15 masquerades light up Owu-Kuta Egungun festival

Egungun festival in Owu-Kuta in Osun State comes with fanfare every quarter of the year, turning the usually serene community into a carnival zone. TUNDE BUSARI who was at the 2017 edition reports that the festival was a colourful event.

Comparatively, the 2017 edition of the annual Egungun festival in Owu-Kuta, Osun State recorded low turnout as against the crowd that witnessed the previous editions. But what the annual festival of culture lacked in attendance, it gained in the peaceful conduct of the weeklong festival.

Held with the approval of the Olowu-Kuta of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude, no fewer than 15 masquerades participated, all of which lived up to the expectation of their followers in artistry display and panegyric chanting.

The  Eegun Atipako led others including, Oloba, Alapo, Akirisagbe, Wyefodo, Lekewogbe, Balapawo, Aduromojoko, Oridayo, Owolewa, Ajakuwaya, Gogoru, Kelebe and others.

The Opening ceremony was flagged off by Eegun Atipako which is otherwise known as the royal masquerade. Eegun Atipako’s public appearance traditionally signals the beginning of every Egungun festival in the town.

The history behind it revealed that the masquerade is owned by the palace to entertain the guests of the Olowu-Kuta whenever occasion demands. It is a masquerade everybody wants to see for its royal parade that earns it respect among young and old. No sooner had the masquerade made its public outing that others in quick succession followed suit, charging the atmosphere.

All quarters of the town like Ile Ola, Ile Alapata, Ile Aro, Ile Odofin, Ile Olode, Ile Araba played host to masquerades accompanied by their followers and captivating performances.

The grand performance at the palace before the Olowu-Kuta and his chiefs was traditional display at its best. Though the performance was meant to entertain the monarch and his guests, each masquerade was at its best in drawing special attention to it.

Inspired by drummers and chanters, the masquerades brought back to memory the old Yoruba days, occasionally acted in Yoruba movies.

Indeed it was fun and best display of cultural heritage with the traditional ruler and his chiefs appreciating the masquerades with money while the crowd cheered them.

At the end of the show, everybody returned home in peace and anticipation for the next edition in 2018. Oba Oyelude said regardless of his religion as an Islamic faithful, his status had made it a must for him to participate in the promotion of culture and tradition.

That, he said, was in fulfilment of his obligation as the monarch who is expected to be the custodian of the custom in his domain, adding that failure to comply was an invitation to incur the wrath of the ancestors.

Oba Oyelude has always been outspoken on the matter either in the private or public gatherings where he asserts that an Oba is duty bound to identify with the custom and tradition of his town and do so to the letter.

According to him, no traditional ruler is installed in the mosques or churches, pointing out that they all pass through traditional processes, which bind them to defend the culture and even make it better in tune with the dynamics of civilization.

“The instrument of authority given to us at installation states clearly that we should maintain peace and culture at all time. That is our core mandate. That is what makes us traditional ruler over our subjects. And that is exactly what I did at this Egungun festival.

“It is not about killing goat or ram, it is entertainment and nothing more. Children in the town cannot quantify the satisfaction they derived watching different masquerades. This experience will grow with them and form an important part of their developmental process,” he said.

The Baale Ayedaade Kuta, Fatoyinbo Ademola, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police told Nigerian Tribune that this year’s edition was a huge success as no violent clash among masquerades was recorded, a contrast to what obtains elsewhere where law enforcement agencies were drafted to the scene of masquerade performances.

Ademola attributed the success to the preparation supervised by Oba Oyelude, which made it difficult for infiltration of the town by strange masquerades.  Findings revealed that strangers exploit Egungun festival to incite one masquerade against another, in a show of strength that leads to trouble.

“This was not the case in our town as Kabiyesi had put every measure in place to discourage such misconduct and we were all very happy at the end of the festival. What we are doing in the town is to encourage Masquerade families to rededicate themselves to their heritage because it is their treasure bequeathed to them by their ancestors.

“They should not allow the custom to die in their lifetime. It is high time we made them understand that our culture is different from the two imported religions both of which forbid participation in masquerade and other cultural festivals,” he said.

An Iwo-based son of Owu-Kuta, Moruf Akanji similarly said though he is also a Muslim like Oba Oyelude, he always looked forward to Egungun festival because of its cultural significance to him. The commercial driver maintained that he hardly missed it except if he travels outside the state.

“How many kilometres from Iwo to Kuta that I will give an excuse of not watching masquerade? I am always there, enjoying the fun together with my people. There is nothing that will stop me from watching masquerades that bring back the memory of when I was growing up following them about the streets. It is entertainment,” he said.

In the years to come, tourists from within and outside Nigeria will make Owu-Kuta their next destination when the Anlugbua Shrine is upgraded. The site is where the progenitor of Owu-Kuta disappeared into the earth and Oba Oyelude is doing everything possible to turn it into tourists’ attraction.

Already the process of turning it into a UNESCO heritage site is ongoing and also a Lagos-based consultancy outfit has opened the talk with the traditional ruler with a view to a striking partnership to achieve the aim.

The Kuta Day held on November 4, 2017, also afforded sons and daughters of the town to appreciate the cultural reawakening being undertaken by Oba Oyelude in the town.

Though he spent most his adolescent years in the Northern Nigeria, the Olowu’s ascension to the throne has raised him among top traditional rulers spending their personal money in the promotion of culture.

Hardly does he miss the annual Ogbeyonu Festival celebrated by the Araba Awo of Osogbo, Ifayemi Elebuibon during which he gives Elebuibon his royal support for the success of the festival. Oba Oyelude emphasized why Islam and Christianity should not be allowed to erode Yoruba culture and tradition.

“I need to be shown in which chapter of Quran or Bible a Yoruba name is written or a Yoruba town mentioned. But in Ifa, names such as Alara, Ajero are mentioned to tell you that what belongs to us is ours. Let Arabic names be restricted to Arab countries and let our own names here be restricted to us. Our culture is too precious to be reduced to subordinate to foreign cultures which are not as rich,” he said.

In his domain, Oba Oyelude said a traditional means of exposing criminal is in place. It is a deity known as Agan, which has effectively checkmated criminal activities.

Agan is real and potent from time immemorial; it will not only expose the person, it will also mete out punishment, harsh punishment on the culprit. A people that allow their culture to be insulted will suffer for it at the end of the day. Egungun festival in Kuta will be further developed to become something outsiders will come and watch. When they come, they will patronize our traders and farmers. That is how our economy grows,” he said.

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