Photo Credit: museum.ng
NIGERIA: Osun-Osgobo Sacred Grove is the largest dedicated cultural landscape of undisturbed forest occupying 75 hectares of sacred land in the heart of Osogbo, the capital of Osun state, Nigeria. It was dedicated to Osun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility, love, water, beauty and love. It has a river that meanders through the protected area, with sanctuaries and shrines created along its course.
Fishing, farming and hunting are forbidden on the sacred land. The grove is the home for rare species of antelopes, monkeys and other exotic animals usually seen strutting around the grove, enjoying occasional visitors who come to see the artistic beauty and also enjoy the traditional splendour of the sacred forest.
Every year, the Osun-Osogbo festival is celebrated to honour Oshun, the goddess of fertility in the month of August at the Grove. The main attraction of the festival is the Arugba, a virgin maiden who helps people communicate with the deity and who also leads a procession of devotees to offer sacrifices to the goddess. The festival attracts thousands of Osun worshippers, spectators and tourists from all walks of life.
In recognition of its global significance and cultural value, the Sacred Grove was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
