Babalawo
Babalawo or Babalaô (from Yoruba: babaláwo = 'father of secrets') [ babala:' o ] is a collective term for the priests , necromancers and herbalists of the Yoruba in West Africa .
The term covers very different people and activities, from oracle interpreters to initiation priests to medicinal plant experts who are not tied to any particular cult in their work. The negative restriction on magicians who deal with harmful magic did not arise until the 1980s with the second wave of Christianization in Africa. The corresponding term among the Igbo is Dibia .
Babalawo are also called the priests of the Orunmila-Ifa of an Orixá (= deity of the Candomblé cult) in Brazil , as well as the priests of the Yoruba in Cuba .
Web links
Commons : Babalawo - album with pictures, videos and audio files
