Lagos which is regarded as the nation’s ‘Centre of Excellence’ is known for show-stopping performances and aesthetics. This was put to the fore last Saturday. Though it rained heavily, the people came out en masse to celebrate their traditional Eyo Festival. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE and AKIN ADEWAKUN report the significance of the celebration and the fanfare that followed it.
The Eyo festival, a cultural and traditional masquerade display, is a heritage of the indigenes of Lagos domiciled in the Lagos Island and it is believed by the Isale Eko people that the Eyo masquerade represents the spirit of their ancestors. And in times past, the festival is held as a mark of honour when a chief or elder of a ruling family or an Oba dies or when a new head of the palace emerges or a new Oba is installed and the masquerade usually comes out on a Saturday.
Today however, there is a advancement as a result of civilization and a political leader may now request that the festival be organized to add culture and beauty to an occasion as the parade brings the people together irrespective of religious affiliations or cultural background because every Eyo masquerade is usually followed by a group including sons, daughters, wives and friends of the Iga where the Eyo came from as each Eyo comes from a particular ruling house and start their journey from the Agodo ( shrine of the Orisa Eyo) to wherever their spirit leads them basically on the Island.
And Saturday was in no way different as the people of Lagos turned out in their thousands and even defied the early morning downpour to welcome and celebrate the Eyo masquerade also called ‘Adamu Orisa’ among the Isale Eko people. They closed up their businesses and came out to show their joy.
For them, the heavy morning rainfall was a sign that the gods of the land were pleased with the celebrations and the Governor Akinwumi Ambode led administration in the state, explaining that it is a sign of peace.
The Eyo festival was in commemoration of the Lagos @ 50 celebrations and the people said that rainfall during Eyo masquerade parade was a sign that the heavenly beings and the ancestors of the land were happy and at peace with the people, adding that it is a sign of greater peace and developments in the state.
Though there was rain, the masquerades in their cotton white costumes, akete and palm frond to match danced round Lagos Island without exhibiting any discomfort and though they were drenched and their costumes stained from dirt and flooding, the ceremony was in no way hindered and people exhibited utmost joy and had a fun filled time.
The Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) indeed took on a new life. It was funfair, culture and an explosion of aesthetic in an event graced by dignitaries which includes the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode among many others.
A Lagos resident, Ahmed Murtala, stated that the Eyo festival is not one that any indigene of Lagos can ignore, adding that the costume of the masquerades is a representation of the culture and traditions of the people of Isale Eko indigenes of Lagos Island and is in no way a fetish practice.
“This is purely a display of culture and heritage, reminding us of where we came from and how things used to be. It is a mere showcase of our rich cultural history. It is not a fetish event, you can see the pomp and pageantry, it is just fun and entertainment and it brings us together as a people,” he said.
And as part of festivities for the Eyo festival, shop owners and other businesses around the TBS and Lagos Island closed up their businesses while many that hitherto had no commercial life in these areas exploited the chance to make quick sales. And business boomed for them as many recorded a bumper sale which was alien to them.
For them, the Eyo made a difference as the tourists that it attracted contributed to the sales. It was to many like a peep into the past when business was always booming on the Island and there was no economic recession. Some expressed the opinion that since the Lagos @ 50 celebrations started, none had attracted this level of crowd. And as the Eyo masquerades danced around, singing and praying for the Oba of Lagos, the white cap chiefs, the residents and visitors, gathering crowds in their wake, traders were making money and smiling in joy.
Another highlight of the festival is the kind of treatment given to men that forget to remove their caps and women with scarves or head ties as hairdress of any type or foot wears are forbidden during the festival. The masquerade will pursue anyone who flouts this rule with the palm fronds while some wielding canes will also run after in pursuit, this cuts a hilarious side attraction and it goes on till the person involved removes the offending material.
And this year’s events left all involved satisfied as one way or the other, each person got what they desired; fun, a boom in sales, entertainment and indeed unity. For many, the land has been blessed by the ancestors and good tidings await the city in the coming months.
“People are happy, many made so much money just from selling refreshments and the memory will linger for a long time. We all had a look into our background and the euphoria is still lingering now hours after. See how many tourists came, many inflated the prices of commodities yet they couldn’t meet up with demands. This is a beautiful sight to behold.
“And the fact is we need things like this regularly to reduce the tension and stress of living. I am happy I was part of this,” Bimbola Hassan told Nigerian Tribune.
And for the business savvy ones that produced souvenirs, it was also a time to smile to the banks as they made brisk sales during the festival despite the heavy rain during the early hours of the day. T shirts, calendar, pens, key holders, face caps, mugs, hand fans, handkerchiefs, trays and many other engraved items made the rounds in quick sales.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, one of the participants in this year’s Eyo Festival, Chief Muritala Elegushi, Alaawe of Ikate Land stated that
Eyo is not an all-comers affair as one has to be influential to participate in the festival.
Chief Elegushi said that contrary to widely-held belief, the traditional festival is not an annual festival, but always organised in honour of late prominent citizens of the town or mark significant
events, explaining that interested families would have to apply to participate and such applications must be approved by the council of chiefs before such approvals are granted.
“The way it is done is that anytime there are important events, such as independence, Lagos at 50 and others, in Lagos, they look for highly influential people in the town, whose name would be used to drive that edition of the festival. It is not an all comers’ affair.
Families that want to participate apply and such application must pass through the council of chiefs and the monarch and approved, and one of those things they look at is such family’s contributions to the development of the community. So if found wanting, sometimes such applications are disapproved,” he stated.
He argued that if fully-explored, the traditional festival could turn a gold mine for Lagos and its residents going by the quality and quantity of attendance at each of those events.
Chief Elegushi believes the issue of hooliganism and thuggery at the traditional event has been on the decline, since security is always in place to curb the excesses of some of the street urchins at the event.
“The fact remains that some of those fracas you see are not usually from the Eyos, because they know the rules of the game. Whenever the ordinary Eyo sees the real ones such as the Eyo Orisha, Adimu, Ologede and Oniko, he must put his stick down and wait for them to pass. So the rules are there,” he added.
And for many, the next Eyo festival cannot come soon enough as irrespective of religion or background, the festival brought the people together.
and then