- The city of Ọ̀yọ́ was the capital of the Ọ̀yọ́ Empire. The Empire collapsed around 1830 because Emperor Awólẹ́ (1789-c. 1796) was removed from office and, as required by the constitution of the Empire, he committed suicide.
- Awólẹ́ chiefs deposed him because they wanted the Empire to start participating in the slave trade, but Awólẹ̀ did not. Any Emperor who could not command unanimity between himself and his Executives was required by constitution to commit suicide.
- Before committing suicide, Awólë uttered the curse: "the Yorùbá people will be taken as slaves all over the Earth". After uttering the curse, he fired an arrow each to the north, east and west, and smashed a clay-pot containing occult powers to the ground.
- Ọ̀yọ́ is renowned for its Temples, Festivals and for the worship of Ṣàngó, Ọya, Ọbàtálá, Ọ̀rànmíyàn, Ifá and other Òrìṣà.
ABOUT US
We travel to Africa seeking inspiration in sacred cities. We capture the essence of the Òrìṣà cultures in its original settings.
