HAIL ORISHA! DEFENDED: A RESPONSE TO JAMES COX

Abstract

Hail Orisha! is a case study (if you will) of the phenomenological and historical study of African religions, namely that of the Yoruba peoples in the mid-nineteenth century. The title Hail Orisha! was chosen to tie the knot against any form of 'neutrality', which is seen by many West Africans as the putting down of African traditional religions. To say 'Hail Orisha!' is a fair thing to say, because that is what the Orisha worshippers actually say. So there is no Christian bias here, is there? Lurking behind all we say is the issue of power. How can an African traditional religion stand up against Christianity backed by support from Europe and North America, or Islam with the whole Islamic world behind it, including the extremists of both these world religions? African traditional religion in West Africa and the Americas is weak and on the defensive, yet strong underneath. The period 1840 to 1880 is a crucial one of transition. African religion was still dominant in Yorubaland but Christianity was 'up and coming'. The records are all in 'Christian' archives, apart from the oral traditions that here and there provide another story. Both are needed. It is over thirty years since I began to be drawn into the field of Yoruba religion in the mid-nineteenth century. There are few, it seems, interested in this area. Why is that? It is after all an important time for West Africa and Latin America. One reason is the garstige Graben that divides the studies of African religions (championed by anthropologists, to their undying credit, over more than 150 years) from the study of Christianity and Christian missions. Back in the old days at New College Edinburgh, we used sometimes to have haggis garnished with turnips. It was customary to expect from the student leading devotions to call upon us to sing (which we did heartily), 'And all that is in me be stirred up'. James Cox, now a Reader at New College, has certainly managed to stir me up, after twelve years