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The Yoruba Journey Through Life

Presented by the Niagara Artists CentreSummer 2009

Catalogue commemorating the exhibitionThe Yoruba Journey Through Life

ISBN 978-0-9780375-8-1©2009 Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catharines, ON Essays by Ayo Adewumi & Makinde AdeniranIntroductions by Stephen Remus & Vincent M. Del BuonoEdited by Jon Eben Field

Book design by Natasha Pedros & Stephen RemusLayout by Natasha PedrosPhotos & Illustrations by Ernest Harris Jr.

The tie-dyes that appear in this exhibition including that on the cover are the work of Kehinde Kesinro and other texile artists in Oshogbo.

Niagara Artists Centre354 St. Paul Street St. Catharines, ON L2R 3N2905 641 0331 nac.org

5 Director’s Message by Stephen Remus

6 Along Life’s Journey by Vincent M. Del Buono MFR

8 The Oracle Diary

10 In the Beginning

12 Animals

18 Yemoja

20 Journey Through Life

22 Royalty

26 Sango

28 Livelihood & Domestic Life

36 Harvest

40 Palmwine

44 Osun Oshogbo

46 Social Commentary

48 Egungun (Masquerade)

52 About the Artists

53 About the Curators

Table of Contents

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As the unity of the modern world becomes increasingly a technological rather than a social affair, the techniques of the arts provide the most valuable means of insight into the real direction of our own collective purposes.-Marshal McLuhan

Our near instantaneous access to information about our world has not lead to a shared understanding between its many cultures. Today, there are more conflicts based on ethnic and sectarian differences than ever before. Just as the advent of affordable long distance travel did not fulfill its potential to dissolve dangerous reefs of ignorance and served only to stretch sticky webs over every port of call designed to ensnare tourists, information technologies have been unable to expand understanding much beyond the many ubiquitous translations of “Add To Cart”.

For example, take the knowledge an average Niagaran might be able to muster about Nigeria. This region of the world has a human history dating to 9000 BC, is a nation containing one of the world’s largest populations, and an exploding economy. Before I began working on this exhibition, what little knowledge I could claim was derived through Afrobeat music and its founder Fela Kuti. This understanding is limited, to be sure, but it was derived, importantly, through an artistic export.

I was filled with excitement, then, when I had the opportunity to view Vincent Del Buono and Jennifer Pothier’s large collection of visual art work by contemporary Nigerian artists. Their enthusiasm for sharing these arts of Nigeria is infectious and I believe that the art collection has opened a true channel for widening understanding.

NAC seeks out uncommon opportunities to broaden understanding through the contemporary visual arts. I offer thanks to both Ayo and Makinde who became important allies and key support in helping to realize those ambitions through this exhibition.

Stephen RemusDirector of Programming and OperationsNiagara Artists Centre

Director’s Message

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‘Life is a journey’. My journey took me to Nigeria in April, 2002 as national coordinator for a British Council/UK Department for International Development Programme, Access to Justice, subsequently re-titled Security, Justice and Growth. My wife, Jennifer Pothier, joined me in Abuja that November. Two of my colleagues at the British Council’s office in Abuja, David Roberts and Catharine Chatham were experienced ‘Nigeria hands’ who coincidentally shared not only the same birthday, but also an intense passion for Nigerian art. These fellow travellers on our life’s journey introduced us to a large community of painters, sculptors, dyers, weavers, and wood carvers whom they had met previously in Nigeria. Artists came to our home in Abuja from all parts of the country, but those from Oshogbo, the spiritual and artistic centre of Yorubaland, were the most frequent visitors.

Early on in our five year sojourn in Nigeria, we met a textile artist named Kehinde Kesinro who brought his own tie-dyes and indigos as well as the works of others. Among the others was the work of Emmanuel Emvic, an illustrator as gentle and unassuming as his work is brilliant. Both are members of the vibrant artistic community that is Oshogbo.

In November 2002, Jennifer and I visited Oshogbo and Kehinde introduced us to the legendary Susanne Wenger, who is known as ‘Mama’ to Kehinde and by all those she had adopted. Susanne was an Austrian who went to Nigeria more or less by chance in 1950 at age 35. Soon after, she came into contact with a disappearing generation of Yoruba priests and was both received and integrated into the Obatala cultic life as a priestess, an olorisha with the name Adunni. We visited her in her three-story, Afro-Brazilian style house in Ala Ibokun Road where she was surrounded by her sculptures, batiks, oil paintings, and her many adopted children.

