Bury Me Like a King: Brazil’s Alaafin Oyo Begs as He Joins Ancestors

Adeyinka Olaiya, Sao Paulo/

Brazil’s most prominent music maker, activist and Yoruba traditionalist – Babalawo Leandro Borges de Ile Afoxé, aka Alaafin Oyo, has gone to join his ancestors.

NewsmakersNG learnt that the self-styled Alaafin Oyo in Brazil transited on August 23 in Pernambuco, Brazil after suffering health complications due to alleged constant high blood pressure.

Until his passage, Leandro was the Yoruba spiritual leader of the Ile Ase Omo Gitaberu. He also founded the leading Yoruba spiritual group in the state of Pernambuco and an Afro music band called Afoxe Alaafin Oyo since 2015.

Babalawo Leo, who claimed to have had his root from the Oyo Kingdom was the lead vocalist of the traditional group band named Afoxe Alaafin Oyo.

According to his partner Daniel Gomez of the spiritual house, Babalawo Leandro was an emblem of the Yoruba culture and tradition in Brazil, a promoter of the Yoruba traditional religion and an activist against religious and racial intolerance in the Latin American country.

Babalawo Leandro died at the age of 36 and was buried according to the Yoruba traditional rites.

The late spiritualist, a renowned powerful Ifa practitioner, had his initiation in Nigeria during several of his visits to Osun Osogbo and had also visited the palace of His Royal Highness, Iku Baba Yeye, Oba Adeyemi where he reportedly traced his root to.

According to Alawo Daniel who was with him until his death “bury me like a king” was his clamour before he gave up the ghost.

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