Osun Osogbo sacred Grove
Susanne Wenger was an Austrian-Nigerian artist, illustrator and comics artist,
who resided in Nigeria. This was a lady who partnered with local artists in Nigeria to Redefine and reconstrute Osun Osogbo sacred Grove with nice carving and beautiful sculpture depicting the various activities of the Orishas.
Susanne Wenger was born on July 4, 1915, and she attended the School of Applied Arts in Graz and the Higher Graphical Federal Education and Research Institute. She was married to a German researcher called Ulli Beier. They both married in London and relocated down to Nigeria.
Her destination in Nigeria was ibadan and she found teaching art at the University of ibadan before some years she relocated to ede closer to Osogbo.
She made new friends at ede not just an ordinary friend but the priest’s of obatala whose name is Ajagemo. Ajagemo became Susanne Wenger’s mentor and a great friend.
As a lover of nature she left ede down to Osogbo with her husband but at this point the union of herself and her husband ended. Ulli Beier relocated to Europe.
As time went on, she fell in love with Yoruba culture and traditions that made her convert to Yoruba traditional religion.
So one day she was sick and she was taking her medication under the influence of her drugs but the drugs were not working in her system. Then her close friend Ajagemo gave her some herbal mixture and she became well again.
From that day on, Adunni Olorisa also known as Susanne Wenger, dedicated her life to worship orisha whom she believed saved her life.
After some time, she was initiated and became priestess of Osun after she passed some spiritual training.
At this point, she interpreted the mysteries and truth of Yoruba traditional religion through her art. She makes a series of sculptures and carvings alongside other local artists. Together they built shrines and dotted the forest of the Sacred Groves with works of art creating a new art Movement known as “New Sacred Art” for over 40 years.
However, Susanne Wenger did marry a local drummer, late Chief Ayansola Oniru Alarape, in 1959, but later divorced him because of his attitude.
It was quite unfortunate that nature had to call on her. She died in 2009 . By then I was still seeking admission into the University of Azikiwe 😂😂😂😂. May her soul rest in peace. She was a true legend who promoted her Osun culture and traditions with her art work.
Osun Osogbo groove covers an area of 75 hectares of land and is regarded as the abode of the Yoruba goddess of fertility.
Every year the Osun Osogbo festival is celebrated at the groove.
The festival attracts thousands of Osun worshippers and tourists from all walks of life.
The groove was recognised as the second UNESCO world heritage site in Nigeria in the year 2005.
The groove is home to the first palace in Osogbo and home to the first market in Osogbo.
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a sacred grove along the banks of the Osun river just outside the city of Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
Exploring the Grove was an honor and a great experience to my person. The carves and the sculptures look beautiful.
The bridge that leads to the unknown was constructed in 1936. The bridge was constructed without pillars based on instruction from the goddess of the river. But you can swim Inside the river when instructed by the priestess.
Inside the Grove, they have what they called a pavilion where high profile men can sit and watch the festival. It was constructed by the government of the state.
Anytime you visit Osun state try to visit Osun Osogbo sacred Grove and see the wonders of nature.
One last thing about this Grove is that they have beautiful monkeys walking and jumping freely in the Grove.
Tourism is life……
I’m Dennis Chukwuebuka Okeke AKA Onye-njem one of AFRICA your number one celebrity Tourist and Award winning tourism promoter in Nigeria.
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