The African Village

Do you know that I live near an African village? It's just down the street. Really. Just across Route 17 before I take a left into the plantation. So, who says we don't have cultural diversity down here in the South?

And, I don't mean a town like Frogmore which commemorates the Gullah and Geechee cultures of Africa, I mean a real African village.

Oba Adefunmi II is the king of this Oyotunji African village. There was a picture of him in our local paper, The Beaufort Gazette. He looks young. I was expecting an older, wise-looking man, a kind of sage of the village. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but this king looks like a hip-hop artist. He's modern.

Last weekend, the village had a 3 day festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founder, the current king's father, and his initiation into the Yoruba priesthood, a religion of West African descent, with origins in Nigeria. I wanted to go -- I love reggae music --, but was deterred by the stories I have heard about the place. Weird stuff happens, I was told. There are stories of psychedelic drug use, animal sacrifices, facial scarring rites and polygamy. Apparently, that was true back during the initial founding members, but could that still be true? Well, anything is possible, I guess.

According to the article in The Beaufort Gazette, "visitors still have to wind down a dirt road and still are greeted with a sign that reads 'You are now leaving the U.S. You are entering the Yoruba Kingdom...'" The founder had declared that the Oyotunji village was not part of the United States. The village was founded to establish and commemorate the ways of "the African village" and to connect people to their ancestry.

One of the major industries of this village is...producing priests. The other is hosting festivals. They have 14 a year. So, not to worry, I'll have more chances to attend. And, who knows? Maybe I'll even spend the night. The cost for a place to put your head? $10. Can't beat that!

Oh yes, in case you are interested, they are recruiting new settlers. So, if things get tough and you want to relocate to an African village in the South, or if you want to rediscover your ancestry or learn the ways of life in an African village, come on down. Just make a right off Route 17 just below where Route 17 and Route 21 split. The villagers are waiting for you...