Alájere: Jumping Over the Cliff

‘The height of the Àwọ̀wọ̀ precipice is flanked by two statues of Alájere which are as unlike in character as the different side of his nature’. (The return of the Gods, Ulli Beier, 1975) Alájere is the representation of the young Ṣànpọ̀nná, but also represents the Ọbàtálá-dimension of Ṣànpọ̀nná.
Only a few metres away from the “dancing Alájere”, ‘Alájere is jumping over the cliff. This death-life, life-death motion represents the flow back and forth into the universe from where he comes and to where he goes impersonating the ambivalence of a sacred force as such’. (Susanne Wenger, The Sacred Groves of Oshogbo, 1990)
In his book “The Return of the Gods” Ulli Beier describes it as ‘This massive piece of sculpture, some 5 metres high, represents a very different aspect of the god. It shows Alájere jumping over the hyena. The hyena is the symbol of death, and Alájere here represents the meaning of suffering, the meaning of death itself’.
This monumental sculpture, perched on the edge of a high cliff on the narrow Alájere Path overlooking the Ọ̀ṣun River, was created in the early 1970s by Susanne Wenger.
Figures of many children are sculpted in bas relief on one side of the sculpture. The other side features a mythical animal (possibly the hyena) with many fish, which could also symbolize the power of fertility of the Ọ̀ṣun goddess.
As was the case with quite a few of the shrines and works of art in the Sacred Groves, at the time of its creation building supplies and financial resources were limited and earth was often used as core which was then covered in layers of cement. Over time and under the impact of the tropical climate, the structure weakened and eventually crumbled.

This work of art was completely reconstructed in 2016 by New Sacred Art Movement artist Adebisi Akanji and his son Nurudeen. This time only cement with metal reinforcement were used and the sculptures should hopefully last a long time, requiring only periodic maintenance.