Help Us Continue Efeya's Legacy! The Road To Ose Tura

Road to Ose Tura: A Prayer Is Not A Prayer Unless You Say It Out Loud!

The Road to Ose Tura is a Danced Prayer Meditation. Working with the premise that prayers unspoken are merely thoughts. The dance will be the prayer. A declaration. A movement interpretation of an ancient ritualized system of prayer and worship, using established philosophies and abstracted philosophies adopted along Efeya’s journey as the soundtrack and framework to this Prayer. The primary mode of expression is dance, with the support of music and visual arts. A dance of an existing prayer ritual, where we are invited to speak to, and petition benevolent forces for blessings, and in turn be heard and spoken to. The Road to Ose Tura is a movement interpretation of a coded communication ritual called “Ose” from the African spiritual tradition Ifa, with its origins in Yorubaland (specifically Nigeria). Using the literary corpus of Yoruba culture which are compiled into Universes called “Odu”, The Road to Ose Tura is a live exploration of these Universes.

Songs are about the Awos coming together (women who has initiated to Ifa) Thinking about a woman’s role in not only Ifa but how women can empower themselves in a tradition where men normally do the works and determine the work for the people; talking about a woman priest, what do they do an how do they serve?

Inspired by her own journey, God, Olodumare, Oshun, her mother, Efeya said she didn't consider herself a leader, but she knew how to gather and hold people together for a larger vision. We all prayer and we all give thanks to the benevolent forces, or we should pray, to make them manifest. We need to say them out loud otherwise they just stay as thoughts in our head. Spoken prayer, Dance Prayer Traditional Isese/Yoruba spiritual faith, actual prayer, actual songs to help propel the spirits back into our lives not just for those you practice Yoruba, for people who understand the power of dancing, speaking, singing, moving your prayers out loud so they can manifest

Your support will assist us with:

Road to Ose Tura: Section Osa Meji - Dancers Asma Feyijinmi, Kimani Fowlin, Shalewa Mackall

Road To Ose Tura: Section Orunmila Oriki Dancers Brian Polite & Baba Michael Sampson

About Efeya Ifadayo Olaberinjo Sampson

(March 20, 1983 - August 6, 2020)

Iyanifa Omo Osun Efeya Ifadayo Olaberinjo Makala Sampson, Brooklyn native whose mother is from North Carolina and father from Trinidad, was a dancer, artist, performer, educator, and lyanifa. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Temple University with a BFA in Dance and Choreography and earned a MFA from Sarah Lawrence College in contemporary dance and dance composition. As a dance educator, Efeya taught at many programs including Dream Yard, Bailey’s Cafe, Black Girls Rock, CUNY Research Foundation, Charles Moore Dance Theater, as an adjunct professor at Sarah Lawrence College and many more. She was committed to sharing her love for African Diasporic Dance and Music with the next generation of dancers. She also founded E-finitives, an online digital archiving project focused on defining the impact of African Diasporan Dance - Blood memories filtered across ages. Efeya performed with Ase Dance Theatre Collective, Movement for the Urban Village, Charles Moore Dance Theater, Moving with the Spirit Dance Company (to name a few) and worked on special projects with Kendra J. Ross, Marjani Forte/The Works and Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Her last work, The Road to Ose Tura (A Prayer Ain't A Prayer Unless You Say It Out Loud), was accepted and showcased at the 2020 American Dance Festival's Movies by Movers Film Festival and as the Inaugural work of the Home Grown Festival by Whole Heart Productions.