After our interview, one of her adopted sons named Shangodore who is a priest, batik artist, and herbalist guided us through the sacred groves on the perimeter of Oshogbo. ‘Mama’ and other artists of the New Sacred Art whom she has inspired and nurtured have protected the groves with sculptured walls, striking eclectic shrine structures, and fabulous sculptures as tall as trees. ‘Adunni’, ‘Mama’, Susanne Wenger left this mortal coil earlier this year and this exhibition is dedicated to her extraordinary memory.

Along Life’s Journey

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Yoruba culture is one of the richest in the world as it combines the Christian stories of the Bible with the complex pantheon of traditional Yoruba gods, their doings, and foibles (Emvic and Isola Folorunso’s illustrations of ‘Creation’ are artistic examples of this blending of cultural and religious influences). Yoruba culture still teaches about life and the ‘journey’ through fables. Emvic is especially adept at both capturing and transmitting this folk wisdom through his illustrations.

Jennifer and I are grateful to the Niagara Artists Centre, especially to Stephen Remus and Natasha Pedros, for combining the curiosity, creativity, and openness to the world required to put on this exhibition. Many others would not have had the same largeness of vision.

We are also grateful that Ayodele Adewumi, originally from Ekiti State, now of St. Catharines, and Makinde Adeniran, usually of Lagos, curated this exhibition as part of their life’s journey.

We are delighted that His Excellency Iyorwuese Hagher, OON, High Commissioner of Nigeria to Canada, Professor of Theatre, distinguished playwright, poet, and former Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate of the Federal Republic, could grace the launch of this book with his presence. The Deputy High Commissioner, Mrs. Ifeoma Chinwuba, a renowned author, has also been a special friend to this exhibition.

As in Emvic’s The Oracle Diary, one never knows on which squares the cowrie shells will fall when our future is divined.

Vincent M. Del Buono, MFREze OkaIwu the 1st of Abor, Enugu State andWakilin Sulhu, Dutse Emirate, Jigawa State

Vincent Del Buono and Jennifer Pothier

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The Oracle Diary

The beginning is as essential as the end for every Yoruba-born. This pattern is the dictate of Yoruba tradition. Destiny is the beginning; it is the pot which contains the choices, the rules, and both the achievements and failures fulfilled on earth. How destiny is achieved becomes an integral part of a person’s will power. This process is not an ephemeral belief. This life process is infused in the Yoruba system of livelihood through Ifa divination – ‘Ifa olokun as’oro d’ayo’.

In a contemporary way, Emvic has portrayed the traditional Yoruba Ifa belief of a child-naming ceremony. From the first contact of a child with the earth, the child’s destiny is put into play. In his presentation of this piece, Emvic deals with the possible imagery of destiny as a “pot” full of choices. Ifa divination is a key component of the Yoruba world view. In a traditional Yoruba belief system, Orunmila is the custodian of the Ifa practice and the intermediary between ‘Olodumare’ – God and gods. Only Orunmila knows the conversations between every human being and God or gods – ‘eleri ipin’. So regardless what was asked of God when coming to earth, only Orunmila, through Ifa consultation, can tell what will happen.

The seeking and sorting of the destiny of every child at birth was a crucial traditional ceremony. Whatever the child asked to become on earth of God, and how this choice was made could be known through Ifa consultation. The parents of the child are given insight into how to protect the child on the journey through life. But when there is a bad story about the child’s journey, the parents seek for a solution. If there is one, they are helped, but if there is no solution, both the parents and the child have to live with this ‘troubled’ destiny.

By depicting the Oracle’s diary, Emvic has drawn a cord connecting everyone to God through his appointed representatives. Through the vivid imagery of an artist peeping into God’s diary, we see the record of choices by individuals of different races, occupations, traditions, and cultures. This art piece attests to the saying: “God is all knowing.”

11Detail435 Creative Shapes from Oracle Diary – Emmanuel Emvic

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Every culture has a creation story. Creation stories are classical insofar as they define certain origin values for those living within that culture. Creation stories are primarily focused on the origins of male and female, with the problems inherent with this division according to different cultures. In this exhibition, through the artistic visions of Isola and Emvic, we can see how inspiration is drawn from the Yoruba creation mythology. In the book of Genesis in the Bible, we learn that: In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve and instructed them to live according to His rules in the Garden of Eden. But an important question to ask is: “Did they actually live in this manner?” While Emvic focuses on the subject with a single painting illustrating Adam and Eve, Isola did metal imprints according to three genealogies: 1) the creation of animals and greenery, 2) Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden being deceived by the serpent, and 3) the continuous creation of all other living things in female and male pairs. While human beings look at creation as primarily a reproductive process, religion dictates that it is essential to look at creation from a void totally beyond human comprehension. The moment when nothing was.

