifa household.’
