Dr. Marta Moreno Vega,  Iya Nicola Shirley-Phillips, Chief Princess AdeDoyin Talabi Faniyi, Iya Mel Adun,  and Oluko Taiwo Aderemi

Moderator Iya Dr. Sheriden Booker

This panel will discuss the historical and contemporary relationship between water, climate change, and the Orisa tradition.  Panelists will examine the impact of climate change on water resources, including sea-level rise, droughts, and extreme weather events, and its implications for the Orisa tradition.   Discussions will focus on the challenges Orisa communities face in adapting to climate change and preserving their cultural and spiritual practices related to water. This panel will also explore the dimensions of water access within Orisa communities in Nigeria, Brazil, the Caribbean, and the United States.  Panelists will discuss the unequal distribution of water resources, particularly in marginalized communities, and the implications for social justice.

This panel will also discuss some of the implications of pollution and extraction methods happening in some of our sacred spaces, including oceans and rivers, specifically the Oshun Grove River in Osogbo, Nigeria. Discussions will center the importance of answering some much-needed questions around how this affects our practices and what our responsibility is as a community. What do we understand politically, and how do we align with elders, leaders, and members of communities to address these issues?