Adebayo Aina

Hermeneutic Analysis of the Idea of Ori in Ifa Literary Corpus Adebayo Aina

This interesting work borders on the analysis of the concept of Ori(destiny) in Yoruba culture. The work,as an applied philosophy, demonstrates the relevance of ori(Destiny)in Yoruba thought system in Ifa literary corpus with the aid of hermeneutic interpretative tools. Hence, Gadamerian approach is employed in the study in order to understand some prejudices the interpreter is equipped with, which is objective within the framework of a tradition, before interpretation in-itself begins. It shows the importance of interdisciplinary approach in philosophical studies and the importance of ifa literary corpus as a compendium of the Yoruba. Thus the work goes beyond the western traditional discourse of the idea of destiny within the framework of freewill-determinism debate and the ethnological presentation in religious studies and cultural anthropology as well as the metaphysical construct of the idea in African literature to a new ground that ori serves as guardian, sympathizer and provider of man.