sounding the voice of tolerance: the orò secret society at the yorùbá borderlands

Abstract

Based on ethnographic research in Southeastern Bénin, this article considers how the Yorùbá òrìs.à (divinity) Orò bolsters religious pluralism by manifesting only as sound. Synthesizing theory from sound studies and religious studies, the article shows how Orò and his followers demand religious tolerance from those who would reject the spirit, such as Christians who oppose African Indigenous religions. Key to this process is how Orò interacts with the material world, as a voice that blankets towns during his yearly festival. The sound ignores material barriers, such as the walls of houses, to bring blessings to all who hear it. Yet to safeguard Orò’s ability to bestow such boons, his followers threaten violence against anyone who would publicly betray the secrecy surrounding how Orò’s voice manifests. Thus, non-initiated men must be confined indoors and keep Orò’s secrets or face potentially horrible consequences. Meanwhile, Orò’s followers force these detractors to encounter the divinity anyway. Thus in crossing material barriers, Orò ensures that all who hear him participate in his festival while reinforcing social boundaries based upon how they do so—as a sacred and beneficent sound, or an affront that nevertheless demands their silence. Supplemental data for this article is available online at