the sacred grove of Osun

In 1991 I spent a summer teaching at a seminary in the town of Igbaja in Kwara State, Nigeria. One weekend we took a long drive to visit a complex shrine-compound dedicated to the orisha Ọṣun. It was an eerie and fascinating experience. Recently, in unpacking from my move to Texas, I found some photographs I took of the compound. They were taken with a small point-and-shoot camera, and have faded a bit over the years, but I think they might still be of interest.

Update November 2017: I did not realize it when I first posted these photos, but this shrine is now a UNESCO World Heritage Center: the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.