Falokun: Start by telling us about yourself.

Fatunmise: I am Chief Bolu Fatunmise from the city Ile Ife. My compound is one of the places were Ifa originated from. Ile Ife is the source of Orisa and I am the eighth generation of Babalawo from Ile Ife. My grandfather Chief Fatunmise was the head of all Babalawo in Ile Ife.

According to my esentaiye (naming ceremony) they said I was going to be a babalawo. They said I was going to be a babalawo funfun that is a babalawo living in white man's land. But in those days they thought it was going to be in England, in London. Nobody knows that its going to be in America.

Falokun: They told you that at your naming ceremony.

Fatunmise: Yes, when they did esentaye.

Falokun: Please explain for our readers.

Fatunmise: Okay, esentaye is like what Westerners would call a horoscope. It tells you the future that the child brought to this world. There are so many Odus (verses of sacred scripture) that come to a child when they are born and if there is any kind of offering that needs to be made so that the destiny of that child will not be changed they do the offering. Initially I was initiated to the secret of awo in Ifa in 1961.

Falokun: How old were you?

Fatunmise: I was eleven going on twelve, then. From then people called me kekere awo, kekere awo that means young babalawo apprentice. Eventually when I went to college I got out of college and became an editor of a magazine called Yoruba Atoka. I was the editor of this magazine for eight years.

In 1995 in this country I have been playing my music all over the places coupled with my Ifa divination until the Oni of Ife who is the ritual head of all Orisa people all over the world saw my activities in the United States and he wrote me a little note saying I should come home to receive a chieftaincy title. He bestowed it on me in February of 1995. I became Gbawoniyi
Aye which means the one who uplifts the progress of awo all over the world. Ever since I am staying here and doing the best I can do helping people out on a spiritual level.

Falokun: Tell us about your plans to start an annual Ifa Festival.

Fatunmise: Yes, we have in place now a nice piece of land. We have a temple here. We are planning to host the first Ifa festival in the United States come June 8 2001. We are going to do this festival for three days starting on Friday June 8th. We are doing this to coincide with the time there are doing the Ifa Festival in Ile Ife.

Falokun: The time of the Yoruba New Year.

Fatunmise: The Yoruba New Year, yes. Until the colonial time the Yoruba people had their January in June. That is what we call the beginning of the new year because that is when the new yam is gathered.

We plan to do this for three days from June 8th to June 10th. On the night of June 8th at around 12:30 am we are going to do what we call feeding of Ifa, bibo 'fa. This needs to be witnessed by people who are initiated. So we are going to do the feeding of Ifa on that night. The following day on Saturday we are going to do a huge festival where we will have masquerade, dancers, drummers, gidigbo, Yoruba wrestling and also we're going to have venders in the yard. It will be right here at 5150 Scofield Road right near the Airport in Atlanta. That is where it is going to be.

Falokun: Can you give a phone number so people can call and tell you they are coming and to get more details.

Fatunmise: The phone number to the temple is (404) 559-1920. If they want they can e-mail us at bolu@bellsouth.net. After the festival on Saturday we will do the service on Sunday which is slated for twelve o'clock for the success of the Ifa festival. That is the way we plan to do the program.

Falokun: For people who are new to Ifa can you tell us the purpose of the Ifa Festival? Tell us what we will be trying to accomplish.

Fatunmise: This is going to be a great opportunity for people who have never really witnessed the way we honor Ifa in Ile Ife, the way we have been doing it for thousands and thousands of years. The way we did it thousands of years ago up until today is the same, the only thing that is changed is we will be doing it on different land.

Falokun: Will you be praying for good fortune in the upcoming year?

Fatunmise: Our intention is to pray for the upcoming year, what is going to happen from June this year to June next year.

Falokun: Will you do divination for the year?

Fatunmise: Divination, do the prayer after we do the offering on Friday night. When we have done that there will be drinking and dancing, merry, merry, merry.

Falokun: I think it is very generous of you to open your temple to anyone who is interested in learning more about the traditional practice of Ifa. I am personally very grateful because it means you are taking another step to insure that Ifa is seated well in this country.

Fatunmise: Thank you.