A PhD student gives voice to West Africa's religious traditions
Oludamini Ogunnaike (AB ’07) still remembers how he loved to flip through the beautifully illustrated D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths as a young child. “My parents had to buy that book three or four times because my little brother and I wore it out,” Ogunnaike recalls.
Little did he know then that his fascination with the stories of gods and goddesses would play a role in his future intellectual and professional pursuits. Now, as a fourth year PhD student in the Department of African and African American Studies, Ogunnaike studies the intellectual dimensions and mythology of African religious traditions.
Inspired by D’Aulaires’ book, Oludamini and his brother Ayodeji (AB ’10) are working with an illustrator to write a book about Yoruba mythology. “A lot of the people who know the myths well are getting older, and fewer and fewer people of my generation are interested, so we wanted to put the stories in print before much of the information is lost forever,” explains Ogunnaike.
The desire to bridge the gap between individuals who belong to seemingly different worlds arose in part from Ogunnaike’s own background. “My family is originally from Nigeria, and I lived there when I was young before coming to the U.S. and settling in Delaware. My parents had traditional worldviews, but then in school, and in particular at Harvard, I was exposed to a very different perspective, so my work is kind of an attempt to reconcile different traditions.”
In his doctoral research, Ogunnaike is mainly focused on Sufism (a mystical dimension of Islam) in West Africa, and Ifá, which is a tradition within the Yoruba religion. “I study what constitutes knowledge in these religions and how they make their epistemological claims. I’m trying to put these traditions in conversation with contemporary western theorists and philosophers. Many of us can readily draw upon Greek and Latin traditions – and increasingly upon Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan traditions as well – so I’d like to help ensure that African traditions are also being recognized.”
Ogunnaike’s studies have taken him to a number of African countries such as Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, and Morocco. For him, one of the most valuable aspects of conducting research abroad is simply being able to converse with people who are familiar with the rich oral traditions of both Sufism and Ifá. “In West African Sufism, for example, some of the written texts are so elusive that you can’t understand them unless you study with someone who is familiar with the tradition of oral commentary. And, of course, there are many details that are never written down; you can only learn such information from speaking directly with people.”
Before starting his PhD, Ogunnaike spent a year in Mali on a Rockefeller Fellowship to study traditional drum music. He began playing West African music almost a decade ago and, as an undergraduate, was part of a group of students who formed the Pan-African Dance and Music Ensemble. After returning to Harvard for graduate school, Ogunnaike began performing with the group once again. For him, playing the drums is more than just about having fun. “The arts are one of the best ways to introduce someone to a different culture or worldview, because there’s often an instant affinity, which can lead to a greater appreciation for that culture.”
Ogunnaike’s firm belief in the importance of increasing cultural awareness has also led him to be involved with organizations such as the Harvard African Students Association (of which he was president as an undergraduate) and the Nigeria Forum at Harvard. The latter group holds events relating to the socio-economic, cultural, and political development of Nigeria and is currently working to establish a college preparatory program for Nigerian students. “There are so many bright students in Nigeria who have no idea how to apply to US universities, so we want to help them with the application process so they can have better access to higher education,” explains Ogunnaike.
And he wants to strengthen relationships at a higher level, too. He has been working with Professor Jacob Olupona for the past two years to bring Nigerian dignitaries and other leaders to Harvard as part of the Nigeria in the World seminar series – an initiative organized through the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. The seminars have featured governors, ambassadors, and business leaders – to name a few examples. Last October the Sultan of Sokoto visited Harvard in what was perhaps the most anticipated event of the semester. “We’re constantly working to bring leaders in all fields to engage in conversation with Harvard faculty members, students, and community members,” Ogunnaike says.
He sees a direct link between his involvement with organizations devoted to promoting awareness of African matters and his current research interests. “I was frustrated with what I saw as the dehumanization of people on the continent, and this led me to examine the intellectual content of African traditions, because I think there is a direct correlation between a lack of appreciation for African culture and heritage and a tendency to regard people on the African continent as less worthy of attention.”
Story credit: Joanna Grossman