UB's Diedre Badejo Assists Production of New PBS Series Sacred Journeys
December 19, 2014
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.6190
An episode of the new PBS miniseries, Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler, features the research and scholarship of Diedre Badejo, professor in the University of Baltimore's Klein Family School of Communication Design. The series, which kicked off nationally this week, will air the episode in which Badejo played a consultative role on Tuesday, Dec. 30. It follows a group of pilgrims attending an annual festival in celebration of the Yoruba goddess Osun in Nigeria.
Sacred Journeys traces the explorations of the bestselling author and adventurer Bruce Feiler as he delves into the spiritual quests of different peoples from around the globe. Taking place over the course of one year, the miniseries travels from Lourdes, France to Shikoku, Japan, from Jerusalem to Mecca, and from Allahabad, India to Osun-Osogbo, Nigeria. Over the course of a half-dozen one-hour episodes, the series examines belief systems, expressions of faith, and the sheer spectacle of millions of people on the move in search of deeper meaning and more fulfilling lives.
"I think anybody who goes on a sacred journey," Badejo says, "anyone who ventures into another tradition is a soul searcher. They are seeking to find something within themselves they're trying to connect to."
An expert in African oral and written literatures, West African history and politics, gender studies and educational development, Badejo served as a content expert for the Sacred Journeys episode on the Nigerian pilgrimages and co-adviser with her colleague, Jacob Olupona, professor in the Harvard Divinity School. In her role, she accompanied the film crew to several key sacred sites in Osogbo and the ancient Yoruba city of Ile-Ife. She participated in the sacred journey of Osun practitioners, and served as cultural liaison with several colleagues from the U.S., the Caribbean, and Nigeria.
Learn more about Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler.
Learn more about the episode with Badejo in Nigeria.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.