Babalu Aye Santeria and the Lord of Pestilence

Babalu give his devotees means to survive. Ulli Beier, a seasoned scholar and poet of Yoruba Culture, Elaborates on this point: "Sakpata (Babalu) is the god of suffering. He teaches his worshippers to cope with misfortunes (particularly disease). If Sakpata strikes a man with smallpox, it is because he wants to establish a very close relationship with that person. Only the man who is not mature enough or strong enough will die of the disease. For the worthy person it is like an initiation: a death and resurrection into a mature, richer life."Canizares, Baba Raul is the author of 'Babalu Aye Santeria and the Lord of Pestilence', published 2000 under ISBN 9780942272628 and ISBN 0942272625.