About the Maroon Monarchy of Gànlɔdó
Thank y ou for taking your valuable time to get to know the Maroon/Kilɔmbonu monarchy (ߚߐ߫ߕߏߡߍ߬ Xɔ́tómɛ̀) of Gànlɔdó (Ghan-law-doe) . We are here to restore the Maroon ߞߌߟߐߡߓߏ Kilɔmbo spirit back to its rightful place in the African Vodún tradition and Afrikan ways of life in general. Thus, It should be stated that Gànlɔdó is a heterosexual-Afrikan/”Black” only monarchy. This is ancestral. This is not a religion.
The root of our work is family development and nation building based solidly in our West African ߝ߭ߏߘߎ߫ߣ Vodún and Yorùbá ߌ߬ߛ߭ߋ߬ߛ߭ߋ߬ Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ traditions. Though our focus is West African Vodún and Yorùbá Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀, we are 100% in support of the functional use of any of our living Afrikan traditions for the sake of obtaining sovereignty.
The name ߜ߭ߊ߬ߣߟߐߘߏ߫ Gànlɔdó comes from the Ajã phrase “ߦߋ ߘߏ ߜ߭ߊߣ ߜߊ ߖߟߊ ߘߏ ߘߏߜ߳ߏ ߕߎߕߏ ߥߋ – Ye do gan gba jla do dokpo tuto we” – those that broke the chains to restore order. These are the ones who are rising from the ashes, like the sacred Afrikan Ibis bird, to clear out the rampant chaos, discontent, and lack of empowerment of Afrikan people.
For us, healing is mental, spiritual, physical, financial, and cultural to say the least. One may ask, why the focus on healing? When one contemplates that ingrained trauma imposed on Afrikan people for the past 570 years one will easily see the need for healing. How do we heal? It is our duty at Gànlɔdó, to utilize every aspect of our culture to heal and restore Afrikan people back to their natural state of spirit connectivity. We do this through divination, ritual, counseling, diet, economics, and overall holistic cleansing. We also believe that, to truly heal and elevate, Afrikans must know the enemy without and the enemy within. We say in Yoruba: “Ti ko ba si ọta ninu, ọta laisi ko le bori. If there is no enemy within, the enemy without cannot prevail.” Therefore, the primary focus for us is the self. To be self-fortified is to be enemy-fortified.
Our way of life is based in what we refer to as the Kilɔmbo Paradigm.The Kilɔmbo Paradigm is based upon the Maroon philosophy of obtaining complete sovereignty in every aspect of life essentials for Afrikan people. Our foundational focus is ReAfrikanization, Family Development, and Nation Building. Why is “maroon" (kilɔmbonu) emphasized in our identity?
The Maroons were originally those Afrikans who not only resisted captivity from day one, but also built their own sovereign communities away from captivity. In this, they were governed by the laws of their own original culture and praised their own ancestors and deities. The communities they built were called kilɔmbo – after the Ki Bantu word for “intentional encampment aimed at sovereignty and re-establishing order”. The word Kilɔmbonu implies a something related to maroonage. A Kilɔmbomuntu is one who lives the Kilombo Paradigm way of life.
Our focus at Gànlɔdó Xɔ́tómɛ̀ is to raise family-citizens’ self-help efforts to an art through individual involvement, intellect, spirit and unity. Our ambition is individual and family involvement, material and spiritual success. Our message is that no individual is alone; we are who we are because we are members of a family, community, society and race. There is no conceited economic baron or leader among us. There is no competition among family; only love and sharing of our pains and fortunes collectively and honestly.
Working patiently and diligently, we hope to use our collective goodwill, abundant physical energy, enthusiasm for hard work, and our love of goodness and truth to build fortresses of virtue and success. This, in time, would be a magnet on its own to install an ultimate new and elevated order of virtuous civilization for Máwùfɛnumeto (Afrikan person/people).
Gànlɔdó is a functional Afrikan monarchy. By this, we mean that we are not an Afrikan monarchy just for monarchy’s sake. We also serve our community. In this, the priests and chiefs, including the king, at Gànlɔdó (Maroon) Monarchy provide the following:
Counseling
Cultural solutions
Afrikan Monarchial structure for everyday life
Family Development Structure
Nation building
Business goals directives
Land acquirement and development
Economic intelligence
Lifting generational curses
Functioning examples of how to live an up to date Maroon lifestyle
Sincere charity
Community development
Security solutions
Founding
Directed by the divine Fa oracle, Gànlɔdó was founded in the year of our calendar 6253 A.X., with “AX” referencing the period of years that have passed since the advent of clan consolidation. This was two years after H.I.M. Axɔ́sú Àgèlògbàgàn was officially crowned as Axɔ́sú (King) in the year 6251 AX or 2010 Gregorian calendar. The Axɔ́sú is an profound diviner, spiritual intuit, and author of 23 publications on authentic and functional Afrikan Vodun subjects.