ALAPANSANPA: IBADAN MASQUERADE FOR WAR AND PEACE
ALAPANSANPA: IBADAN
MASQUERADE FOR WAR AND PEACEAlapansanpa is a masquerade of the Ibadan people known for
importance both in war and in peace.
Egungun is very important in Ibadan land because it is the
father of all spirit beings involved in the many wars and battles of the Ibadan warlords. The Yoruba believe that Egungun was the first
creature sent to the world by God. He was sent to help humans solve their
challenges. One of them is the highly revered masquerade in Ibadan,
Alapansanpa.
Egungun is the Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure
connected with ancestor reverence. They represent the spirits of ancestors who
have long gone. Hence they are referred to as “Ara Orun”, those who dwell in
the heavens. These Ara Orun are believed to be in constant watch over their
descendants on Earth.
Egunguns are seen in peace time at appointed periods called “Odun Egungun”
(Egungun Festivals) and on special occasions for special purposes. In
calamitous situations the Egungun may be invoked to appease the gods for
reprieve.
The Egungun festival depicts the holistic nature of the
totality of visual arts, crafts, and the performing arts as well as an
embodiment of the philosophy of the people in their communal essence.
Egungun festival is celebrated as festivals and rituals
through the masquerade.
Ibadan is well known for masquerade festivals than all the
other places in Yoruba land.
This is attributable to its history of warriors. Some masquerades were used during warfare in times past. Such masquerades include Oloolu, Alapansanpa, Obadimeji, etc.
During the yearly masquerade festival in Ibadan, members of
the Ogundeji family form a procession from their compound to the Palace of the
Olubadan (the King of Ibadan land) and round the town.
Part of the festival rites is the use of ore (a slender
stick) which the men among them use to beat each other to test their endurance.
It is said that no other masquerade is permitted to make a procession on the same
day with Alapansanpa in order to avoid clashes. Alapansanpa is considered one
of the most powerful of all Masquerades.
During the Yoruba civil wars (1793–1893), Alapansanpa and
many other senior masquerades, including Oloolu, Abidielege, Agbo Ogede,
Atipako, and Obadimeji collectively accompanied Ibadan warriors on their
military campaigns, particularly against the Ijebus and the Egbas to the south
and their bitterest enemies, the Ijesas and the Ekitis, as well as the Fulani
Jihadists stationed at Ilorin to the north.
Its former custodian Asimiyu Ogundeji stated that the Ogundeji family is responsible for the worship of the masquerade. According to him, the Alapansanpa masquerade was used in the past to fight and win many wars in and outside Ibadan.
This masquerade is a renowned one and its importance to
Ibadan cannot be over emphasised. It comes out once in a year, and it must go
to the Olubadan palace where he whips the Olubadan with his whip three times
before the Olubadan in turn blesses him with gift and other items.
“If he doesn’t go to the Olubadan Palace, there will not be peace and prosperity in the land and that means the Olubadan is a bad person” he said.
Ogundeji listed items that are used for its rituals to
include Kolanut, bitter-kola, plam oil, salt, ram, cornmeal, among others. The
choice of velvet (aran or mosaaji) as a highly celebrated and exotic product
goes back several generations, to the founding of Ibadan, particularly during
the garrison era when Iba Oluyole reigned supreme in the cosmopolitan city.
On the taboo attached
to this masquerade, it is believed that no woman must enter his power house and
if any woman enters his power house during menstruation, such woman may die or
may be barren for life.
Renowned for its high activity and hundreds of followers,
the Alapansanpa makes several rounds around the town amid dancing and singing
and poetic chants (oriki).
A more recent popular song chanted by the followers and
admirers of Alapansanpa:
“Alapansanpa ‘o dele Olubadan, Ibadan o f’araro”
“There is no respite in Ibadan until Alapansanpa visits
Olubadan, the ruler” (English translation)
Alapansanpa is hardly ever without some drama whenever it makes its yearly appearance in the city of Ibadan.
It was widely reported in the local newspapers in June 2009
that a woman had sued the masquerade, alleging that she had lost some of her
personal property, including a stethoscope, a cell phone etc. The otherworldly
visitor was allegedly arraigned and subsequently granted bail by the Chief
Magistrate’s court on a three-count charge of assault, stealing, and willful
damage to property.
The entire fiasco was treated as a huge travesty, greatly
derided and ridiculed, because no reasonable person could evidently prosecute
such a faceless, ubiquitous entity in a court of law.
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