The Life History of Baba Medahochi

"Medahochi spent his entire life on a never-ending quest for knowledge.  He is a cultural activist, but he claims no labels.  He was a priest of the African Traditional Religion, a visual artist, a writer, a lecturer, a humorist, an avid reader, a teacher, a healer, and he spoke several languages.  His extended family and friends knew him respectfully as Baba..." ~ Dee Robinson

Read the more from the Life History of Baba Medahochi

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[Arkenaton Shabazz]

I have just come across Teacher/Priest Medahochi and I honour and respect his work and quest to connect and activate our spiritual traditions. There are so few of us that are opening the way to our Ancestral connection. I am also involved in this work we connect my wife and I connect directly with the Ancestral Collective and other dieties. Our Ancestors want us to listen to their words and to activate the healing of our nation, particularly to clear our trauma which is affecting all Africans at home and abroad, this trauma of slavery is in our bloodlines and DNA. Many of the spirits who have died before, during,after the slave ship experience are dormant in the spirit world unable to move on until we acknowledge their/our pain. I am sure you are aware of this. Our information is channeled through my wife Neferatiti Ife, who's mission is to bring the message from the spirit world to us. You can find out more from our website. Our Ancestors of the light can only be reached through meditation when our mind is still. This distinct from the lesser negative Ancestors who prey on those who cannot protect themselves whilst consciously or unconsciously enter the spirit world. These Ancestors want physical offerings and tell you what you should do. By contrast the positive Ancestors want only to help us elevate ourselves vibrationally by giving us their wisdom and knowledge. Let us bring forth their knowledge that comes from opening your heart to inner truth of self and as we are constantly told by our MotherFather Creator everything manifest from the inside outwards not the other way around.
This I am sure you already are aware of Teacher.
May the positive Ancestors continue to light your path.
Arkenaton Shabazz
Co-author of CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BLACKMAN'S GOD

[Sweet Honey]

Memories of My Fafa

Sweet Honey-Umtwana

Most people know Medahochi as a priest of IFA, a Priest of Songo, a linguist a philosopher, a teacher, and a great thinker, but his life as a, grandfather and great grandfather is story that must be told by his grandchildren and great grand children. I am one of the seventeen of Medahochi grandchildren. Many know me as Sweet Honey, but he only called me Umtwana, which means child in the Zulu language. I came by this name because Medahochi heard the word Abantwana, which means children, and thought it was one of the most beautiful words he ever heard. He asked someone who spoke the Zulu language, what is the word for just one child? The man replied, “Umtwana”, and ever since that is the only name he has ever called me.
Baba Medahochi has 7 children, 17 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren and this is something that he prided himself on, his descendents. I gave birth to two of his great grandchildren, Jessica-Modupe Osunji Egunbemi Akuavi Frances Tiny-Pearl Eddi-Marcella Johnson and Mambo Zion Sonjesa Folasade Adetutu Akua Gbemisola Marseille Johnson. Medahochi’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren have a special endearing name in which we know him by, Fafa. This practice was created when the eldest grandchild, Ayodele Babatunji, tried to say grandfather and could only make out Fafa. This is a name that we hold very dear in our hearts.
I always remember my grandfather as a man who loved to make people laugh, but as a small child I never understood the humor. I would always asked, “Why to grown people laugh at stuff that’s not funny.” As I got older, I was able to enjoy is humor. My Fafa loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren more than anything in this world and we knew it. He would refer to us as his little lambs and he never wanted us to be fussed at by anyone. One memory that stands out is, ever time he would visit when I was little he would always give us a piece of juicy fruit gum. For my birthday he would draw me pictures and the children would be speaking Swahili, a language that he loved and taught for most of his life. He was also and amazing artist. When I was 5 years old, he painted me a portrait of myself, which still hangs on my wall today.
One very distinct thing about my grandfather is how he loved peanut butter in his grits, that was his favorite meal and if he ever got something that tasted really good to him he would say, “jump back jack.” That meant it was good and he wanted more.
As I got older, my Fafa still treated us as his little lambs, but I began to understand his philosophy and spirituality. I am a third generation practitioner of African spirituality and that is a result of my Fafa and my grandmother’s, Modupe Omowale Oshalamibi Zannu Ajinaku, determination to promote the traditions of African people that were lost due to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Their mission was to teach to African people that the spiritual systems that were being practiced were forced upon us by the oppressor. My Fafa said, “in order to practice African spirituality, that you must get a Bible and burn it page by page.” He did hard work so that African people who wanted to practice African spirituality to get to a point where Christianity or Islam were no longer needed. He also loved to quote Oba Baba Osejiman Adefunmi I. There is one particular statement that expresses clearly my Fafa’s ideas on how to achieve African Liberation. He said that the Oba stated, “the only thing standing in the way of African liberation is the Gods in the Middle East.” He was an Afrikan Nationalists and taught me to be one or what is my purpose.
My Fafa saw the importance of looking at the continuity of African spiritual systems and that is possible for them to be practiced together. Through his example, I try my best to practice and learn about the many different systems of worship that have survived through the MAAFA. The family worship of Songo, which comes through my grandfather, has been passed on to his descendents, especially my youngest daughter, Mambo Zion Sonjesa Folasade Adetutu Akua Gbemisola Marseille Johnson. She has the same Odu, Ogbe Yonu, and the same Orisha, Songo. Through her and all of his descendents his legacy of Orisha/Vodun worship will last into the future.

