A Speech Delivered by DR.

DIPO KALEJAIYE at the OLOKUN FESTIVAL At the Palace Square

of His Royal Majesty, The Monarch of Onigbongbo in Ikeja Lagos, Oba Yususf Olatunji

Good morning your Royal Highness, Oba Yusuf Olatunji, traditional rulers, chiefs, members
of the Oodua People’s Congress, and other distinguished ladies and gentlemen. This
speech is supposed to be about aje the Yoruba concept of wealth creation. I am happy to
note in my letter of invitation that the letter heading reads this way Wealth Festival and in
Yoruba language Odun Aje. Importantly, this festival is also taking place on a Monday,
traditionally within the Yoruba calendar, Monday is a day referred to as ‘ojo aje’ – the day
for making wealth and reaping profits. In musing about this concept, it dawns on me that
the concept of ‘Odun’ within the realm of Yoruba religion and philosophy is likely to refer
to the worship and veneration of Yoruba gods and goddesses. Hence, we hear about
Odun Ifa the festival of Ifa referring to Orunmila the Yoruba god of divination, Odun Ogun
the festival of the Yoruba god of Iron, war, blacksmiths, and hunters, Odun Sango the
festival for the god of thunder and lightning, Odun Oya the festival for the goddess of the
sea, and Odun Aje the festival for the veneration and worship of the goddess Aje, who is
the guardian goddess for wealth, profit, wealth creation and sustenance among the
Yoruba race. If an individual wants to be wealthy the physical things he or she must
engage in are quite apparent. For example, a trader at Oshodi market must get a shop
and decide upon what to sell in the shop. Similarly, a carpenter finds a spot for his
carpentry work, also a street trader who sells bread, koko, oranges, and the like, must find
a route for advertising this products. These are summary examples of the physical aspect
of ordinary trading.

The crux of my discussion today is that religion permeates all facets of traditional Yoruba
life, that Aje in traditional Yoruba religion is a goddess and therefore must be venerated.
Also, that an individual’s effort towards amassing wealth is only physical and that the
spiritual aspect of Yoruba life is the guiding force for seeking physical wealth. I will also
posit that without understanding the spiritual the person trying to be wealthy through the
physical I have mentioned is likely to miss the point of wealth creation.

Aje is responsible for profit making in the market place, and in fact, supervises the entire
aspects of life that relates to money. It behoves us to note the special place of this
goddess in the traditional economy of the Yoruba race as it centres on the open air
market place of old which of course still exists today. The relationship between Yoruba
traditional religion and Aje will not be complete if I do not take time to explain how Aje
came into the Yoruba cosmos. As the oral tradition goes, Riri was looking for a child and
she was moved into tears about this because she had been looking for a child for a very
long time and was unable to conceive and bear a child. Finally, she decided to go to a
Bababalawo a guardian of the Ifa oracle and a father of divination.

The babalawo consulted the Ifa oracle and the oracle prescribed a sacrifice to Orunmila,
the progenitor of Ifa. Orunmila. Riri was asked to offer the following items as sacrifice to
Orunmila – two fish, two hens, and two goats. Orunmila was pleased with the sacrifice and
Riri became pregnant. She gave birth to three children namely: Oja- the Yoruba open air
market, Ona - the Yoruba Street, and Ile – the ground. One day, Riri wanted to ease herself
and asked Oja if she could allow her to ease herself in the market. Oja refused by saying
that the market is for trading and she could not allow Riri to defecate anywhere in the
market. Riri then turned to Ona with the same request and Ona turned her down saying
that the street is not a place for Riri to defecate.

Finally she asked Ile if she could ease herself and Ile gave her permission to ease herself
since Ile owned every inch of the ground or earth. When Riri defecated on the ground it
was wealth, profit, and essentially, money that came out. The wealth, profit and money
became a spirit Aje and she entered the ground. Anytime anyone wanted to make profit
in commerce, or wanted to become rich it was the spirit Aje that the person must call
upon. It is the belief of the Yoruba that Aje enters the market unannounced and goes to
the stall of whomever she wants hence the Yoruba saying “Aje a wo ‘gba”. That is, “May
profit enter your business.” Also the saying “Aje arin gini gini w’oja” is common among the
Yoruba.This phrase merely refers to the quiet unannounced way in which the spirit ‘Aje’
enters the Yoruba market.If Aje enters one’s business then one will make a profit. Imagine
if Aje was to reside permanently in one’s commercial business venture. That individual will
become a wealthy man and Aje will receive the accolades, Even the phrase “omo alaje ni”
which means this person has the benevolence of aje is a common phrase among the
Yoruba.

