Signs of the Black Atlantic: African and Afro-Diasporic Symbols: Kongo Cosmogram (Dikenga), Nsibidi, Ifá Odù, Palo Firmas and Patipembas, Haitian Vodo (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798177270739)

What can a sacred sign show you-and what can only a living tradition explain?

A fork in a ponto riscado. Four strokes of an Odù. A crossing in a Kongo cosmogram. A vèvè traced for a lwa. Each has a visible form, but its meaning grows from the people, words, places and obligations around it.

In this richly illustrated book, Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà reads African and Afro-diasporic graphic traditions with the eye of a Babalawo and Babalorisa rooted in Ifá practice and experienced in Candomblé, Umbanda and Catimbó. Clear visual examples show how marks are built and interpreted: how the two columns of an Ifá Odù identify an address, how position matters in the Kongo dikenga, how a change of stroke alters a Nsibidi scene, and why similar forks or arrows can function differently from one Umbanda house to another.

Explore Kongo cosmograms; Nsibidi from the Cross River region; Ifá and Fá/Afa; Palo Monte firmas and patipembas; Haitian Vodou vèvè; and Brazilian Umbanda and Quimbanda pontos riscados. The extensive visual appendices make it possible to return to the drawings as you read, while the references let you follow their published sources.

For Babalawos, Babalorisas, devotees, researchers and curious readers who want concrete comparisons and a careful way to look more closely.

Author: Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà
ISBN-13: 9798177270739
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 09/27/2026
Pages: 786
Format: Paperback
Weight: 2.27lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.56d