[Fawesagu]

O ku O

E ku se Dee for these touching words concerning the life of our spiritual father.

Ekpo kpede

[Kobena Esubiyi AlaKetu]

“Awakaka, Awalele, Glido le agbe a” “yé du to kosu”
(Wisdom is one quality that a king must possess).

Baba's level of influence was infectious and those that were fortunate to cross his path, study under his tutelage and temporarily share his life's road truly knew this. His influence will continue to pervade and ripple throughout many generations to come. It said that there are many departments in fá, in which one gathers expertise and Baba was that of the scholar, philosopher, or master teacher; although many of us emulated him out of our profound admiration of him, he gathered no one close to him for his own sake. He often stated " a true measure of a teacher or wise person is not to lead the student to the door of his/her wisdom, but to that door of their own understanding."

I thank Baba for ushering in the idea of identity under the guise of "New Afrikan" before setting the stage for African religion per se, because no matter how much we promote Traditional African Faiths or Indigenous Faiths of Africa, if the people are dysfunctional and are defined by the perimeters of those who wish only to subjugate them, while subscribing to the belief that are fodder then their religion offers no salvation for them. After all, Baba taught use that "Religion is no more then the Deification of Someone's Nationalism", and it is through this that we gain our keys to win.

Only wesagu can provide testimony against him and only his kpoli/ori can measure the beneficence of his luvo/lindon/emi (soul). O the Great Elephant Has Fallen, but he quarreled with no other elephant, perhaps reminding the other animals of their place. As the saying goes "when two elephants fight only the grass is affected or hurt". Those who look for guidance and later stand to provide it, while under the weight of the elephant = grass, while the elephants represent leadership or more importantly directive thought that provides purpose. Baba sought to have the sons and daughters of cotton, understand their place in the faith systems that they would give rise to and work in concert with one another in order to rebuild and put to a new/high standard the faiths of our ancestors.

May Mawu/Dzito soften the blow that has been delivered to the family and friends. Even though, Baba Medahochi is no longer with us, death can extinguish his corpal existence but not his true light:

-Nabaa be ye taabaa ye (all new comers/arrivals are leaving/departing)
-Dyofe be ye dafe ye (all structures are called to rest/collaspe)
-Dafe be ye bafe ye (all created things are called to an end)
-Kunufe be ye safe ye (all awakened things are called to die out).

A Dupe Pupo,
Elder, Teacher, Brother and Dear Friend for All that you have done for me and encouraged me to Do. ("Do n’ Fa gbe, do n’ Fa gbe”)