Adam and Eve are depicted nude across many cultures: Greek, Roman, European, Yoruba, etc. Emvic and Isola also recognize this nakedness as an important and foundational aspect of every human being: In nakedness we come, and so shall we return.

Greenery is another element that communicates across these works. Vegetation has stronger ties with the soil and constitutes the earth upon which all living creatures are settled. As greenery dies when removed from the earth, so the Yoruba believe that when any human being is ‘taken off’ the earth, that person is dead. Adam and Eve, greenery, and the earth are all strong elements of creation in Yoruba culture.

In the Beginning

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The First Couple on Earth – Emmanuel EmvicUntitled – Ishola Folorunsho

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Animals play a significant role in Yoruba cosmological beliefs. Traditional folk tales, more often than not, tell the story of ancient life when humans and animals lived together harmoniously and shared similar attributes. There are many folk tales involving different kinds of animals and their relationships with humans. These stories always end with either a moral lesson or an explanation of a particular phenomenon in the world. One folk tale explains why animals live in the jungle. The story relates the ambitious quest the animals made to become like humans. The animals took their request to be remade like humans to Olodumare, the creator of all things. Olodumare gave the animals a gourd filled with potion and instructed them to keep it for seven days before rubbing it all over their bodies. The animals were so happy that they began drinking, singing, dancing, and making merry for seven whole days. They were all drunk by the seventh day. In the frenzy of euphoric excitement about their anticipated transformation, they accidentally broke the gourd containing the potion and the contents began spilling onto the ground. The monkey was the luckiest as he was able to scoop up the tiny bit of potion left on the ground. He quickly rubbed it on his face, hands, and feet. This tale explains the close resemblance between monkeys and human beings. The shame of the animal conspiracy later made them move into the jungle, where they established an animal kingdom with the Lion as the king and all other animals as his subjects. This story relates the reason animals live in the jungle, as well as explains why monkeys bear a close resemblance to human beings, according to Yoruba culture.

The importance of the age-old relationship between human beings and animals is represented in the three pieces by the three Folorunshos. Each piece was made in a different time period and generational differences are apparent in the age and quality of the metals used by each artist as well as, to some extent, in their individual styles.

Emmanuel Emvic uses the traditional personification of animals in Yoruba folklore in two of his works: Tortoise the Farmer and Mr. Fool and Mr. Wise. In Tortoise the Farmer, Emvic depicts the tortoise as a Yoruba farmer, a common folk tale role, with a hoe on his shoulder, a machete dangling from his neck, the calabash of crops on

Animals

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his head, a palm wine tapper’s rope, and gourds of palm wine hanging on his shoulder. With Mr. Fool and Mr. Wise, Emvic captures the essence of the folk tale that recounts the tortoise’s journey around the world acquiring wisdom. The tortoise is gathering wisdom in a selfish bid to monopolize knowledge and be the wisest being on earth. After collecting all the wisdom in the world in a gourd, the tortoise decided to hide the gourd in a tree. He placed the gourd in front of his belly and made several attempts to climb the tree, but each time he fell down. A monkey standing nearby, who had been observing the ‘wisest being on earth’ attempt to climb a tree, moved closer to the tortoise and offered to help. The monkey told the ‘wise’ tortoise that the only way to climb the tree without falling down was to carry the gourd on his back. After initially laughing at the monkey for his foolish suggestion, the tortoise decided to give it a try. He was surprised, however, at how easy it was for him to climb the tree with the gourd on his back, as opposed to his front. With this revelation, he knew that no single being can possess all the wisdom on earth. In both anger and in recognition of his foolishness, he broke his so-called ‘gourd of wisdom.’

Both Emvic’s love for colour and his fascination with details are evident in The Jungle. In this work, he makes each monkey unique and distinctive by dressing them in traditional Yoruba outfits with matching hats and using the brilliant colours and designs as those found on the local textiles of the Yoruba people. In this collection, Emvic’s interest in birds is also deftly expressed through different forms in his impressive depictions entitled, The Sea Gull, Guinea Fowls, and Singing Birds.

