La religión indígena Yoruba (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe) y el derecho a la libertad religiosa: Intersecciones entre los derechos humanos y las perspectivas del epistemicidio

Palabras clave: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe, discriminación, derechos humanos, conocimiento indígena, epistemicidio, política pública, justicia epistémica

Resumen

El Ìṣẹ̀ṣe es la religión indígena y el patrimonio espiritual del pueblo yoruba en el suroeste de Nigeria. Si bien la literatura existente ha examinado la marginación de las fes indígenas a través de la lente de los derechos humanos, este artículo sostiene que tal marco no puede abordar plenamente las raíces sistémicas de esta discriminación. Esto se debe a que el discurso de los derechos humanos suele centrarse en la libertad religiosa, sin tener en cuenta la identidad más amplia del Ìṣẹ̀ṣe como un sistema integral de conocimiento indígena. Este trabajo sostiene que, en la Nigeria posindependiente, el Ìṣẹ̀ṣe ha sufrido principalmente de epistemicidio: el silenciamiento y la deslegitimación sistemática de las formas indígenas de conocimiento. Al replantear los desafíos que enfrentan los practicantes del Ìṣẹ̀ṣe como una cuestión de justicia epistémica, este artículo va más allá de las simples protecciones legales. Enfatiza que las políticas públicas deben anclarse en un marco analítico que reconozca al Ìṣẹ̀ṣe como un componente significativo de la epistemología yoruba. Tal enfoque proporciona la legitimidad esencial a las prácticas indígenas, sirviendo como catalizador para que los gobiernos federales y estatales trasciendan la retórica y brinden una protección sustantiva a los derechos religiosos y epistémicos de los practicantes del Ìṣẹ̀ṣe.

Recibido: 30 noviembre 2025; Aceptado: 16 abril 2026

Descargas

La descarga de datos todavía no está disponible.

Citas

Abe, Bankole. 2024. Traditional worshippers in Osun seek justice, equality with Christians, Muslims. Accessed October 30, 2025: https://www.icirnigeria.org/traditional-worshippers-in-osun-seek-justice-equality-with-christians-muslims/.

Abe, Bankole. 2025. Traditional worshippers urge Tinubu to declare August 20, 21 public holidays. Accessed November 29, 2025: https://www.icirnigeria.org/traditional-worshippers-urge-tinubu-to-declare-august-20-21-public-holidays/.

Abimbola, Wande. 1975. «Ìwàpẹ̀lẹ́: the concept of good character in Ifá literary corpus». In Yoruba oral tradition, edited by Wande Abimbola, 389-420. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.

Abimbola, Wande. 1976. Ifá: an exposition of Ifá literary corpus. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Adamo, David T. 2022. «The concept of monotheism in the Book of Proverbs and an African (Yoruba) perspective.» Verbum et Ecclesia 43: 1–6.

Aderibigbe, Ibigbolade S. 2022. «Origin, nature and structure of belief systems» In The Palgrave Handbook of African Traditional Religion, edited by Ibigbolade S. Aderibigbe. and Toyin Falola 29–48. Cham: Springer Nature.

Adewale, Samuel A. 1993. «Religion and the issue of human rights: Yoruba religion as a case study.» Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies 25: 22–37.

Akin-Otiko, Akinmayowa. 2019. «A case for including the traditional African religions in the 9-year basic education curriculum in Nigeria.» Unilag Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 1: 34–45.

Alade Gideon, Okpako Ese, Ajibesin Kola, and Omobuwajo Olanrewaju. 2015. «Indigenous knowledge of herbal medicines among adolescents in Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.» Global Journal of Health Science 21: 217–37.

Anderson, Richard P. 2020. «Religion, return, and the making of the Aku» In Abolition in Sierra Leone: Re-building lives and identities in Nineteenth-Century West Africa. African identities: past and present, 192–226. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Atoi, Nelson E., Gabriel S. Okosun, and Ohifemen A. Sadiku. 2019. «Religious and ethno-regional identity in the context of human right protection in Nigeria.» NIU Journal of Social Sciences 5: 129–138.

