The Orisha Shrine at Blue Basin, Diego Martin, like other shrines elsewhere, is a testament to the strength of belief among the many Africans who kept the faith alive albeit undercover for so many years. It was only in the 1990s that the Orisha faith gained recognition and respect at the national level. An Orisha Marriage Act was enacted in 1999 and the religion now enjoys membership in the Inter-Religious Organization.

Orisha has been associated with the Yoruba group of people who came in greater numbers as free and indentured Africans in the post-emancipation era. Among the Yoruba people, Orisha is an all-inclusive philosophy which cannot be separated from the political, cultural, social or creative realms.

Orisha festivals are held throughout the year and ancestor veneration is an integral part of the faith.

Source:

Aiyejina. F, Gibbons, R. “Orisa (Orisha) Tradition in Trinidad”, Caribbean Quarterly,

Vol. 45, No. 4, December 1999.