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YORUBA VILLAGE - SHELDON, SOUTH CAROLINA
The Yoruba Village, located in South Carolina, is less about
the forgotten history of the South, and more about how the
forgotten history of the Yoruba culture of West Africa made
its way to the United States. So, while it technically remains
a southern historical destination, it isn’t quite the same history
we have come to know and expect. Refreshing or unusual?
We’ll let you be the judge.
Africans of the Palmetto State have found a way to keep their
cultures and traditions alive, even by means of bringing an
African village to a place where slavery used to be just as
common and normal as it is having a cellphone glued to our
hand today. The Yoruba culture is one of Africa’s oldest and
most prominent cultures, and is found predominantly in
southwestern Nigeria. Because of the historical slave trade,
many members of these villages and tribes within the Yoruba
culture were ripped from everything they knew, and placed
into a world where their traditions no longer existed.
Since the Oyotunji African Village was founded in 1970, these
expatriates have been working to keep the culture alive and
well within U.S. borders. For over 45 years, the Oyotunji
African Village has thrived and stays consistent with practices
and preservations to better educate visitors, and to keep the
descendants of the culture well-versed in their own history.
The village was founded by a Detroit native named Walter
Eugene. Walter became His Royal Highness Obo Ofuntola
Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I, and was the first African
American to join the Orisa-Vodun African priesthood. His
training and his background afforded him the leadership
skills it took to build the kingdom that Oyotunji is today.
This is not a park, nor is it a historic site, or a museum. In-
stead, it is a real, thriving African village that just so happens
to be in South Carolina. If you were to walk into this kingdom
today, not knowing what country you were in, you would
grow to believe that you had somehow arrived in Africa itself.
The village allows visitors to completely submerge them-
selves in the culture and the customs. The people here want
to teach their way of life to others, and want others to be-
come familiar with the Yoruba culture. The village is open
seven days a week for anyone that would like to stop by. Very
few places are restricted, so upon entering, you will be able
to walk through the markets, view the shrines and the wor-
ship centers, peek in at schoolhouses, and join in during fes-
tivities. A full list of annual festivals, as well as tour information
and other products and services are accessible by visiting
www.oyotunji.org.
OBO OFUNTOLA OSEIJEMAN ADELABU ADEFUNMI I
Travel South | Spring 2018 | 39