Days after the release of Amazon Prime Video’s original – #GangsOfLagos, the Lagos State Government has responded to the Ẹyọ Masquerade cultural misrepresentation.
NewStori reports that some notable indigenous persons and group had earlier in the day kicked against the concept of the Ẹyọ Masquerade being a gun wielding one in the #GangsOfLagos movie.
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Scenes from the #GangsOfLagos Portraying Ẹyọ Wrongly
Prime Video Naija’s opening scene showcased how one of the masquerades who had disguised was a criminal and while celebrating attacked a man and killed him.
The killer then brought out a gun under his Ẹyọ regalia and killed the man sparing his wife and son.
What The Ẹyọ Masquerade Means to Lagos State and How the Festival is Performed
The Eyo is the masquerade that comes out only in Lagos Island and is believed to represent the spirits of the ancestors.
The Ẹyọ Festival may be held in honour of a chief or an elder of a ruling family or an Oba, who had died. It may also be held when a new head of an Iga (palace) or a new Oba is installed.
With the advent of westernization and modernization, a governor or a political leader may also request that the festival be organized to add colour to an occasion for a fee but the Ẹyọ Festival is usually held on a Saturday.
Each Eyo comes out of an Iga (palace) of a ruling family in the morning and heads for the shrine (Agodo). It is robed from head to toe in white flowing cloth. The white flowing costume consists of an ‘agbada’ (the top robe), and the ‘aropale’ (the bottom wrap around).
No part of the person carrying the Eyo is expected to be seen. The Eyo also wears an ‘Akete’ a hat that bears the colours and shield of the Iga from which he comes. An Eyo may tie ribbons in his Iga’s colours to the Opambata (palm branch) that he carries.
An Iga’s Eyo may have up to 50 to 100 or more members. Each person carrying a robe as Eyo must pay a fee for the privilege. This fee is paid to the Iga – ruling house, whose colours and Akete the Eyo wears.
Only adult males may robe as Eyo; but sometimes, there may be a child Eyo in a group. The sons and daughters and wives, as well as friends and neighbours of the Iga follow the Eyo on a parade from one end of Lagos Island to the other.
The route of each Eyo goes from the Iga, where the Iga’s Eyo leave enmasse, and then on to the Agodo – the shrine of the Orisa Eyo. After this, the Eyo may go anywhere on Lagos Island their feet can carry them, all the way from Ebute Ero to Obalende, via Oke Popo, Campus, Lafiaji and all neighbourhoods the Eyo’s whims may carry him.
Infact, an Eyo may easily cover 20 to 30 kilometres on that day. The crowd of supporters following the Eyo does not wear white robes.
Imagine the spectacle of thousands of white robed figures in colourful hats, flowing ribbons, men women and children milling about the streets singing and dancing.
The Lagos Eyo gives good meaning to the words, festival and spectacle. The only Eyo that is not part of a group is the most senior Eyo-Adimu Orisa. This Eyo’s nose is forever running, hence, the name Adimu. Only a very old and spiritually advanced male can robe as the Adimu. It is the last Eyo to leave the “agodo.”
The Eyo, when it encounters people, greets them with the phrase, “E sunrunkunrun, we ma jagbon die!” meaning, “Don’t fear anything, have a taste of the palm tree,” and taps the individual on the shoulders with the “opambata.”
When he is given money, he will pray for the person and recite the praise song of his Iga. The phrase, “e sunrunkunrun, we ma jagbon die!” is in the Ijebu dialect of Yoruba. It was rendered as a wedding present when the Oba of Lagos married an Ijebu princess.
It is however, a taboo to either wear the Eyo costume overnight or cross any body of water, such as the Lagoon, Rivers, and so on.
Relevance of The Eyo Festival
It is organized under the auspices of the Yorùbá tradition, as well as social organizations or clubs. It is an outlet used to showcase the culture of the Isale Eko people, since it can be organized for special occasions apart from the death of prominent chiefs, elders, or installation of a new Oba. It can be used to entertain at special state functions or occasions.
Reaction from the Lagos State Government
The Lagos State Government through a press statement expressed displeasure with the promoters of the “Gangs of Lagos” film tagging it as cultural misrepresentation and for portraying the culture of Lagos State in a derogatory manner.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf said that the Ministry, being the regulatory body and custodian of the culture of Lagos State, views the film/series as a mockery of the Heritage of Lagos.
The Commissioner expressed her disappointment with the promoters of the film, Jade Osiberu and Kemi Akindoju, for portraying the Ẹyọ Masquerade as a gun-wielding villain while adorning the full traditional regalia.
Akinbile-Yussuf maintained that the Adamu Orisha, popularly known as the Eyo Festival, is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for Obas, revered Chiefs and eminent Lagosians.
She added that the Eyo Masquerade is equally used as a symbol of honour for remarkable historical events. It signifies a sweeping renewal, a purification ritual to usher in a new beginning, a beckoning of new light, acknowledging the blessings of the ancestors of Lagosians.
