Òrìṣà/Orisha/Oricha/Orixa and their varied manifestations in literature continue to be academically recognised and discussed with some degree of caution, often labelled as “folk”. Literary research continues to identify these ethnic linkages between global ọmọ òrìṣà or orisha devotee communities – writers, readers, practitioners and initiates. The theories framing these discussions, however, are mostly external both to literature and to the ontology of the òrìṣà. To achieve some contiguity in literary critical discourse on the matter, what is necessary are theories specifically applicable to African Traditional Religions’ (ATRs’) spiritualities in literature and potential interpretations afforded through their epistemological underpinnings. This article seeks to seal that lacuna by introducing The Pataki Continuum. The Pataki Continuum is a literary theory that presents an authentically internal lens and register for discussing literary factors of and analysing literature impacted by the stories of òrìṣà – the pataki. The Pataki Continuum is crafted out of the philosophies of a primordial, ubiquitous òrìṣà, Òrìṣà Èṣù-Elegbara. It centres members of the international, multilingual, cultural group of ọmọ òrìṣà. Necessarily, socio-historical/socio-cultural contexts that impact upon ọmọ òrìṣà writers and their readership are interwoven with cosmological variables via three metaphors to explicate this revolutionary worldview. These metaphors of meridians, whales and c(h)ords elucidate the theory which focuses the constant motion of pataki across the globe and through time, initiating an academic conversation about the relationships between literary texts and the source of pataki – The Sacred Oracles of Ifá – and among pataki-influenced texts.

Authors:
Janique Baker-Dennis, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Janique Baker-Dennis is the Coordinator of the Academic Literacies Programme. Her interests lie in literary theory and methodology aligned with the Orisha. Project: Disseminating PhD findings.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janique-baker-dennis-phd-33ab18188

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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