HISTORY: OLADUNWO: THE TRIP TO OKEMESI

We were gathered in the Ife amphitheater in the usual gist before a show.

Lanre, always very boisterous, kept on about a masquerade in his home town. According to our friend, Oladunwo or Baba Funfun has special supernatural abilities. The extraterrestrial being appeared on top of the mountain at every festival all dazzling white. Our friend claimed Ladunwo could not be captured on camera.

We, particularly I, doubted his claim. The argument was still on when the stage curtains went up.

The next day was a Saturday. Over our Saturday morning game of Scrabble in Bimbo’s room in Fajuyi annex we resolved to attend the next Ladunwo festival which was only two weeks away. Patrick and I had our cameras ready. We bragged to come back with photographs of the white one.

So off we went to Okemesi Ekiti. We arrived a day before the festival. So we took a look around town and spoke to people.

Talk about one of the few places on earth that prides itself with a historic tradition of an “unmasked masquerade”, then you’re definitely talking about Okemesi, a rustic and serene town located in the heart of Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Okemesi said to have its origin from Ile Ife, the ancient seat and ancestral home of the Yoruba race is known for its unique scenic terrain, low land which is rich in fertile soil, and its festivals, particularly, the Oladunwo festival. Oladunwo is the name of the most revered Egungun (masquerade) in Okemesi. It is highly respected because of its importance and the role it played in the history of Okemesi and her people.

Bounded on the East by Ikoro-Ekiti and Ijero, on the South of Efon Alaaye, on the North of Imesi-Ile and on the West by Esa-Oke both in Osun State; history has it that Okemesi, Imesi-Ile, Ile-Ife and Ijesha are all related by blood. Okemesi and Imesi-Ile (in Osun State) were once a single town. However, a drive for adventure and desire to settle in a valley that protected her from neighborhood hostility brought some of the people of Imesi-Oke to what is now known as Okemesi.

It is said that the progenitor of the town was an Ile-Ife princess called Ooyelagbo, the first daughter of Oduduwa. History records that, after the death of her father, she distributed the Royal crowns among her siblings and kept the best crown for herself.

When Ooyelagbo’s father was ill, she moved to Ilesa in the present Osun State, waiting for her younger brother, Owa Obokun of Ilesa, who went to fetch seawater to cure their father’s eye problem.

When she got to Ilesa, she met some aborigines led by an okro farmer called Babaonila. She instituted Obanla, a chieftaincy title. Later she became the Prime Minister of both Okemesi-Ekiti and Ilesa.

Her brother later joined her in Ilesa and became the Owa Obokun there. However, Oyelagbo decided to leave her brother to go to another place since both monarchs could not stay in the same place.

She eventually got to Apole or Ipole which she ruled, died and was succeeded by many children, some of who ruled the town after her.

Before finally settling down in the present location, the people migrated to other places. The people left Ipole for a more conducive land and due to the feeling of oppression from their Ijesa neighbors they kept migrating until they arrived at the present Okemesi.

The Ekiti parapo war was another major contribution in the migration of the people of Okemesi.

Oladunwo is the name of the most revered masquerade in Okemesi, an ancient town in the heart of Ekiti.

The celebration of Oladunwo cultural festival once every two years in the rustic and serene town of Okemesi is a uniting force for the people.

The festival transcends religion as indigenes come together to partake in the unveiling and departure of Oladunwo, ‘the human spirit’.

History has it that the Oladunwo festival saved the people of Okemesi during the Ekiti parapo war (1877-1893), which liberated the Ekitis from Ibadan hegemony.

According to oral literature, when Ibadan soldiers were about to attack Okemesi, the people ran to a place called Oke Agbonna for safety. Coincidentally, this was on the eve of Oladunwo festival.

Drumming, chanting and other rites in preparation of the festival scared Ibadan soldiers away as they thought that the people of Okemesi were ready for war. This is why the festival is highly respected and celebrated most of all Egungun festivals in Okemesi.

Ekiti parapo war was unarguably the most protracted war that plagued the Yoruba nation and it saw to it that the people never had rest. They kept migrating. During these migrations, they usually took the main crown with them.

On the appointed time for the final migration, only 37 people and a dog followed Oba Adeniyi Agodogbo Iyun to the present Okemesi. They however had to replicate quarters, which included Odowo, Ito, Odo Ese, Okerena and Ijana.”

About how the name, “Okemesi” came about, some claim that the name emerged from the hilly terrain of he town. There is a particular hill that when people climb it they get tired and are disgraced. Getting disgraced in Yoruba is ‘mesin’, so the town’s name is Oke imessin.

So, people used to say come to Oke where you would be disgraced or ‘mesin’ in Yoruba tongue, that is where this name Okemesi come from

No one dares unmask a masquerade as the punishment for such daring act is banishment from the town. This is why the town is also regarded as the town with the tradition of the “unmask masquerade”.

Women are also not permitted to see the masquerades when they come out without mask in the night. Any woman who violates this rule also gets her family in trouble by drawing the ire of the people of the town. Another unique feature of the town is that it is a community with high number of professors.

We enjoyed the historical tourism followed by Pounded yam with Bush meat in the evening. We joined Okemesi youth for Palm wine, light folk songs and more gist under a tree. We took plenty of photographs. For me it was because I wanted to be sure my camera was working well.

Expectations of the next day made sleep very light.

We set out the following morning to the foot of the hill. Music and dance made the atmosphere festive. People from different parts of the world came. Black, white and coloured, they came to see the white one. One American I met came to Okemesi for the same purpose as we did. He wanted to prove Ladunwo could be caught on Camera.

Then the crowd went into a frenzy as Oladunwo appeared on top of the hill flanked by priests and chiefs all clad in white.

Click Click Snap Snap.

My friend and I didn’t wait for the rest of the celebrations. We rushed to town to print our photographs.

First the films were “washed”.

When the prints came out we were shocked.

Everybody on the hill showed in the photographs printed. All except Oladunwo. The place where the Masquerade stood was blank.

Lanre did not allow me enjoy the rest of the trip and Patrick said if Oladunwo would show on anybody’s picture, it won’t be an Ibadan man.

So he kept his camera and went to Lagos to print.

He came back humbled.

I may consider going back to Okemesi to find out if Oladunwo has become camera-friendly.