African Narratives of Orishas, Spirits and Other Deities - Stories from West Africa and the African Diaspora: A Journey Into the Realm of Deities, Spiritual Roots and Ancestral Wisdom

by Alex Cuoco

Acknowledging that the Yoruba are one of the largest and most important groups of people in West Africa, apart from its value as a cultural treasure, African Narratives of Orishas, Spirits and Other Deities will also delight the readers with its wealth of information on Yoruba/Vodun religious beliefs which are told in a spirited form with humor and poetry. Every page reveals the different deeds and aspects of Yoruba deities known as Ori a, as well as a number of spirits and other deities. This stunning collection of narratives showcases the diversity of Yoruba Ori a culture and evokes the power of A . It gives West African deities their much deserved respect and place in world culture. In this collection, Alex Cuoco, specifically kept the text in a non-academic format to afford the reader a free flow of thought without interruptions to check notes. He also chose to use simple language throughout the book to make the texts understandable and valuable to the general reader, as well as, making it a great contribution to the informed. The narratives and all other supporting topics in this work examine Ori a/Vodun beliefs in cultures in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, as well as, the Angola/Congo Nkisi deities, thus creating a cross-cultural foundation for spiritual learning and gaining of wisdom and knowledge. (Contains an extensive glossary).

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Mythology

990 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2014

Reviews

[Kerri Beckman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved how this was laid out. I knew nothing of Orishas or anything of West Africa other than what was taught in history class (which was so little, unfortunately), so this was perfect for someone like me.
At first, I was a little overwhelmed and kept forgetting names of different Orishas or terminology. Thankfully, Cuoco sprinkled reminders in the text as well as the helpful glossary in the back. True to his word, it read more like a series of stories instead of an essay or a textbook.
Though it is huge (clocking in around 950 pages), it is well worth the read and you hardly notice the size of the book once you're into it--and it isn't hard to get into!

The only reason this received 4 stars instead of 5 was the grammar. It was atrocious and filled with comma splices and fragments. If you can look past the grammar, it really is an enjoyable read and I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in West Africa and/or the African Diaspora.