Aesthetic Intersection of Ifa and Raml Divination: Comparative Analysis and Socio-Cultural Evidence

Abstract

It is an established fact that literature is replete with different scholarly works on divination. This is because afflicted people always look for the solution to different challenges of life; therefore, it is global in belief and its practice is common among many people in the world. Divination has been used since the earliest times to find solution to human problems. The influence of divination on people is very remarkable that it occupies prominent place in the daily activities. Hence, divination remains a worthy discipline deserves scholarly attention. The main objective of the study is to examine Ifa divination and Arabic divination (Raml) in the area of divergence and convergence, and the common characteristics of Ifa and Raml divinations. The study adopted an analytical research method. Ifa Divination is a special skill developed by the Yoruba people, though both the holy Qur’an and Bible rebuke the practice of divination; it is a problem that an average Muslim and Christian finds it very difficult to stay away completely from it. Therefore, a group of learned Muslims (Alfa) practice Raml, a form of divination that parallels to Ifa divination. For instance, Muslims instead of visiting Ifa priest, prefer to consult Muslim diviners who divine by fingers on the sand - cutting. The study provides an insightful information on the Ifa corpuses, the intersection and major themes of Ifa and Raml divinations, and the socio-cultural impacts of divinations on the society. Findings of the study show that Ifa divination and Arabic divination (Raml) are similar in forms and practices but differ in term of languages employed to operate and this is only on semantic level. The study concludes that the intersection of Ifa and Raml divination attests to the idea of culture contact between Africans and the Arabs through the introduction of Islam and trade routes passing Africa, which are avenues of contact with other cultures.