Professor Wande Abimbola, Awise Awo Agbaye

Professor Wande Abimbola, Awise Awo Agbaye (World Spokesperson for Ifa) is the President and Founder of the Ifa Heritage Institute, Nigeria. He has served as Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Cultural Affairs and Traditional Matters, Vice Chancellor (President) of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and Majority Leader of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was installed as Awise in 1981 by the Ooni of Ife on the recommendation of a conclave of Babalawos of Yorubaland in West Africa.

Abimbola received his first degree in History from the University College, Ibadan in 1963, when that college was a college of London University. He received his Master's Degree in Linguistics from Northwestern University in 1966, and his Ph.D. in Yoruba Literature in 1971 from the University of Lagos. He became a full Professor in 1976.

Professor Abimbola has written many books on Ifa and Yoruba culture. Some of his well-known works include Ifa Will Mend Our Broken World (1997); Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus (1976); Sixteen Great Poems of Ifa (1975); Ifa Divination Poetry (1977); Yoruba Oral Literature (1995). He has also written several books in the Yoruba language, including: Ijinle Ohun Enu Ifa (Apa Kini, 1968 and Apa Keji, 1979) and Awon Oju Odu Mereerindinlogun (1977).

The Awise's academic background is very much rooted in oral tradition. He was an apprentice in Ifa chanting and oral artistry before he began formal schooling. The Awise Agbaye has taught in three Nigerian universities, namely the University of Ibadan from 1963-5, University of Lagos from 1966-72, and the University of Ife from 1972-91. He has also taught at several U.S. universities, including Indiana University, Amherst College, Harvard University, Boston University, Colgate University, and most recently, the University of Louisville.

Born in 1932 in the historic city of Oyo, the Awise comes from a family of tradition bearers. His late father, Abimbola Iroko, a renowned hunter and warrior whose brave exploits are still being celebrated by Ijala oral artists, was the Asipade (Leader of the Ogun Community) of Oyo until his death in 1971. His late mother, a high priest of Sango, lived mentally and physically well until the age of 107.