The Orishas are deities of the Yoruba religion who are believed to have acted as intermediaries between the gods and men. The Yoruba religion has its origins in West Africa. Most of their believers were used as slaves in the Americas and were forbidden to have their own faith, which is why Africans disguised their gods as saints of the Christian religion. But when freedom came, these ancient forces that had never died flourished vigorously, not only in communities of African descent, but everywhere in the world.