Awolalu, Omosade J. 1973. «Yoruba sacrificial practice.» Journal of Religion in Africa 5(8): 1–93.

Awolalu, Omosade J. 1976. «What is African traditional religion.» Studies in Comparative Religion 10: 1–10.

Awolalu, Omosade J., and Adelumo P. Dopamu. 1979. West African traditional religion. Ibadan: Onibonoje Press and Book Industries.

Babatunde, Reuben O., Adebayo O. Afolaranmi, and Donald A. Odeleye. 2023. «Religious freedom and democracy.» International Journal of Religious and Cultural Practice 8: 56–67.

Bewaji, John A. 1998. «Olodumare: God in Yoruba belief and the theistic problem of evil.» African Studies Quarterly 2: 1–17.

Cohen, Peter F. 2002. «Orisha journeys: the role of travel in the birth of Yorùbá-Atlantic religions.» Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions 117: 17–36.

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 1999. «Chapter IV - Fundamental Rights» Accessed November 25, 2025. https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/nig164561.pdf.

Dada, Charisa. 2025. «Educational discourse and the construction of knowledge: a philosophical critical discourse analysis.» AMAMIHE: Journal of Applied Philosophy 23: 19–30.

Dinstein, Yoram. 1976. «Collective human rights of peoples and minorities.» The International and Comparative Law Quarterly 25: 102–120.

Donnelly, Jack. 2005. «Human rights.» Human Rights and Human Welfare 5: 1–15.

Dopamu, Adelumo. 1999. «The Yoruba religious system.» Africa Update 6: 2–17.

Eesuola, Olukayode and Olumuyiwa Falaiye. 2021. The socio-political thoughts of Orunmila in the Ifa Indigenous knowledge system. Accessed March 20, 2025. https://www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de/en/Research/1research-sections/knowledges/socio-political-thoughts/eesuola-3rd-edition.pdf.

Ekhator, Eghosa O. 2015. «The impact of the African charter on human and peoples’ rights on domestic law: a case study of Nigeria.» Commonwealth Law Bulletin 41: 253–270.

Elugbaju, Ayowole S. 2022. «A king or a priest in the city of 201 gods: interrogating the place of the Oòni in the religious system of Ilé-Ifè in Southwest Nigeria.» Ufahamu 43: 87–105.

Fádípè, Nathaniel A. 1970. The sociology of the Yorùbá. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.

Falola, Toyin. 2022. «African traditional religion and indigenous knowledge system.» In The Palgrave Handbook of African Traditional Religion, edited by Ibigbolade Aderibigbe and Toyin Falola, 515–534. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Falola, Toyin and Nicole Griffin. 2021. Religious beliefs and knowledges systems in Africa. New York: Rowan & Littlefield Publishers.

Familusi, Olumuyiwa. 2010. «Religious politics and its implications for sustainable development in the post-independence Nigeria.» Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa 12: 156–169.

Hanafi, Afeez. 2021. Left behind: Traditional religion worshippers lament isolation, Govt Bias, battle everyday rejection. Accessed March 22, 2025: https://punchng.com/left-behind-traditional-religion-worshippers-lament-isolation-govt-bias-battle-everyday-rejection/.

Idowu, Bolaji E. 1962. Olodumare: God in Yoruba belief. London: Longmans.

Ihedinma, Augustine U. 2004. «Reconstructing the religious knowledge curriculum in Nigeria: A study of inclusive education and pedagogical reform.» A thesis submitted in part-fulfilment for degree of Doctor in Education. University of London. Accessed March 15, 2025: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10020463/1/IHEDINMA,%20A_Redacted.pdf.

Ilesanmi, Makanjuola T. 1991. «The traditional theologians and the practice of Orisa religion in Yoruba land» Journal of Religion in Africa 21: 216–226.

Ilesanmi, Simeon O. 1995. «Human rights discourse in modern Africa: A comparative religious ethical perspective.» The Journal of Religious Ethics 23: 293–322.