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Mr. Fool and Mr.WiseMonkeys’ Playing Area

Tortoise the FarmerEmmanuel Emvic

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Untitled – Y. Folorunsho Singing Birds – Emmanuel Emvic

18 Guinea Fowl – Emmanuel Emvic

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Untitled – Toyin FolorunshoUntitled – Ishola Folorunsho

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In Yorubaland, Yemoja is known as the goddess of the seas and rivers. In other places like Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti, she appears as Yemanja or Yemaya, the mermaid deity who represents the maternal aspect of divinity. Yemoja in the Yoruba language means ‘yeye omo eja’. In English, this literally translates to ‘mother of fish,’ but has the actual meaning, ‘mother, whose children are as many as there are fish.’ Due to this meaning, she is shown reverence as a magnificently beautiful goddess of fertility with two large nurturing breasts. She is the amniotic fluid in the womb of a pregnant woman, the protector of little children, and the goddess of perseverance. The waves of the sea are an expression of her mood swings, indicating the oscillations of her feminine hormones in the life cycle. One aspect of Yoruba mythology claims Yemoja is the mother of all the other orishas. Therefore, it is not surprising that she is held in high esteem by her devotees and respected by all orisha worshippers. Presently, Yemoja is worshipped throughout the world, and in some parts of the world is known as Osumare, the goddess of the rainbow.

Living in the town Oshogbo on the bank of the river Osun, Toyin Folorunsho must have used his knowledge of the relationship between Yemoja and the goddess Osun as a a great source of inspiration for this particular piece. Yemoja’s association with the rainbow is also acknowledged with the appearance of a rainbow in the background of the piece.

Like many in Yoruba culture, Emvic believes that Yemoja is the same as Osumare, the goddess of the rainbow. His painting, The Rainbow Goddess depicts the conflict of identity between Yemoja and Osumare as Emvic’s rainbow goddess takes the form of a mermaid whose entire body is made of fish. Nevertheless, we still recognize a rainbow in the background, while the palette of the piece emphasizes the relationship with The Rainbow Goddess.

Yemoja

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Untitled – Toyin FolorunshoThe Rainbow Goddess – Emmanuel Emvic

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‘Irin ajo l’aye’. Life is a journey. According to Yoruba mythology, the gods and goddesses are intermediaries between men and God. They also indicate that life is simply one stretch of a journey for us all. Life has different branches as it concerns different individuals; in other words, ‘aragbe l’aye,’ as one odu-Ifa says: “Life is a given.” This odu-Ifa tells the story of Eda and his many woes, not only through life, but from the very start of creation. In the beginning, it was just Eda and Eledumare (God), sorting out Eda’s journey to life, and through life until death. According to Yoruba belief, for every creation: there is a journey, there is an agreement, there is a fulfillment, and there is a buying, all of which creation must try to accomplish. Within this belief-system, human beings supposedly will strive for survival at all times. Often when we scrutinize what is happening around the world, we console ourselves with a Biblical phrase: Nothing is brought to the world and nothing shall we return with. Except that we must make this journey whether we fail or succeed in it.

Isola and Emvic’s illustrations coincide in representational symbols. A long canoe indicates the journey, while all other representations of earthly existence (i.e. the birds as sky, the reptiles as the Earth, the fish as river) are strikingly similar. These illustrations confirm the Yoruba reality that links every man, woman, animal, and spirit to a singular belief in both destiny and the necessity of its fulfillment.

Not all stories have a good ending. Not all of creation lives according to the rules or the agreements entered upon. But the binding factor is that all of creation strives to make the journey. Emmanuel Emvic’s painting, The Blessed Voyage shows that some of the men in the canoe are lucky to have caught a big fish, while others are about to catch a fish. The canoe indicates that time waits for no one in its continual passage. The image is clearly depicted on the metal sheet by Isola Folorunsho entitled, Life is a Journey. The images on the sheet are quite revealing, as Isola depicts the faces of the humans in his canoe according to their fate. Although it looks almost like a family travelling to a celebration, upon looking deeper, Isola’s metal sheet reveals a level of meaning far profound than can be ascertained from a brief survey.

