“SHELL HUT” NOT ÒRÌSÀ AJÉ SHRINE IN LONDON By Emperor Alafia ॐ

On 1st September, 2021 — popular video of a Nigerian Priestess who was traditionally “invoking Òrìsà Ajé (Deity of Wealth)” in front of a pavilion in Grosvenor Gardens, London was shared with the Circle For The Exploration Of Faith & Philosophy (CEFP) for an elaborate explanation on the cultural connection of the pavilion with African culture.

Over the years, many Africans (most especially Nigerians) and African traditionalists that have visited the Grosvenor Gardens are often curious about the similarity of the “sea shells and cowries decorated pavilions” of the garden to the Ajé and Olókun shrines in Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, etc. And the curiosity has ‘for a very long time’ raised cultural connectivity alarm within the traditional institution of the Yorùbá people in Nigeria... For over twenty years, several Yorùbá traditional chiefs, temple priests and devotees believed the pavilion to be an “18th Century Òrìsà Ajé Shrine” as that was the — unofficial statement of an unidentified person at the Grosvenor Gardens during the early 21st century. Unfortunately, many of the London residents and tourists who have visited the Grosvenor Gardens also do not know or understand the historical significance of the pavilion as there was no ‘Public Awareness Information’ indicated on the pavilion.

To set the record right, eminent intellectuals of the Circle For The Exploration Of Faith & Philosophy (CEFP) embarked on an intensive and extensive research on the historical significance of the pavilions at Grosvenor Gardens. It was discovered that the finely decorated sea shells pavilions were named as “SHELL HUTS”, a 20th Century British Historical Landmark representing “ANGLO-FRENCH UNITY” which is officially not related to African culture and not to be misrepresented as “Òrìsà Ajé Shrine” or sanctuary... After many years of the pavilions’ cultural misrepresentation by African traditional tourists, it wasn't until year 2012 that the first historical article was published about the “SHELL HUTS” by TheLondonPhile.com (a website exploring London's museums, heritage, architecture & culture). And to verify the contents of the historical article, we contacted The British Museum and it was authoritatively confirmed that, in 1952, the “SHELL HUTS” were designed by Jean Moreux, the then architect-in-chief of the National Monuments and Palaces of France. Despite their whimsical sea shells and cowries decorations, the huts were in fact designed with a practical purpose in mind: they were for the use of the park’s gardeners, with one designated for the storage of tools and the other for the garden attendant... Below references are for further reading:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thelondonphile.com/2012/04/18/shell-huts-grosvenor-gardens/amp/

http://www.londonshoes.blog/2018/09/18/the-unique-shell-huts-of-victoria-sw1/

https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/photo/shell-hut-in-lower-grosvenor-gardens-london-royalty-free-image/905918136

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosvenor_Gardens