Gods of Africa, in the Flesh
Image by James C. Lewis
Every once in a while, someone approaches a pantheon in a way that really brings it to life for a modern audience. James C. Lewis does the job visually for the Orishas, the most well-known deities of West Africa.
Unlike the Greek pantheon, which persists only as an undercurrent (albeit a strong one) in our Western culture–active worship of the Olympians is limited to a small band of neopagan Greek reconstructionists–the Orishas are alive and well, having migrated out of Africa on the slave ships that bore her sons and daughters abroad. Today the Orishas (also spelled “Orisas” and “Orixas”) crop up in various guises in the Americas, in the Vodoun (“voodoo”) of Haiti, the Santería of Cuba and other Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands, and the Candomblé of Brazil, to name a few. And worship of the Orishas continues to this day in Nigeria and surrounding countries. That the Orishas can thrive in so many farflung places, despite colossal and sustained pressures from Christianity and Islam, is a testament to their appeal. (In fact, some of the religions mentioned above are syncretic blends of Christianity and Orisha worship).
What Lewis has done is use his photography and Photoshop skills to pump up this appeal for a contemporary audience. In other words, these gods are hot. And intriguing. Check out his work at his site, linked above, or in this BuzzFeed article; it’s liable to leave you hungry for myths of the Orishas.