“The Secret to reality is that everything is just a dream, and it is only when dreams are seeded onto the infinite soil of our imagination that they can manifest into our world.”
TOGUNA WORLD, inspired by Mali’s Dogon community wisdom, serves as a sacred space where African aspirations converge. Rooted in the divination ritual, it revitalises ancestral wisdom and envisions a world of emancipation and equity. The Ifá tradition, a Yoruba religion and divination system, is based on Orisha Ọrunmila’s teachings documented in 256 volumes.
Dating back to the 13th century, it evolved through influences like Orunmila and Oduduwa, enriching Yoruba civilization. It continues to thrive, influenced by communities like the Eshu and Dibia. Ifá serves as a means to communicate with Orisha deities and encompasses divination, philosophy, and spirituality. Despite challenges from the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism, it survived and influenced global religions.
Recognized by UNESCO in 2005, Ifá is practised globally and plays a vital role in Afro-American faiths, including Haitian Vodou and South American Santería. It has a diverse following, including notable figures like Yoshiaki Koshikawa, Susanne Wenger, Patrisse Cullors, 21 Savage, Xolo Maridueña, and Iyanla Vanzant.
It is, therefore, quite fitting that the luminary artist Pierre-Christophe Gam, also known as Gam A Gam, leads us back to the realm of Ifá. Gam, an acclaimed artist of Cameroonian and Chadian lineage, has garnered accolades for his multifaceted artistic endeavours rooted in Africa’s pre-colonial legacy. He conceptualises his artistic journey as a seamless continuum of the esteemed Griot tradition—a legacy of storytellers and cultural custodians entrusted with the communal memory within West African societies.
TOGUNA WORLD emerges as a profound fusion of artistry, ancestral heritage, and technological innovation, creating a space where African aspirations can thrive. In this innovative metaverse, the artist seamlessly blends elements of a utopian realm, a digital conduit for intuitive enlightenment, and a multimedia platform infused with Afrofuturistic aesthetics. This pioneering endeavour converges art, spirituality, and technology, laying the groundwork for the exploration of speculative futures.
Drawing inspiration from the Five Pillars of Ifá (Land, Family, Labor, Commerce, and Community), this future-imagining ritual guides participants through a transformative collective dreaming experience. Every pixel and brushstroke is carefully crafted to embody ancient African aesthetics while incorporating contemporary design principles. The result is a visual language that invites individuals into contemplative dialogues about shaping the future according to their desires.
At the heart of TOGUNA WORLD lies the Sanctuary of Dreams, an ethereal ceremony for envisioning the future within an immersive 360-degree multi-user dream realm. Accessible through a web interface or virtual reality headset, this unique experience seamlessly combines art, music, and narrative to offer a mindful voyage. Here, participants are encouraged to conjure aspirational visions of tomorrow, guided by the compass of their deepest desires. It’s a divination ritual in the metaverse designed to serve as a collective think tank for Africans to imagine the future they desire.
Explore the possibilities of TOGUNA WORLD now at togunaworld.com
