Èṣù is Not Satan

Among the Yor?b? and others who speak its language, a significant predicament has persisted since the colonial era and arrival of missionaries. Many people, essentially from the Abrahamic religions, either on purpose or not, have erroneously equated ?ṣ?, an ?r?ṣ? in Yor?b?land with Satan. As Chinua Achebe wisely said, "Until lions have their own historians, the sons of hunter will always write history to glorify their hunting."

It is imperative to clarify that such an equation is fundamentally flawed. Hence, the primary purpose of this book is to discover our Yor?b?nity-essence of being a Yoruba; explore and understand the Yor?b? indigenous practices and worldview; discern the person and true essence of ?ṣ? within Yor?b? Indigenous Religion and differentiate its identity from the concept of Satan in the Abrahamic religions. Perhaps many of your prayers are not answered because you have been praying amiss, addressing wrong entity. Embracing this knowledge would enable Yor?b? (whether Christian, Muslim or traditional adherents) to experience a harmonious coexistence of their cultural heritage and religious faith. Moreover, understanding the person of ?ṣ? will enrich the scriptural understanding of (Yor?b?) Christians and Muslims, empowering them to approach their faith with clarity, confidence, and reverence.