2011 IGOGO FESTIVAL IN OWO

Igogo festival held on the 22nd September 2011
Olowo of Owo celebrates Igogo, festival of love
The annual Igogo festival was held recently in remembrance of Oronshen the Queen of Olowo Regenjen who reigned about 600years ago .Taiwo Abiodun was there
His ankles , wrists and neck were adorned with special coral beads meant for his status as a royal father. Attached on his head are three beautiful white peacock feathers called urere okin which are as white as snow while the hair on his head glitter like silver . The monarch was dressed in his traditional regalia of ewu okun royal ornamental beads . The traditional ruler who doubled as the chief celebrant was the cynosure of all. He rested his stretched beaded hands on two of his chiefs and would once in a while bring out his own special iron metal gong and beat it then recite some words , while he would be greeted with loud ovation. The retinue of his chiefs would shower his praises and prayers on him with total respect and in ecstatic cry : Ologho Baba O! Waa rehin odi , Orisa ma dimi se Ologho![Our Great monarch , may you conquer your enemies].That was the celebration of the Igogo festival held in the ancient town of Owo in Ondo state penultimate week.
As the monarch walked majestically from the inner chamber of the palace , the specially designed beautiful big umbrella meant for the royal father covered him from the sun. Yes, he was with a retinue of chiefs and female priests all dressed in immaculate white.
Once in a while men and women would be on their kneels , stretched their hands and chanted panegyrics and showered praises on him while he too would respond with his infectious smile. That is His Royal Majesty Oba David Victor Folagbade Olateru – Olagbegi III, the Olowo of Owo..
In fact, most of the celebrants were male chiefs , celebrating the annual Igogo festival in which the male chiefs wear females clothes. The males wore female clothes as some tied wrappers, skirts and blouses .Not only this, their hair on their heads were either permed , or weaved .Some plaited their hair while others twisted their hair in Bob Marley’s style. What more ?, they padded their buttocks and made them rotund like a woman’s .They decorated their bodies with ornamental coral beads of different make on their necks , ankles and wrists. The beads shone and make sounds as they danced along .
Children were not left out as they too joined and used sticks as drum, singing songs and dancing along with them.
The Olowo of Owo showed the radiance of a great monarch. And as the king paid obeisance at the King’s Market[Oja Oba] and led a powerful traditional song and displayed powerful oratory and prayers expected from a king. His admirers and spectators went into frenzy. They all danced along in the beautiful golden coloured of the afternoon sun shone on him . It was his day.
Igogo festival started over 600years ago. The story of Igogo festival started from a powerful king- Olowo Rengenjen who reigned then and innocently married a goddess Moore Oronshen . The Queen who was suspected to have supernatural power was loved by the King for her beauty , and of course for the development and cultural contributions she brought to the town during the monarch’s glorious reign . Her behaviour was strange and as a stranger and a woman with supernatural power, she demanded for privacy and it was granted and a room was given to her due to the love the king had for her .The strange woman , Oronshen later confided in the king that she was not an ordinary human being and would find it difficult to live with people, she then pleaded to him not to violate her taboos which she mentioned ’’ no firewood should be thrown down in her presence , water should not be splashed and spices must not be cut in her presence.’’ These instructions were kept secret from other wives and for the love the monarch had for her a special room was given to her .What surprised the king was that each time the woman passed excreta there come expensive coral beads that made the king rich and prosperous .That was how she brought development and wealth to the town and the king thus she became the king’s favourite the more..
The story continued ‘’out of hatred and jealousy the other wives of the Olowo Rengenjen discovered that the love he had for the strange woman superseded theirs .
Then one day the wives conspired and a trap was set as they made their husband drink wine into stupor and asked her many questions and probed into his favourite’s wife affairs of which he revealed unconsciously, having being drunk. He out of his then revealed everything about the woman and also her taboos to one of the wives who later alerted others and exposed the secret .
One day when the monarch went on hunting expedition the wives collaborated and broke the taboos by splashing water and spices and of course threw bundle of firewood in her presence ..All these were done to the annoyance of the Queen and the woman, Oronshen fled from the palace into Igbo Ulaja [Ulaja Bush] where she disappeared to till this day.
The story went on that when the king arrived and discovered what had happened he instructed his Palace guards[Ayoyo] to go out and search for her .The palace guards went with the king to search for her but unfortunately while searching for her only her head tie was found but her voice was heard , crying . She narrated all what happened telling the king what happened .For the love he had for the woman the monarch pleaded with her to return but she made him realised it that it was too late as her taboos had been broken and could not come back again. In return of the love to the monarch she asked the monarch to be observing Igogo festival by mimicking her dressing by plaiting hair ,dressing her and using the coral beads .She warned that during the festival there should not be booming of the guns , beating the leather drum and caps and head ties should not be worn by males and females during the annual celebration , all these should be observed in her memory and the town would progress.
On their way back home the palace guards brought the head tie home and armed with canes with the intention to deal with the rest of the queens. Thus, today we see the Ayoyos who are the Iloros , holding their canes during the festival and would go to Ulaja bush , to offer sacrifice .
gifts.’’
The Olowo of Owo showed his love for the people gave out gifts items like yam , drinks and other items to those who came to rejoice with him too.
Speaking on the festival, the monarch described it as celebration of love ,’’ it is celebration of love and it is intertwined with the Age grade festival[Ero] which is celebrated every nine years.’’
On whether the festival is fetish, the monarch said ‘’ it is a tradition and part of our culture. The town has its chief priest ,Adelanke Ajana who does the necessary rites .We need to respect our tradition and culture ‘’.