Why has the home of a Yoruba river goddess become a UNESCO World Heritage site and a global attraction? Every year, tens of thousands of people from around the world visit the sacred grove of Osun, Osogbo's guardian deity, to attend her festival. Peter Probst takes readers on a riveting journey to Osogbo. He explores the history of the Osogbo School, which helped introduce one style of African modern art to the West, and investigates its intimate connection with Osun, the role of art and religion in the changing world of Osogbo, and its prominence in the global arena.

By understanding osogbo, the spirits of misfortune, we can better overcome them and return to health and balance in our lives • Explains how misfortune works in this world as living spirits that plague humanity but are also a catalyst for self-development and conscious evolution • Shows that we can overcome osogbo through ebó, sacrifice, and hard work as prescribed by consulting the orishas through the casting of the diloggún • Shares more than 40 ancient African sacred stories about the spirits of osogbo Beginning with the story of his goddaughter's battle with stage IV cancer, Lucumi priest Ócha'ni Lele explains the role of osogbo, or misfortune, in our lives. While everyone seeks blessings in life, undeserved blessings make us weak and lazy. It is tragedy that encourages us to grow and persevere. Exploring the Lucumí beliefs regarding osogbo, he shows that the Lucumí faith is neither fatalistic nor defeatist but healing and life affirming. He shares more than 40 patakís--stories stemming from the ancient Yoruba of West Africa--about the different spirits of osogbo, who like the orishas once walked the earth in human bodies. He explains the place of these spirits within the 256 odu of the diloggún, the divination system used in Santería to receive guidance from the orishas. Lele shows that the spirits of osogbo are not only concepts but also real deities and that we can, if we understand their nature, fight them through ebó, sacrifice, and hard work. He reveals how the osogbos see themselves as entities of misfortune who stand against life and all that is good in the world, but in truth it is misfortune that strengthens us, misfortune that motivates us, and misfortune that brings great evolution to the world. As the author shows, “Without bitterness, one could not know sweetness.” Likewise, without misfortune in our lives, we would never know blessings or what it means to be blessed.

Osun in colours is a compendium on one of the most significant traditional deity in Africa, the Caribbean Islands and the Americas. It is a searchlight to the diversified stories of the river goddess through its more than three hundred pictorial analysis and illustrations from Igede to Osogbo where the goddess groves. The book traces the biographical origin of the goddess from her humble beginning at Igede Ekiti and goes further to exhibit the exact source of her waters - the popular river Osun in Yorubaland till the point she crossed the Atlantic. Among other things, the book highlights Osun grove and its festival celebrations in selected Yoruba towns, discusses her relationship with other Yoruba pantheons and shows its readers the location where the two great rivers in Yorubaland, namely, river Oba and river Osun met. It goes further again, to discuss some ingredients peculiar to her worship, sacrifice and initiation. Two chapters are on her sojourn overseas and her beautiful songs across the waters. Osun in colours is extremely useful for Orisa worshippers in diaspora, valuable for tourists' and a reference point for researchers' and students' of religion worldwide. Intending readers and buyers should note that the book has scored so many 'FIRSTS'.The book is the first powerful book to trace the SOURCE of Osun waters.The first to highlight in pictorial form how it meanders through thick forests from Ekiti land through Ijesaland, Osogbo, Ibadan, Abeokuta and many other Yoruba communities until the point she crossed the Atlantic! The first to research into Osun's votary maids in Yoruba communities.The first to make a distinction between the Osun the divinity and the Osun the deity.....and lots more! Finally, the book is full of information and insight and it is a good source for continuous research, debate, seminars and discussion for any doubtful issue or issues that may be considered otherwise by any individual or group of person