Jorge Ortega, Ewín Sholá is a priest of Obatalá who resides in Miami. Ewín Sholá was ordained to Obatalá as a teenager by Conrado García, Odurosinmí, during the early repressive days of the Cuban revolution when ordaining minors was forbidden. Anyone caught doing so would face imprisonment and have their orishas confiscated and destroyed. Ewín Sholá arrived to the U.S. via the 1980 Mariel boatlift and soon after, began manufacturing orisha garments and panels, and installing thrones for his Babalorisha, and eventually for the community.

Currently Ewín Sholá specializes in orisha garments, panels and thrones. His work is among the most coveted in Miami for its beauty and grace, combining tradition with innovation and gusto. Much of Ewín Sholá’s work appears throughout the pages of Eleda.Org, including the throne for Shangó on the website’s home page. He was also one of the artists featured in Miami’s “At the Crossroads. . .” exhibit in 2000.

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