Journey Through Life

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Untitled – Ishola FolorunshoThe Blessed Voyage – Emmanuel Emvic

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The King is a very important figure in Yoruba culture and tradition. In the past, the king was the political, spiritual, judicial, social, and economic head of his people. The King was the final authority on all issues and the custodian of customs and traditions. However, in modern times, The King has been relieved of most of his powers by governmental institutions. A King is often referred to as ‘Kabiyesi’ meaning, ‘He whose authority must not be questioned’, or ‘Igbakeji orisha’, which means, ‘He who is second only to the gods’.

The portrayal of royalty is very common in Yoruba traditional art forms. This tendency derives from the cultural sense of respect for tradition and authority. In these pieces, the essence of royalty is captured in these brilliant pieces by the three Folorunshos. In each of these pieces, the King is presented in his royal regalia, including symbols of his authority like the crown on his head and the horsetail in his hand. There is a popular Yoruba saying, ‘There is no honour for a King without a Queen.’ This statement provides insight into why each of these artists placed the wife/wives beside the King. Another prominent figure and significant symbol for royalty in the pieces is the ‘praise singer.’ The ‘praise singer’ is the man with the bugle whose job is to constantly praise King, either through verbal chanting or by blowing on his bugle. The five pieces in this collection are another presentation of the three generations of Folorushos deliberately juxtaposed to show the artistic similarities and styles when treating the same theme.

Emvic presents three works concerning the ceremonies of Chieftaincy. Each work, Receiving King’s Blessing, Awarding Chieftaincy Titles, and The Chieftaincy Title Ceremony, represents one of the basic functions of royalty and a core tradition of the Yoruba people: the act of bestowing Chieftaincy titles on worthy and deserving subjects. This process could be based on rights of traditional custom through lineage, or by merit as a mark of honor and appreciation. Emvic’s works highlight the most significant moment in the ceremony when the King places his horsetail on the new chief ’s head as a sign of blessing. The presence of drummers and a crowd in each of these scenes creates the powerful suggestion of celebration. In The Chieftaincy Title Ceremony, the green leaves beneath the chief ’s hat are known as ‘Ewe Akoko’. These ceremonial leaves are a very important traditional symbol used during chieftancy and coronation ceremonies.

Royalty

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The Chieftaincy Title Ceremony – Emmanuel EmvicUntitled – Y. Folorunsho

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Untitled – Ishola FolorunshoUntitled – Ishola Folorunsho

Receiving King’s Blessings – Emmanuel Emvic

27Awarding Chieftaincy Titles – Emmanuel EmvicUntitled – Toyin Folorunsho

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Sango was the legendary third king of the great and ancient Oyo Empire, who was later deified as the god of thunder, lightning and energy. Myth has it that he was a son of Yemoja and history has it that Osun the water goddess, was one of his three wives. As a king, he brought prosperity to his kingdom, and as a skirt wearing warrior king, he was equally feared and respected by his subjects and enemies due to his ability to emit fire from his mouth when angry. He is also one of the most prominent and most widely worshipped of all the gods. His devotees can be found not only in Yorubaland, but also in far away places such as Brazil, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad and Venezuela. Sango’s symbol of authority is a wooden carved double-headed axe, known in the traditional parlances as ‘Ose’. It represents swift and balanced justice. Sango is also referred to as the entertainment god of the arts of dancing and drumming.

These two pieces by the Folorunshos depicts the grandeur of Sango. Despite some differences in individual representation by both artists, one can still observe that the royalty of Sango is not undermined. Both artists presented Sango as the warrior king by adorning him in his war skirt and holding on to his ‘Ose’. One of the pieces even shows fire coming out of his mouth. The relationship between Sango and Osun makes him an inspiring subject for the Folorunshos based on their tribal affiliation with Osun.

Emvic’s The Chief Traditional Drummer can be seen from the aspect of a tribute to Sango. This work depicts a drummer playing on a ‘bata’ drum, a drum mainly attributed to Sango, and an integral instrument in the worship of the god of thunder and lightning.

Sango

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Untitled – Toyin FolorunshoUntitled – Y. FolorunshoThe Chief Traditional Drummer – Emmanuel Emvic

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When a good leader rules, the lives of the ruled flourish. The clouds grow dark with rain which will soften the soil for a good harvest. Rivers grow rich with fish for fishermen. Elders recount tales when the moonlight shines. Cultural festivals are celebrated in their time. Pregnancies are delivered into safe hands. Children respect their parents. The parents in their turn offer them a life-time prayer. Recreational games like Ayo, gidigbo, ere osupa are played. Buyers and sellers in the markets reap their benefits. These are ways that the lives of the ruled flourish.

