Efficacy of Sound: Power, Potency, and Promise in the Translocal Ritual Music of Cuban Ifa-Orisa

The first book-length ethnographic study on music and Ifá divination in Cuba and Nigeria explores how Ifá missionary-practitioners are transforming the landscape of Ifá divination and deity worship through transatlantic travel and reconnection. It examines the controversial "Nigerian-style" ritual movement in Cuban Ifá divination, using feminist and queer of color theory to investigate the relation between utility and affect within translocal ritual music circulations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 28 November 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The first comprehensive ethnographic exploration of music and Ifá divination in Cuba and Nigeria.

Originating from Cuba, Nigeria, and various regions across Latin America and the Caribbean, Ifá missionary practitioners are reshaping the landscape of Ifá divination and deity worship through their transnational journeys and reconnections. In Cuba, where Ifá and Santería coalesced as an interrelated Yorùbá-inspired ritual complex, worshippers are drawn to "African traditionalism" due to its perceived efficacy, perceiving Yorùbá approaches as more powerful, potent, and effective.

In the groundbreaking first book-length study on music and Ifá, Ruthie Meadows delves into extensive fieldwork in Cuba and Yorùbáland, Nigeria, to examine the contentious "Nigerian-style" ritual movement within Cuban Ifá divination. Meadows employs feminist and queer of color theory alongside critical examinations of Africanity to explore the intricate relationship between utility and affect within translocal ritual music circulations. Through her meticulous research, Meadows traces how translocal Ifá priestesses (ìyánífá), female batá drummers (bataleras), and priests (babaláwo) harness Yorùbá-centric approaches to ritual music and sound to enhance efficacy, achieve desired ritual outcomes, and reshape the conditions of their lives.

Nestled within a contentious religious terrain shaped by the unique complexities of revolutionary state policy, Nigerian-style Ifá-Òrìṣà emerges as a powerful tool for transformation. It leverages the unique characteristics of this ritual movement to redefine femininity and masculinity, challenge state religious policies, and assert transatlantic ritual authority on the island.

This groundbreaking study offers valuable insights into the complex interplay between music, religion, and social change, shedding light on the ways in which individuals and communities navigate the boundaries between tradition and modernity, and harness the power of ritual to shape their lives and societies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226828954