Meet 10-year-old Arugba leading 2026 Osun-Osogbo festival

In the lead-up to the 2026 Osun-Osogbo Festival, a 10-year-old girl named Princess Alimot Moredeke Ajoke Osunbunmi is capturing headlines as the new Arugba. This revered figure, chosen through the traditional Ifa divination process in March 2025, replaces the previous Arugba, whose role ended due to marriage. Alimot, from the royal family of Ataoja of Osogbo, is considered a virgin - a crucial requirement for the position - and her youth has marked her approach to fulfilling the sacred duties of the role.

Unlike previous Arugbas, Alimot did not carry the sacred calabash during the 2025 festival, instead, a male priest carried it while she led the procession. Despite not bearing the calabash, Alimot played a key role in leading worshippers to the Osun Sacred Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The festival, a centuries-old tradition, attracts thousands of devotees and tourists from around the world and centers around the Osun River goddess, whom the Arugba is believed to spiritually carry the prayers and hopes of the people to.