At this junction it is important that I begin to relate Aje to the concept of Yoruba traditional
religion that I mentioned earlier. In order to proper venerate Aje one must start from a
very elemental point of view. Yoruba traditional religion is not merely the worship of
various gods and goddesses; it is a way of life which encompasses all facets of being. The
worship of Orunmila or consulting Ifa, the oracle of Orunmila, is at the very basis of this
religion. Orunmila with its attendant two hundred and fifty six verses of the Ifa oracle
touches on every aspect of Yoruba life. Definitely, out of the two hundred and fifty six
verses of Ifa, there are verses concerning Aje and how to propitiate the goddess for one’s
advantage in business.

We must note that the concept of trading, doing business, or selling in the local market is
the province of Aje. The average individual consults the Babalawo who in turn consults the
Ifa oracle on behalf of the individual. The individual’s ‘ori’ literally head, but really spiritual
entity, is also consulted to see if the person is suited for business as opposed to say
working in a government office.The appropriate Ifa verse will evolve to tell the person if he
or she could proceed with the business plan. For example, a person may be suited for
selling clothes and not food stuffs in the open air market. This is how specific Ifa could get
in its conversation with Aje- the goddess of wealth, profit, and wealth sustenance. The
goddess Aje is propitiated and the individual offers sacrifice as directed by Orunmila. At
this point sacrifice will also be offered to Aje for a successful venture in business and
trade. The emphasis here is that of destiny. The belief in the principle of pre-ordination
among the Yoruba is intrinsically related to ‘Ori’- (head).
That is, one’s fate or destiny. Are some individuals destined to be wealthy and others
destined to be poor? It is the Yoruba religious and philosophical idea that whatever one
would be in life has everything to do with what kind of ‘Ori’ or head the person has
selected prior to appearance here on earth valid? Is this why some people are referred to
as “Oloriburuku” literally meaning “one with a bad head,” that is, a person with bad luck or
bad fate? Essentially, that person has picked a bad head prior to coming to this earth.
Within the concept of Aje, could this goddess reverse bad luck? For example, a person
with a bad ‘Ori’ might find favour with Aje and perhaps bad luck would be turned into good
luck. Technically, when a Yoruba god or goddess like Aje is propitiated things should go
well in the arena of business and trade. Some individuals are referred to as ‘Omo Alaje’
these are people who seem to have Aje as their patron goddess. Any business venture or
trade they engage in automatically brings profit and wealth. I remember when I was only a
young boy that a woman, who was my father’s tenant and who sold clothing materials at
Gbagi, in Ibadan, would not touch any money early in the morning unless I take the money
and give it to her. She would want me to hand the money to herso that Aje would follow
her throughout the day in her clothing business at Gbagi. Any day I perform this act for
her first thing in the morning before she departs for her shop at Gbagi, she would make a
profit in her clothing trade.

An individual may come from Ile Aje in which case he or she would be referred to as “Omo
Alaje” as I have mentioned earlier. So, at this junction, who is omo Alaje? I can only explain
this idea with the following example. A woman went to the house of a Babalawo to inquire
about her lot in life. Upon consulting the Ifa oracle, the Babalwo told her that she was
from “Ile Aje” which means that spiritually, she was virtually given to her mother by the
goddess Aje. I happen to know this woman and that when she engages in business or
trade she reaps a lot of profit and money just seems to come her way all the time. The
spiritual aspect I mentioned earlier is made easier for this woman because she came to
life as the child of Aje, specifically from Aje’s house. So, did you ever wonder if you are
‘Omo Alaje’ or if you come from ‘Ile Aje’?On another note, I met a woman on a plane as I
was travelling from Washington D.C. to Lagos. She was dressed in traditional attire and
had on a head gear upon which ‘Iya Alaje of Atlanta’ was inscribed. Then I asked her to
explain the meaning of the inscription on her head gear. She told me that she sells
clothing materials in Atlanta Georgia in the United States where she lived and that she was
the head of all Yoruba merchants in Atlanta and that she was conferred with the
chieftaincy title of ‘Iya Alaje of Atlanta’! So, in faraway America Aje is recognized and
incorporated into the daily life of Yoruba traders who live there.

