Ṣàngó and Ọya: Enigmatic Wood Sculptures by Kasali Akangbe-Ogun

“Igbo Ọya”, the Ọya Grove is on the left after passing the UNESCO sign on the road to the main entrance to the Ọ̀ṣun Shrine.
It is home to the wooden statues of the goddess Ọya and her beloved husband Ṣàngó.
‘The twin statues by Kasali Akangbe, are really one, carved from a single teak tree stem which branches into two. This symbolises the ritual and emotional closeness of these divine personages in the oneness of ideal marriage’ (Susanne Wenger, The Sacred Groves of Oshogbo, 1990, page 15)
Ṣàngó is the Òrìṣà - or deity - of Thunder and Lightning and is viewed as one of the most powerful in the Yorùbá pantheon of deities. He carries a double axe and his archetype is power and dominance. Ọya is Ṣàngó’s third and favoured wife. She also is a powerful deity of the winds and tempests preceding lightning and thunder.
These works of art were created by Kasali Akangbe, a master woodcarver, who comes from a long lineage of ritual woodcarvers known as gbẹ́nagbẹ́na. Mentored by Susanne over many decades, she encouraged Kasali to interpret traditional Yorùbá carvings of deities in fresh new ways, while always representing the essential attributes of each deity.
The entrance and iron-rod gate to the Ọya Grove was created by Adebisi Akanji.