Toyin Samuel Ajose

Sacred spaces are prevalent in different religious and geographical contexts and are believed to facilitate human connection to the divine. In Nigeria, Orí-òkè (prayer mountains) are tangible and symbolic sites for negotiating the spiritual and material aspirations of worshippers amidst the socio-economic challenges in Nigeria. Despite their significance, the role of sound–music in achieving such a state of being in Orí-òkè is yet to be known. Therefore, the study explores musical engagements in Orí-òkè in Osun State, southwest Nigeria. It investigates how Orí-òkè sound-music shapes and sustains Orí-òkè culture and how it articulates and/or challenges local ideas–of spatiality, spirituality and wellbeing in Nigeria? Based on an ethnography conducted between 2017 and 2019, the study demonstrates how Orí-òkè music mediates religious and spatial experiences in Nigeria. The study concludes that Orí-òkè constitutes sounding spaces where people’s quest for a better life are audibly negotiated in Africa.