Olaniyi Akindiya (Akirash)

The Egungun Masquerade festival is celebrated by adherents of the traditional religion in Southwest Nigeria, who believe that their ancestors reincarnate and pay them regular visits to bless them. The yearly festival is marked with pomp and pageantry. Egungun, as the ancestors are called, come decked in colorful costume, accompanied by loud drumbeats and song and speak in guttural voices to give the impression that they are not ordinary beings. People who are childless, sick or possessed of demons are prayed for. Farmers take their harvests to the king’s palace to be blessed by the Egungun before eating or selling them.

This project involves the creation of masquerade costumes and masks from traditional materials, incorporating symbols and patterns from cultures around the world including, but not limited to, Ghana (Adinkran), Nigeria (Uli, Arewa), South Africa (Ndebele), Cameroon (Bamuleke), Australia (Aboriginal), New Zealand (Mauri), and New Mexico (Pueblo).

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.