Ifa Orishas Call For National Public Holiday
The Ifa Orisha Council of Trinidad and Tobago is renewing its call for the establishment of a national public holiday to recognise the faith, saying such a move would promote education, inclusion, and cultural healing.
President of the Ifa Orisha Council of Trinidad and Tobago, Chief Shaka Alexander, says the Ifa Orisha faith is often wrongly associated with the Spiritual Baptist religion, despite having distinct teachings and traditions.
He is therefore advocating for a national public holiday, which he believes would help promote greater awareness and understanding of the faith.
« We are pushing for a public holiday because it is our ancestral right. We are not Baptists, and oftentimes our identities are misconstrued. From since in the colonial period, the anti-obeah, anti-spiritual laws were imposed on our ancestors. Thus, over time, it has created a situation where our way of life had been suppressed. »
Chief Alexander also noted that the Ifa Orisha faith is not represented in the nation’s school curriculum.
« Imagine in the secondary and primary school systems, nothing of Ifa Orisha. Orisha is on the national curriculum, and there are thousands of Ifa Orisha people that make up our national framework. So we are asking for inclusion, we are asking that our identity be known, and our differences be made clear. »
He also highlighted the significance of establishing the holiday in June.
« June 1st is the start of the Ifa Orisha calendar. Just as all other groups have different days to start their spiritual cycle, their spiritual year, our day starts in June. »
The Council has launched an online petition advocating for the establishment of the national holiday.
