A soundscape of the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham by Gboyega Odubanjo. Edited by Lucia Scazzocchio. With support from the Alternative School of Economics.

Two Stops Short Of Barking - An Audio Piece By Gboyega Odubanjo

7. The Council of the Orishas (Yoruba - Nigeria, Benin, Togo)
These two stories from the Yoruba people describe how humans were created, the coming of a great flood and how Oshun, the goddess of fertility made sure women have a voice.

The Orishas are the gods who live in the sky. Obatala (creator of mankind) decides to go down to create the earth - he is given a gold chain, a shell, a hen and a black cat. He then attempts to makes humans but gets drunk on palm wine and makes them all wonky. He has to start again.  Once the earth is populated, Olukun, god of the seas is annoyed that the other gods didn’t consult him, so he creates a flood and drowns the earth. A few people survive. Oshun, the goddess of fertility is annoyed because the other gods keep ignoring her and she isn't heard. She persuades all the women to go on strike. Things become unbearable for the men and no babies are born, so women are promptly given a seat at the table both in the skies and on earth. 

The Yoruba are an ancient people with roots that date back over 2000 years and were the rulers of the Oyo Kingdom, a West African Empire covering what is now West Nigeria to Zaire and Sudan. The main city of Ile-Ife cultivated a great cultural tradition. Traditional Yoruba religion has a pantheon of deities (gods) called the Orisha with hundreds of different gods representing natural elements and human emotions and worshipped for many different purposes. Ife is the Yoruba word for Earth and was named by the creator Obatala who also created mankind.

Creation stories from around the world, dramatised for radio. An immersive audio adventure back to the beginning time…
Why are we here, how did we get here and who are we anyway? These profound questions have given rise to creation stories, shared across cultures and societies to help us humans make sense of the world and there are many commonalities between these stories. In the Beginning brings ten of these ancestral tales to life. 

These stories transport us through the cosmos, into dreamtime, down a golden chain and through nature’s arc where we meet animals, gods and spirits -  the makers, shapers and creators. 


More information http://www.inthebeginning.world

Credits
Researched, written and directed by Lucia Scazzocchio & Hawa Kahn 
Presented by Chizzy Akudolu, narrated by Nicole Davis
Cast: Chizzy Akudolu, Rosie-Marie Christian, Darren Hart, Arnie Hewitt, Hawa Khan, Paul Marlon, Katherine Mosely, James Price, Narinder Samra. 
Children: Quinceo Parkes, Omara Parkes, Della Parkes, Sierra Kaitell, Gabriel Goba
Casting Director: Hawa Khan 
Audio production and sound design: Lucia Scazzocchio
Additional research: Leona Fensome
Original music: Gail Tasker
Cover Art: Delphine
A Sonomatopoeia / Social Broadcasts production. Supported by the Audio Content Fund.

The Council Of The Orishas

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