Baba Ifawole is a priest of Ifa. He was introduced to Orisa and Ifa devotion as a young student at Hampton University. This introduction led him to initiation into the priesthood of Obatala in 2001, and this initiation took place in the temple of Ile Ifa Jalumi under the leadership of Awo Sangodina Ifatunji. Subsequently, Baba was initiated to Egbe Egungun in Oyotunji African Villiage under the leadership of the late Chief and Alagba Olaitan. After serving as a priest of Obatala and an Egungun Priest for 10 years, Baba Ifawole traveled to Ode Remo, Nigeria, where he entered Igbodu and received his Tefa (Ifa Initation), thus making him an omo Awo and a proud member of Ile Ogunti. His Ifa initiation took place under the leadership of the late Araba Adesanya Awoyade and Oluwo Falolu Adesanya Awoyade. Baba Ifawole was recently initiated to Egbe in Ibadan. He is the founding Awo-in-Residence of Ile Ogbe Wehin Iwa Pele Temple in Hammond, Indiana. Baba Ifawole is also the Alagba Egungun of Chicago

Baba Ifawole also received his bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, his master’s degree from the University of Chicago, and his PhD from Loyola University of Chicago. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Chicago State University. Baba Ifawole’s most important job is father to two sons and views fatherhood as the preeminent among his many responsibilities.