At this point it is important to bring into focus the traditional aspects of Yoruba economy
that has survived even today. In doing this, I have relied a little bit on the work of Dr. Toyin
Falola, an important historian who lives and works in the United States. His book,Culture,
Politics, and Money among the Yoruba,gave me useful insight into traditional Yoruba
system of saving money.
ESUSU: Is a large scale cooperative among Yoruba traders and merchant of a couple of
centuries back probably during the time of Alaafin Abiodun in the 18th Century.
Essentially, members contribute money as if into a savings account. Members may reach
about two hundred and each member must contribute into the esusu bank. There is
usually a head of this cooperative and each member is required to contribute, at least,
‘one hand’ to the esusu bank. The head of the cooperative is allowed to keep aside ‘one
hand’ as a safety valve against default. This provides a great security for the fund except,
of course, when the head of the esusu becomes greedy and keeps the ‘one hand’ for
himself. Esusu is important in that it helps members during the time of financial problems,
marriage, funeral, and religious functions. All these require money and the esusu member
could request for his or her money to take care of the financial obligation. Esusu also
helps to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. The Babalawo determines who
gets to collect the money in the account during a particular cycle, and in Oyo, cases of
cheating where punishable. The anger of Sango, and Ogun where usually invoked against
the culprit. Typically, in the case of Sango, the god of thunder and lightning, apparently
lightning would be invoked to strike the culprit dead.

AJO: This is another form of savings among the Yoruba people. Ajo is similar to Esusu but
the only problem it has is that of cheating and embezzlement. I am sure that we have all
heard horror stories of a typical ‘Baba Alajo’ (the man who manages the fund) skipping
town with the money he has collected from everyone!

ARO: This is simply a farm cooperative. It is a gathering of farmers who form themselves
into a particular group to help a fellow farmer clear land for farming, sow seeds and crops
such as cocoyam, millet, maize, yams, and vegetables. They also help during the harvest
season to gather crops to take back to the village or the market for sale. Early in the
morning the members of the Aro would rise, and proceed to the farm. Women would go
with them only as food preparers for when the farmers would need breakfast, lunch or
even a snack The work will proceed until dusk when the farmers come back home. This
sense of cooperation would be extended to other farmers in the group when it is their
turn to clear their farms or to harvest. The instance of Aje is apparent in this example of
aro. The farm products would be taken to the market and sold and the farmer would reap
the profits of the sale. The importance of agriculture in our economy cannot be
overemphasised. In the olden days cocoa farmers or (agbe onikoko) as they were called
made a lot of money planting and harvesting that cash export crop. Even today there is a
big edifice in Ibadan still referred toas Cocoa House.

In concluding this speech some of the salient qualities surrounding the concept of Aje are
the belief in Yoruba traditional religion, and in Aje as a goddess of wealth, trade and
money. An individual must also seek divine guidance from the Babalawo (the Priest of Ifa)
who would guide the person in the appropriate business, trade or even work to choose.
The spiritual entity known as ‘ori’ or one’s head often points to the issue of fate in a
person’s life. If one has chosen to be rich when one gets to this earth the Yoruba believe
that the person would most certainly be rich. We should not wait for Olokun Festival or
Odun Aje before we venerate this important Yoruba goddess of business, trade, and
money. The attributes of traditional Yoruba financial cooperatives such as esusu, aro, and
ajo could still be used in modern day business and finance provided they are modified to
fit the needs of the people within an Internet world. We are all aware of financial banks
such as mortgage banks, cooperative banks, and even farmer’s banks. They should aid the
business venture and entrepreneurial spirit of trade and industry. Esusu, ajo, and aro are
all based on cooperation. Aje, the spirit of wealth could be harnessed to help in the
creation of wealth by the use of the concept of tradition, religion, culture, and cooperation.
The modern way to wealth is through Aje the goddess of wealth creation, and the
attendant traditional Yoruba religion upon which her understanding rests.

May the spirit of Aje continue to reside with each one of us. Ase.