Jaap Verduijn's Odu Ifa Collection Volume 01: Ika

One of the main hurdles with getting started with the Ifa divination system is that there is a lot of information out there but little organisation pointing where to get started. One gets confused with the many ways the texts are organised and in many instances the editorial work expended to make the texts pleasurable and easy to read is simply absent.Jaap Verduijn books are beautifully designed books, with thought-out illustrations made by the artist Brenda Beek present in every single page, from a learning and cognitive perspective each page has visual aids that reinforce what the text is saying and one feels like the text is much lighter to follow than all the other books with Ifa texts.There is a lot of work put in the text layout and typography something I had problems with other books.As a book intended for western students of the Ifa divination system, this book has one of the best translations of the English language I have found so far. The book doesn't contain the original Yoruba texts, which can be found elsewhere if one is really into reading the original in Yoruba, instead of just pretending to do so whilst exclusively reading them in English as all beginners in the West do. The author is faithful to his principles as an independent diviner and a researcher who collected material on Ifa from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in several European languages, forgotten in academic vaults in Europe and Africa.For the sake of easing people into the vast amount of disorganised information one will find out there, he organised his series by alphabetical order for ease of use and never misses the opportunity to make funny and irreverent commentaries on the idiosyncrasies of the Ifa world, always seeking to show the moral and spiritual essence of the stories he laboriously translated and re-translated in the course of 30 years of active research.If you are into the Ifa Orisha tradition, this book is a must have whether you are in the independent or traditional path of studies.

The illustrations are a little distracting but, the information is perfect. Well written and a welcomed addition to any learning Awo's library.

Good effort but shallow context. The book has the appearance of a child's color paint book.

the book is not worth your time. its written in a child like form for young readers and not for adults

Excellent book for anyone studying Ifa Odu!

Excellent