About the Founder
Fawesagu- Awotunde Dosunmu Yao Faseeyin Agbosi
Fawesagu - Awotunde Dosunmu Yao Faseyin Agbosi was born in Mobile, Alabama in the year
1971. He was raised as a staunch Black Baptist and baptized at the age of 8 years
old. Early on, Awotunde dedicated a lot of his extra time and study to the examination
of biblical literature. This, combined with his Lutheran elementary
schooling (grades K-6th), led him to an early deeper knowledge of the Bible and
its history. This was considered rare, especially within many New Afrikan
communities.
Afterwards, he attained unto "advanced" studies on the middle and high school levels. In 1989, he attended the historical Black university
Alabama State University
where he graduated in Marketing in 1993. Before graduating from college, Fawesagu Awotunde joined the Prince Hall Masonic order in 1990, but also attained unto the 32nd degree and the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the mystic Shrine (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.-the blackenized version of the white shriner organization) organization by 1994 soon becoming the first official Prince Hall Masonic district lecturer in the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge and state of Alabama District 1, Prince Hall Masons. In 1991 he would become a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. In all of this he saw soon that he
was incomplete, and to quote him directly he decided to "relinquish any association with these Black versions
of Eurocentric organizations".
1995 began a more
intense study of the history and culture of Afrikan people. After intense studies of ancient Kemau (Kemetic a.k.a. "Egyptian") and Eastern philosophy, he came into a more concrete overstanding of Afrikan spiritual recogning going on to receive the sacred Ileke ceremony rites from Baba Ifakarade, founder and chief priest of Ile Tawo Lona in East Orange, N.J.. This is also when he received the name Awotunde Ifaseyin and learned of his destiny to become a part of a long legacy of Ifa priests. Shortly thereafter he received the revered "Warrior" ceremony and implements marking his firm grounding within the ancient West Afrikan Ifa tradition (also received from his then Oluwo Baba Ifakarade); both ceremonies being New
World or New Afrikan adaptations of our ancient Afrikan spirituality. These were his "official"
introductions to Afrikan spirituality.
Over the years between 1998 and 2004, Awotunde
engaged in an intense study of the sacred Odu and its various manifestations
among Afrikans wherever they are found. In this study, he found the real
cultural unity of Afrikan spiritual systems. This led Awotunde to understand Afrikans
in America as a unique and New Afrikan people based on a common Afrikan thread.
In time, he encountered with much spiritual joy the New Afrikan Vodun spiritual teachings of one of the most revered and profound Elders in our tradition, Akoda-Medahochi Kofi Omowale Zannu (iba'ra t'orun). In time, the two met and a tightly bonded student-teacher/father-son relationship was born and cultivated leading him to receive the sacred Owo Fa Kan (One Hand of Orunmila) ceremony. The "hand" ceremony eventually led to initiation into the priesthoods of Egungun, Sango, and Ifa. In short time thereafter, Awotunde received the Fon accolade of "Fawesagu", actually a title, which means "messenger of Fa (Ifa)".
Awotunde has been charged by his Afrikan Ancestors to service the
Afrikan community of North America. As a historian and spiritual servant, it is his obligation to rectify the cultural and spiritual wrongs fraught upon the Afrikan here in the United States. It is in this spirit that he welcomes all of those New Afrikans in America who wish to assist in the detribalization and the building of the spiritual community of the New Afrikan Yepete (Akan for "Diaspora").
Fawesagu (messenger of Ifa)- Awotunde Dosunmu Faseyin Agbosi was initiated to the priesthoods of Fa/Ifa, Songo/Xevioso, and the Egungun Ancestral Society of Priests (the Egungun society whose lineage was started by the late Oba Ofuntola Oseijiman Adefunmi I - iba'ra t'orun, founder of Oyotunji African Village located in Beaufort, S.C). He is an Ifa initiate with close ties and practices with the Daxomean and Evhe Vodun systems of West Afrika. He is available for lectures, divinations, naming ceremonies, workshops and much more concerning Afrikan culture and spirituality.
Fawesagu - Awotunde Dosunmu Faseyin Agbosi is the founder of Egbe Kilombo (formerly the Danballa New Afrikan Vodun Ancestral Order) and author of five books on our traditions which are:
Iwakiri: The Quest for Afrikan Spirituality
Ajo Inu: the Inner Journey Beyond the Quest
New Afrikan Vodun Volume I: Rites of Spiritual Nationalism
New Afrikan Vodun Volume II: From Kintu to Muntu
New Afrikan Vodun Volume III: A Social Discourse Towards Spiritual and Cultural Reconstitution
. We have a new publication in the works dealing with intricacies of Ancestral worhip, ori (self divinity, community building and nation building). Find out more about these books by visiting our publications page at newafrikanvodun.com/iwakeri.
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