Osun-Osogbo Grove
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How it came to be
The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a dense forest on the edge of Osogbo, capital of Osun State in south-western Nigeria. It is one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria, and in Yoruba belief it is the home of Osun, goddess of fertility. The grove was established about 400 years ago and lies 250 km from Lagos.
Every Yoruba town once had a sacred grove outside it, but most have been abandoned or shrunk. In the 1950s the shrines here were neglected too, and fishing, hunting and tree-felling, all once forbidden, spread. The Austrian artist Susanne Wenger, with the support of the Ataoja, the king, and local people, formed the New Sacred Art movement and restored the grove's protection.
Along the forest and its winding river stand forty shrines, sculptures and works of art, many made in the last forty years. More than 400 plant species grow here, over 200 of them known for medicinal use. The grove became a National Monument in 1965, and in 1992 protection was extended to its full 75 ha. Its annual festival draws people from far away. It was inscribed in 2005.
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