Our name

Our name

The name “Elegoa” refers to Elegua (or Ellegua), a god of the Cuban Santeria, derived from the Yorùba religion. Yorùba originated in West Africa (Nigeria, Benin, and Togo) before spreading to the Caribbean and the Americas back in the days when triangular slave trade thrived between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, supplying the New World colonies with black slaves for several centuries. Nowadays, the Yorùba religion is still very much alive in forms that vary according to the region where it is observed.

Elegua is a deceitful child god, a food lover and a dancer who misleads the mortals he meets on the roads he travels. He is also very much aware that reality appears in many guises, hence the multiple colours that symbolize him—red and black or red and white. He tries to communicate this awareness to the mortals through experiences, which can sometimes be hard, though they open up new horizons and values.

Our Name section #2

By naming our company Elegoa, we pay tribute to some of the values Elegua embodies, such as experience, perseverance to overcome obstacles, and the recognition of diversity as a strength in the development of individuals or communities. We also borrow from Elegua his hedonism, his energy and creativity as a dancer, as well as his fondness for food.

By changing the ‘u’ in his name to an ‘o’ we (in turn) play a little trick on him, which we hope he won’t hold against us. We want the company name to be pronounced the same way by speakers of Latin languages, German, English, and other linguistic groups.