I'm going to ramble a bit, but I think its going somewhere. LOL
I was reflecting today on the fact that one pound of Obi used to cost $10-$15. Yup, I said it, $10-$15. We're talking about a healthy pound with about 40 - 50 pieces.
Nowadays, depending on the time of year, obi can cost as much as $80 per pound at some stores and online sites. I can only speak for Kola Grove, but since 2020 I have witnessed shipping prices sky rocket, settle down and then sky rocket again. Add in that little tariff situation and we had the perfect storm for possible parabolic obi prices. Certain times of year when obi gets scarce, the price on the ground in Nigeria gets interesting. Add to this that generation old Kola Nut farms are contending with development, '"modernization" and the sheer fact that the Òrìṣà community in the diaspora has GROWN immensely. For the Onisese at home and in the diaspora, kola nut is one of the cornerstones for our communication with the divine.
But wait...The truth is that 2 kola nut can do SO MUCH. Let's go even further. Let's say if Obi were to rise to $10 per piece (We pray this NEVER happens), the privilege to commune with spirit in a way that I think is still taken for granted, is still SUPER valuable. How many times do we spend $100 and can't account for it? In my mind, the value to cost proposition is still in our favor. What's a week without making Ọ̀sẹ̀? It hits a bit different doesn't it?
So, maybe "prayer isn't expensive". It may be its rather inexpensive when we think about what we get in return.
That being said, I think part of being good devotees will lead us to conversations about conservation and how much we take and how much we put back. More on this later...
