Story | A Visionary Film
James is a husband and father of three with a solid job, living a comfortable life in Oakland, California.
He’s also a conflicted man: one foot planted in the spiritual traditions of his African ancestors; the other foot planted in his 20-year management career in the corporate world.
But after the death of his Dad, James begins soul searching and reflects on what the elders in Africa have been trying to tell him all along.
At heart, he’s a born healer – not a corporate man…
And every single divination session with Ifa, the sacred oracle of the Yoruba people, confirms this.
“When are you going to start working for us,” his spiritual father often asks.
James, 53, often ponders the same question. But with mounting pressures from the job and his family, the “right time” for more training in Africa never seems to come..
Until his life is turned upside down.
His teen-age son, Malcolm, joins a gang and finds himself in serious trouble.
The time and effort he must invest in saving Malcolm puts strains on James’ marriage and on the bonds with his daughter, Tulani, and youngest son, Diallo.
Soon, the chaos at home affects his performance at work. Suddenly, James’ skills and commitment to his job are being questioned by upper management.
Bewildered by this turn of events, James calls his spiritual father in Africa, desperately seeking answers. The Ifa oracle tells him that his problems are merely beginning and will only get worse unless he starts listening to the ancestors.
James agrees to go to Africa for more training and decides to take Tulani with him. First, however, they must pay their respects to their ancestors in the Caribbean.
But to answer the call of the ancestors, they must choose between a life of security or the life that’s calling them into the unknown.
Why This Film is Critically Important
With more than one hundred million followers in Africa, Europe and the Americas, Ifa is a globally significant religion. In addition to showcasing the spiritual and healing traditions of Africa and how Westerners can benefit from them, this film also tells the provocative story of how the roots of computer technology originated in African divination and had a huge impact in the history of Western mathematics.
This film is also important because our elders are dying every day. It is important to document their knowledge while they are still alive. Our survival depends on it. One of our star elders died since this project began. We must get back to Africa as quickly as we can.
Here’s what two prominent scholars are saying:
“Indigenous understanding of the healing properties of nature is declining as rapidly as the languages that sustain in. The legacy of many generations is dying out in a single generation with the passing of the great Ifa diviners. It is crucial therefore that this work be carried out sooner rather than later.”
-Robert Voeks, PhD, Professor, Cal State, Fullerton
“Ifa is one of the most inspired and profound world-systems. Exploring the Yoruba system of knowledge through film is essential to uncovering the precious legacy it contains to assist in facilitating the continuing evolution of humanity. This film is timely and germane to the challenges of the 21st century.”
-Charles S. Finch III, M.D., Former Director of International Health, Morehouse
Contact: James Weeks: 510-388-5500. james@acrossthekingsriver.com
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