Video: Osun Osogbo Sacred Groves, Nigeria

The Sacred Grove of Osun-Osogbo, on the edge of Osogbo in southwestern Nigeria, is one of the last surviving sacred forests that once surrounded Yoruba towns and is considered the home of Osun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility. Shrines, sculptures and artworks fill the grove, many created since the 1950s by the Austrian-born artist Susanne Wenger and local artists, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Its monumental structures include Ilédi Ontòtòo, the assembly hall of the Ògbóni earth cult; Ojúbo Òsogbo, the central shrine for Òsun worship; and Iyá Moòpó, a monumental statue and shrine to the goddess of women's occupations. Despite the grove's national and international significance, many of its shrines and artworks have fallen into disrepair. Since 2005, the Adunni Olorisha Trust (AOT) and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) of Nigeria have worked with the local community to conserve some of Wenger's work.

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