Ilesanmi, Simeon O. 2001. «Constitutional treatment of religion and the politics of human rights in Nigeria.» African Affairs 100: 529–554.

Janson, Marloes. 2021. Crossing religious boundaries: Islam, Christianity, and ‘Yoruba religion’ in Lagos, Nigeria. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Johnson, Samuel. 1921. The history of the Yorubas: from the earliest times to the beginning of the British Protectorate. Abuja: Church and School Suppliers.

Kymlicka, Will. 1995. Individual rights and collective rights, multicultural citizenship: a liberal theory of minority rights. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Lemu, Aisha B. 2002. «Religious education in Nigeria – a case study.» In Teaching for tolerance and freedom of religion or belief. Report from the Preparatory Seminar held in Oslo December 7-9, edited by Lena Larsen and Ingvill T. Plesner. Minna: Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Lucas, Olumide J. 1948. The religion of the Yorubas, (being an account of the religious beliefs and practices of the Yoruba peoples of Southern Nigeria, especially in relation to the religion of ancient Egypt). Lagos: CMS Bookshop.

Lugira, Aloysius M. 2009. World religions: African traditional religion (3rd edition). New York: InfoBase Publishing.

Mbiti, John S. 1975. Introduction to African religion. London: Heinemann Educational Books.

McElwaine, Abimbọla M. 2019. «On Òyìnbó: Yorùbá religion, resistance, and polyepistemic knowledge.» Journal of Interreligious Studies 28: 43–61.

Mokhoathi, Joel. 2017. «Imperialism and its effects on the African traditional religion: towards the liberty of African spirituality.» Pharos Journal of Theology 98: 1–15.

Moyn, Samuel. 2018. Not enough: human rights in an unequal world. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Nolte, Insa, Clyde Ancarno, and Rebecca Jones. 2018. «Inter-religious relations in Yorubaland, Nigeria: Corpus methods and anthropological survey data.» Corpora 13: 27–64.

Nwauche, Enyinna S. 2008. «Law, religion and human rights in Nigeria.» African Human Rights Law Journal 8: 568–595.

Nyong, Anthony, Fola Adesina, and Elasha Osman. 2007. «The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel.» Mitigation and adaptation strategies for global change 12: 787–797.

Obadare, Ebenezer. 2018. Pentecostal Republic: Religion and the struggle for state power in Nigeria. London: Zed Books.

Ofuasia, Emmanuel. 2024. «Some comments over the Yorùbá origins of Candomblé and other Afro-Brazilian religions» Yoruba Studies Review 9: 165–180.

Ogbuehi, Friday I. 2017. «Religion and human rights violation in Nigeria.» International Journal of Research in Arts and Social Sciences 9: 162–171.

Oguntoyinbo-Atere, Martina I. 2022. «African traditional religion and diaspora transplantations: nature and formats.» In The Palgrave Handbook of African Traditional Religion, edited by Ibigbolade Aderibigbe and Toyin Falola, 413–426. Cham: Springer Nature.

Ojo, Emmanuel O. 2020. «The religious factor in Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election.» Journal of African Elections 19: 136–155.

Okeke, Mmaduabuchi S. 2017. «Ethnicity, religion, and the task of democracy-building in the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria.» Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Political Science 5: 1–20.

Olanrewaju, Oluwaseun. 2020. «An evaluation of the knowledge and perception of the concept of human rights by residents of selected Suburban Communities of Lagos, Nigeria.» Journal of Human Rights and Social Work 5: 185–190.

Olanrewaju, Oluwaseun. 2024. «Indigenous religion and political governance in Nigeria: Towards the resurgence of Yoruba religion in the public sphere (Abstract).» Conference Paper. https://doi.org/10.24382/hgng-sm68.

