Performing the Past: Rituals, Climate Resilience, and Embodied Waters of Osun

Performing the Past explores ritual, embodied performance, and the spiritual cosmologies of the Yoruba deity of water, Osun, examining water’s role in cultural memory, ritual, and climate resilience. This project engages priests and community members in Yorubaland, Nigeria, through interviews, participant observations, and community-based fieldwork to document Osun festivals and the ritual movements that preserve cultural knowledge and ancestral traditions. By tracing the interconnections between water, climate, and ritual, this research uncovers new insights into Yoruba cultural and environmental memory—deeply rooted in bodies, flowing through waters, and reflected in the rhythms and structures of festivals.