The history of Oduduwa Temple in Brazil started thirty years ago. When Bàbá King came to Brazil, this was the opportunity to live in the Western world. He could choose UK or USA, but he was attracted to Brazil because someone told him, that there are a lot of Órìsà devotees and that Yoruba culture is strongly active in Brazil. So this was the first attraction towards Brazil.
He came to study, he finished his BAC, masters and doctorate degree in business administration management and sociology. Gradually he started teaching the Yoruba language and culture at the University for those, who are doing research and for those, who love Órìsà. Because throught the Yoruba language and culture they could learn so much about the Órìsà philosophy. They could create the Yoruba thoughts.
Simultaneously he started to teach people how to perform divination. These teachings were not well structured in Brazil, because people thought one cannot teach Ifa divination with 16 cowries the academic way. They thought this was something private to learn just in Temples. With the opening of Centro Cultural Oduduwa cultural center he started to teach people outside the Academy. Bàbá King was highly criticised and attacked because of this, but this never stopped the success of the Centre.
His first lecture he gave only to two ladies, two students! Out of 30 chairs in the classroom 28 were empty. But he insisted and continued. It was a four months course, twice a week. After finishing this one course, Bàbá King continued and gradualy the number of students increased up to the moment, when there was not enough seats for all the applicants.
Out of this emerged the need to re-introduce Ifa initiation in Brazil, because Brazil doesn't teach Bàbálawos nowadays, it might have been in the past, but now it isn't.
Even before this decision was made some Brazilians travelled with Bàbá King to Nigeria to do Ifa initiation with Bàbálawo Fabunmi and to do Órìsà initiation in his mother's house with the late priestess Iya Asabi Obimonure. From this he planted the first seeds of his life mission as a priest.
Then he invited Bàbálawo Fabunmi and Iya Obimonure to came to Brazil to do initiations. His culture tought him, that no one is a single master, no one can do everything alone. So no matter the fact that he was Bàbálórìsà, he invited Iya Obimonure. A priest in Nigeria always works together with his own priest. To do the same in Brazil has made the foundation very solid and credible.
The first time the two of them came they did five initiations only. But it was a commitment of Bàbá King to invite them again next year, so that these initiates could have their Ifa festival…
And gradually they have expanded.
Bàbá King bought 6 hectars of land in the forest 70 km from São Paulo and he started to build a Temple. But in one moment he couldn't resist the pressure of being a priest… There is a lot of unfaithful people, lack of loyalty… No matter his dedication he was in parallel deniyng his mission. He was doing things with less devotion as he could have done, somehow like an amateur in terms of space. He didn't want to bear this responsibility, because he recognized that the reality in the Western world concerning religion, promise or philosophy is quite different than in Africa. He noticed that for people he wasn't a priest, but like an emergency drug to use, when they felt pain…
In his culture, they don't have ex masters, ex priests… and in the West people get initiated and then they turn their back on you… These are the reasons why he was resisting, and by this he couldn't finish the construction on the land he bought and slowly he abandoned the idea.
He was working in his office as a priest and did some rituals in peoples' houses…
Later on he rented a house in Rua São Bartolomeu in São Paulo, so that he had a space for his altars. Then he started to use the same place to do ebos, initiations… This place was initially ment for him, for his family, but since the energy of Órìsà is stronger than his, he was forced to open it for others. No matter how small it was, it was always big enough for everybody.
He was using this place for many years and at the same time he was hiding himself, boycotting his mission, responsibility… betraying his mind, common sense…
After 18 years of this moving or not moving to the Temple, build or not to build …he had a problem with his neighbor. The neighbor was always ok, psychiatrist, a kind man… and one day Bàbá King had ose with 140 people, in that small house which was a temple at the same time and the neighbor came at 3 pm, complaining about the noise. Instead of talking to Bàbá King he called the police. The police came, explained the situation to him and took some members to the station with them to make a report.
After these people had come back from the police station the neighbor called and apologized.
But Bàbá King told his people that the time was ripe to go away from there. The time was overdue. This was the interpretation Bàbá Kind had made from that situation. He was not furious with the neighbor, because he knew he was doing him a favor.
And the next day he started to search for a piece of land. One option was to find something in São Paulo, but it was too expensive. He didn't want to go back to the forest, where he had allready constructed two houses, because it was a boring place for the clients, no access to stores, to restaurants, no chance to move around. For urban people this was no place to stay. So he decided for the seaside.
Luckily he found a piece of land in Mongaguá.
It was a land at the seaside, 2.900 m2, expensive, he didn't have the money to buy this land, yet enough for just a part of it. But he knew he needed to move away from São Paulo, so he signed the pre-contract. Then he spoke about this with Manuel, his client and friend from Spain who was visiting him often in São Paulo, traveled with him to Nigeria etc.
Manuel offered himself to pay the land. And Bàbá King could finally continue with his mission. The Temple in Mongaguá was built in 2004 and all the activities were moved there.
After a few years the Temple expanded so much that the constructions became too small for all the people. Bàbá King bought another part of land beside the wall and nowadays the Temple measures 6.300 m2. The second part of the temple was officially opened in 2008.
The artistic part in the Temple and on the outside wall was done in 2010/2011 by famous artists from Osogbo, Chief Adebisi Akanji and Chief Adisa Nurudeen.
The Temple is still growing, therefore it is just a matter of time, when additional land will be needed.