“If we don’t stop to think, what is my cosmology, who do I believe created me, or what do I believe is actually the highest potential of my living and being, why am I here, what is justice, then our cosmology will automatically be co-opted by monocultures, because this is where the reigning power is moving. So our cosmology and our gods and our spirits begin to automatically operate under the gods of capitalism, the gods of consumerism.” Diane Ghogomu
E170 – Diane Ghogomu on Afro Cosmology, Regeneration And Pleasure
Revolutionary Ripples Of Joy
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About this interview:
How can we flourish reciprocal and diverse ecosystems that honour our ancestral wisdom, joy and sovereignty?
“If we don’t stop to think, what is my cosmology, who do I believe created me, or what do I believe is actually the highest potential of my living and being, why am I here, what is justice, then our cosmology will automatically be co-opted by monocultures, because this is where the reigning power is moving. So our cosmology and our gods and our spirits begin to automatically operate under the gods of capitalism, the gods of consumerism.” Diane Ghogomu
In this episode, Amisha talks to Diane Ghogomu, an Afro Cosmic ceremonialist, somatic sexuality educator and musician building and curating joy-centred ritual spaces applying her teachings as pleasure scholar. She nurtures regenerative social, economic and spiritual systems that call us into harmony with ourselves and nature. Diane is deeply initiated and devoted to multiple nature-based spiritual traditions in both Central Africa and South America. She is curator at Noma Collective and co-director of Cacao Love, a regenerative organic cacao company funding her non-profit ‘Afrocosmic’, which invests in the cultural and spiritual sovereignty of African and indigenous wisdom keepers and artists around the world.
Amisha and Diane speak about the sovereign regenerative community and retreat space Diane is co-creating in Watamu, Kenya. Rooted in collaboration with the local ecosystems the community embraces ancestral architecture, agroforestry, permaculture and the life-giving powers of spiritual and cultural traditions.
Diane shares experiences gathered during her life’s journey across different cultures in search of embodying her highest purpose :: joy and pleasure. She reveals her calling led her to live in the mountains of Argentina, Osho communes in Brazil, to sit with plant medicines, such as Ayahuasca in South America, to multiple initiations and experiences with Iboga in the Bwiti tradition in Gabon, and time studying Afro Cosmic Spiritual traditions with the Baka people in Cameroon. They share that understanding our cosmology and anchoring ourselves into sovereign communities is the antidote to destructive monocultures that have stripped us bare of our fertile relationships with the land and the cosmos.
We learn that cultivating our erotic powers of pleasure and joy causes revolutionary ripples that animates cosmology and reciprocity. It is a way of bringing us into synergies with ancestral technologies and wisdoms that can unify our communities in cultural, spiritual and economic sovereignty ultimately transforming destructive systems of colonial legacies.
“Our traditions and dialogue with the ecosystem are constantly emerging and changing.” ~Diane Ghogomu
Diane Ghogomu is an Afro Cosmic ceremonialist, educator, and musician with a decade of experience supporting community building and curating joy-centered ritual spaces. Currently, the co-director of Cacao Love, a regenerative organic cacao company, she is dedicated to sharing and teaching about the ecosystem of plant powers, fostering opportunities for connection, and supporting the growth of carriers of this plant power. The revenue generated by Cacao Love funds her non-profit Afrocosmic, which invests in the cultural and spiritual sovereignty of African and indigenous wisdom keepers and artists around the world. It was during a research trip that she was first chosen by African traditional spiritual practice and she is now deeply initiated and devoted to multiple nature based spiritual traditions in both Central Africa and South America.
Diane thrives in the interstices of scholar, activist, teacher and artist. She is a certified sexological bodyworker, sexuality coach as well as a published pleasure scholar. A Harvard-educated, Fulbright-recipient, she has spent the last fifteen years between South America and Africa participating in and sharing knowledge about African and African Diasporic communities while curating educational programming for organizations such as the United States Embassy and Tulane University.
Her audiovisual explorations have been published in outlets such as VICE and New York Times, while her academic research has been included in the Internationalist, Palgrave Anthologies & Sounds and Colors. She co-directed and produced the documentaries ‘Buenos Aires Rap’ (2014) and ‘Buenos Aires Black’ (2020).
To connect or work with Diane, visit cacaolove.co.uk
To connect or work with Amisha, visit amisha.co.uk
artwork video: Heather Heininge
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