Olanrewaju, Oluwaseun. 2026. «National health insurance scheme, poverty, and the right to health in Nigeria.» In The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems, edited by Rajendra Baikady, S.M Sajid, Jaroslaw Przeperski, Varoshini Nadesan, M. Rezaul Islam and Jianguo Gao, 1–19. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Olasupo, Fatai A. 2013. «The role of Arabian and Western civilizations in the extinction of African traditional religion: South Africa, Senegal, and Nigeria as case studies.» OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development 5: 19–34.

Oloruntoba, Samuel, Adeshina Afolayan, and Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso. 2020. «Africa knowledges, decolonization and alternative futures.» In Indigenous knowledge systems and development in Africa, edited by Samuel Oloruntoba, Adeshina Afolayan, and Yacob-Haliso Olajumoke, 1–14. Cham: Springer Nature.

Olufemi, Zainab. 2025. Traditionalists hail makinde, Adeleke, Sanwo-Olu, Abiodun for declaring Isese day holiday. Accessed March 16, 2025: https://thenationonlineng.net/traditionalists-hail-makinde-adeleke-sanwo-olu-abiodun-for-declaring-isese-day-holiday/.

Olupona, Jacob. 2011. City of 201 Gods: Ile-Ife in time, space, and imagination. California: University of California Press.

Olupona, Jacob. 2014. African religions: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Osun State Government 2013. Breaking news: Osun declares public holiday for traditionalists. Accessed March 21, 2025: https://www.osunstate.gov.ng/2013/08/breaking-news-osun-declares-public-holiday-for-traditionalists/.

Oyedokun, Mojeed O. and Ayobami O. Ajayi. 2026. «Globalising the sacred: The world Sàngó cultural festival and the reinvention of Yoruba religious heritage.» Nsukka Journal of Religion and Cultural Studies 14: 61–67.

Oyekola, Tunde. 2023. Islamic group, Ilorin traditionalists on collision course over Isese festival. Accessed February 9, 2025: https://punchng.com/islamic-group-ilorin-traditionalists-on-collision-course-over-isese-festival/.

Rahman, Mohamad H. 2020. «The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as Foundation of the International Human Rights Law.» Working Paper. Accessed March 20, 2025. https://www.academia.edu/48934149/The_Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights_UDHR_as_Foundation_of_the_International_Human_Rights_Law.

Salaudeen, Abdulkadir and Ibrahim Isah. 2024. «General elections in Nigeria and the challenge of religious bigotry.» Islamic University Journal of Social Sciences 3: 110–137.

Santos, Boaventura de Sousa. 2014. Epistemologies of the South: justice against epistemicide. Oxfordshire: Routledge.

Tanimu, Adamu and Barakat Raji. 2020. «Legal framework for freedom of religion and the rights of religious minorities in Nigeria.» African Journal of Law and Human Rights 4: 10–21.

Taylor, Charles. 1994. «The politics of recognition.» In Multiculturalism: Examining the politics of recognition, edited by Amy Gutmann, 25–74. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Udo, Emem M. 2020. «The vitality of Yoruba culture in the Americas.» Ufahamu 41: 27–40.

United Nations. 1948. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Accessed November 28, 2025: https://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf.

United Nations. 1967. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966). Accessed November 29, 2025: https://treaties.un.org/doc/treaties/1976/03/19760323%2006-17%20a.

Van der Rijt, Jan-Willem. 2017. «Inherent dignity, contingent dignity and human rights: solving the puzzle of the protection of dignity.» Erkenntnis 82: 1321–1338.

Yusuf, Tunde I. and Kayode J. Olusegun. 2015. «Management of indigenous knowledge (Ifa and Egungun) in Osun State, Nigeria.» Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal) 1243: 1–12. Accessed March 17, 2025: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/libphilprac/1243/.

Publicado
2026-06-26
Cómo citar
Olanrewaju, Oluwaseun. 2026. «La religión indígena Yoruba (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe) Y El Derecho a La Libertad Religiosa: Intersecciones Entre Los Derechos Humanos Y Las Perspectivas Del Epistemicidio». Revista Deusto De Derechos Humanos, n.º 17 (junio), 151-71. https://doi.org/10.18543/djhr.3531.