Photo courtesy Elegba Folklore Society
In the Yoruba culture of West Africa, Elegba is the deity guiding fate by symbolically opening life paths or roads. This god is also the namesake of the Elegba Folklore Society, which has offered African and African American cultural arts programming and educational resources for over 29 years.
Elegba, the deity, brings “clarity out of confusion,” says Janine Bell, founder of the Elegba Folklore Society. “[He is] the deity who opens the roads, folklorically. Our roads, right now, seem to be closed.”
The spiritual reference is relevant in a time when cultural and arts organizations are seeking alternate paths to continue outreach and revenue generation, while patronage is down to a trickle due to social distancing policy and tightened household budgets.
Bell is “shellshocked” by the canceled black history tours and halts to other “mission-based work ... that depends on people gathering,” she says. Local schools and organizations in California, Michigan and Washington, D.C., have canceled spring black heritage tours with the society. Programming originally scheduled for April 3 at the American Civil War Museum, in celebration of Emancipation Day, is now provisionally rescheduled for June. Visits to the society’s East Broad cultural center by researchers of black culture have ceased. Bell is tentatively looking forward to holding the society’s Juneteenth celebration, an annual event since 1996, in late June.
But in Yoruba folklore, Elegba is known to help those who remain tenacious during hard times, Bell says. She is adapting her programming to an online format that highlights stories of resilience and heroes in black culture, to inspire and uplift. The new online resources can be continued post-pandemic, a silver lining, Bell says. A weekly black heritage story hour for children will be an option for parents in search of educational activities during school closures. Performing arts programs and classes may be streamed. By appointment, the cultural center offers spiritual and ritualistic items such as sage and natural skin care butters to promote self-care.
Richmonders are also stepping up to support Elegba and other arts organizations. A Facebook fundraiser benefiting the group, hosted by a supporter of the society, raised more than $1,500 in a few weeks.
Bell says that once Elegba adjusts to serving the public during COVID-19, she will explore partnerships with other struggling arts organizations to possibly “put together emergency funding and explore ways that we can help each other.”
Visual, performing and cultural arts organizations are part of maintaining community and resilience during this public health crisis, Bell says.
“We don’t provide food or basic resources, but at the same time, we provide an environment that sustains people,” she says. “We want to continue to do that.”