Ifá is far more than a divination system: it is one of the largest bodies of oral literature in Africa. Its corpus is organised into odù — sign-chapters — each carrying hundreds of ẹ̀sẹ̀ Ifá verses: stories, songs and riddles that trained babaláwo commit to memory over many years.

Read closely, the verses are a library of practical intelligence. They discuss when to plant and when to rest the land, the use of healing plants, how to mediate disputes without violence, and the taboos that once shielded forests and rivers from destruction — which is why sacred groves such as the Ọ̀ṣun grove in Òṣogbo, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2005), survived into our time.

At AFECO research seminars we record Ifá recitations with the full consent of the babaláwo we work alongside, building a careful, searchable archive for scholars. Modern technology can help preservation enormously — but the consent and leadership of the community must always come first.