16th June, 2025
Otunba Ajiboye Hails Adoption Of Yoruba Cultural Emblem As Symbol of Authority To Brazilian Justice System
The Executive Secretary/CEO, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Otunba Biodun Ajiboye has commended the Brazilian Bar Association, the professional body for the regulation of the legal profession in Brazil for incorporating Osé Ṣàngó as symbol of justice, equity, and religious plurality.
He says the adoption of Osé Ṣàngó in Brazilian courts is a symbolic return of ancestral justice in Brazil, which confirms that Yoruba culture has already taken its roots in the government of Brazil and its socio-political environment.
Otunba Ajiboye who was reacting to the recent officialization of Osé Ṣàngó; the double-headed axe of Ṣàngó, Òrìşà of thunder, lightning, justice, and balance in the courtrooms in Brazil, said the adoption of this ancestral wisdom in the discharge of justice is a thing of pride to Nigeria.
“This culture of Nigeria has become a symbol of social justice in Brazil. This is the symbol of authority of Ṣàngó, the 3rd Alaafin of Oyo 1078 AD, who was the first person all over the world to store power or energy in a pouch and release it whenever he wanted. This is why he is regarded as the god of thunder”.
“That in far-away Brazil, Osé Ṣàngó has become an emblem that will symbolize justice in Brazil is a thing of pride to the culture of the Yoruba people of South-Western Nigeria”, he said.
Meanwhile, the intertwining of Afro-Brazilian spirituality with modern law in the country has continued to receive commendations as many see it as a restoration of cultural and spiritual equilibrium in Brazil’s judicial system. Particularly for the Òrìşà community, the return of Ọ̀ṣé Ṣàngó to the courtrooms, where the axe of Ṣàngó will henceforth stand beside the scales of justice, reminds them that law can equally be inscribed in the conscience of a people.
According to Carolina (Omidele) Morais, who is member of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB-RJ) Slavery Truth Commission and Consultant for World Orisha Congress (WOOCON) in Brazil, the initiative is a step in the right direction towards preserving and promoting Afro-Brazilian cultural and spiritual heritage in the same way WOOCON is promoting the Yoruba spirituality through it aboriginal culture.
She further disclosed that the OAB-RJ Slavery Truth Commission has been at the forefront of defending the rights of Orisha devotees in Brazil, affirming that the World Orisha Congress initiative, spearheaded by NICO is in perfect alignment with the mission and objectives of the Commission and they are fully interested and supportive of the idea.
Caleb Nor
Media Assistant to Executive Secretary/CEO
NICO
