Osun sacred grove: Adventure that awaits you

While the Sukur Cultural Landscape in Adamawa State stands as the first World Heritage Site in Nigeria, amid its breathtaking views, rough terrain, exciting people and unique homestead, there is yet another place of interest to explore.

This time, in the South-West part of the country and precisely in Osogbo, the capital city of Osun State.

Though ancient, the seemingly sleeping town offers many attractions to culture enthusiasts, nature conservationists and tourists who dare visit across the year.

Set in the outskirts of the ancient town is one of the last remnants of primary forest in south-west Nigeria. The forest, which is a major attraction to the city, is so dense, rich in biodiversity, as well as, hosts the Osun Sacred Grove, the second World Heritage Site in Nigeria.

While at the sacred grove, which is regarded as the abode of Osun, the goddess of fertility and one of the pantheons of the Yoruba gods, visitors are pampered by nature, amid art and cultural offerings that are simply out of the world. Yet, the landscape of the grove is dotted with a meandering river, sanctuaries and shrines, sculptures and art works in honour of Osun and other deities. Of course, the sacred grove, which is now seen as a symbol of identity for all Yoruba people, is probably the last in Yoruba culture to have retained its primary nature and preserved for a very long time. The feat testifies to the once widespread practice of establishing sacred groves outside all settlements.

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Meanwhile, set within the forest sanctuary are forty shrines, sculptures and art works erected in honour of Osun and other Yoruba deities, many created in the past 40 years, two palaces, five sacred places and nine worship points strung along the river bank with designated priests and priestesses.

The new art installed in the grove has also differentiated it from other groves. Osogbo is now unique in having a large component of 20th century sculpture created to reinforce the links between the people and the Yoruba pantheon, and the way in which Yoruba towns linked their establishment and growth to the spirits of the forest.

The restoration of the grove by artists has given it a new importance; it has become a sacred place for the whole of Yorubaland and a symbol of identity for the wider Yoruba Diaspora, other Africans seeking to connect to their roots and even the Western world seeking deeper understanding of African culture, mythology and religious practice.

The grove is an active religious site where daily, weekly and monthly worships take place. In addition, an annual processional festival to re-establish the mystic bonds between the goddess and the people of the town occurs every year over twelve days in July and August and thus sustains the living cultural traditions of the Yoruba people.

The grove is also a natural herbal pharmacy containing over 400 species of plants, some endemic, of which more than 200 species are known for their medicinal uses.

Most importantly, the groove hosts thousands of guests including indigenes, other Nigerians, African diasporas, especially from Brazil, Haiti and the United States of America to the month-long Osun Osogbo festival every August.

However, the town offers many other art and cultural attractions. It is home to many visual artists, especially wood carvers, while quality local textile art and weaving are abundant, especially at Nike Art Gallery Osogbo.

However, timeless artifacts and local fabric designs are among souvenirs that remind of your visit to the art and culture hub.

For those who desire to meet and connect with the people and their culture, the grove offers enough of such opportunities as visitors are always welcomed to the homes of the people, learn more about them, eat, drink, dance and excite themselves.

The grove awaits your visit across the year, especially in August for the annual festival.

It is about three hours’ drive from Lagos and the roads are relatively smooth, while there are a handful of cheap and clean hotels to lodge in.

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