The artists (Y. Folorunsho, Isola Folorunsho, Toyin Folorunsho and Emmanuel Emvic) depict the ordinary flourishing life of the Yoruba people in paintings and imprints on metal sheets. The men provide for the family, the wives complement the husbands by taking care of the home, including feeding the family, while the children rejoice in wholesomeness. This harmonious experience is the essence of the joy humans celebrate in living. The art works also take other aspects of livelihood as a potential aspect for the fulfillment of life.

Domestic life is a strong component of livelihood among the Yoruba people. A life without potential, or ohun alumoni aye, is a wasted one, or emi yepere. Amongst the Yoruba people, a strong notion of domestic life becomes a relevant element of governance. In the old Oyo empire, the Alaafin of Oyo was revered as the iku baba yeye, alase ekeji orisa – “the one death deemed fit enough for all, he whose command is second only to the gods.” Even the Alaafin, as a family man, dared not curtail the domestic activities embedded in life. The Yoruba people use these cultural values as a way of measuring their relationships with other tribes or races when the need arises.

Livelihood & Domestic Life

31Untitled – Ishola Folorunsho

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Prayer for the TwinsThe Moonlight TalesEmmanuel Emvic

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The Child DreamAn Indigo Woman From OshogboChild Care at Oracle ClinicsEmmanuel Emvic

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Home is the Best Child Care at Herbal ClinicWrestle in my Mama Village

Emmanuel Emvic

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Ayo Game Naming Ceremony in Yoruba Land Emmanuel Emvic

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The Moonlight TalesChild’s Care at Babalawo Clinic

Emmanuel Emvic

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Village LifeVillage Life Under Palm TreeEmmanuel Emvic

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The prayer on every Yoruba farmer’s lips is: T’odun ba de, ka k’ere oko. Amin o... or, ‘Our harvest shall be bountiful every year.’ The artists here recreate a past time when the Yoruba’s main livelihood came only from farming. The Yoruba idea of hard work stems from the quality of a family’s harvest every year. A good harvest is the bedrock of any stable community. And except when there is a problem, either spiritually or physically, as a result of bad weather or governance affecting domestic life, a good harvest guarantees a good life for the community.

In Egypt of the Bible when Joseph’s dream saved Pharaoh and the entire kingdom from impending famine, harvests were stored away so that the land would not witness unprecedented chaos from food shortages. Farming and harvesting are so crucial to Yoruba society that these cycles have become a part of our calendar. Festivals are usually organized to mark the crucial month of harvest. When these harvests fail, it is a sign of a problem. If the spiritual or physical problem is not dealt with through sacrifices or appeasement to the gods (especially to Orisa oko, the god of harvest) the kingdom or government will fall.

Harvest is a very strong ‘chain’ in the connection of a Yoruba community. The special attention paid it by Isola Folorunsho demonstrates both the strength of this chain and its role in Yoruba culture. The metal inscription used by Isola is quite unique, but the images have a familiar resonance throughout the world. Harvesting is the last task in in the cycle of farming activities, but it is more important than all others because farming is not useful without harvest. These pieces of metal work also depict the business that cycle of harvest brings into the Yoruba community.

Harvesting is an industry. The economic power of a country or an individual can be built primarily through harvesting farm produce. Isola’s metal inscription gives one graphic detail of farmers carrying baskets of harvests and shows how people can create this wealth.

With this belief system, the Yoruba people can accept harvesting, either domestically or economically, as a crucial ritual, not only as means to sustain livelihood, but as an essence of Olodumare – the omnipotent God.

Harvest

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Women’s Role in AgricultureA Couple Farmer Emmanuel Emvic

40 Untitled – Ishola Folorunsho

41Untitled – Ishola Folorunsho

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Good palm wine is an attribute of a good harvest. Traditionally, the Yoruba people know no other drink for celebration, except emu. In this way celebration, merriment, and parties cannot happen without palm wine. The history of this popular wine amongst the Yorubas dates back to the birth of Ogun, the Yoruba god of war and iron. Ogun is the warrior-king who discovered palm wine, who was also a hot tempered fighter. Ogun defended his people in the town of Ire, but since he was easily provoked, he ended up killing the same people he loved so dearly. Palm wine mythologically represents the fierceness of Ogun.

Palm wine is harvested from palm-trees and comes in two forms: Oguro and Sepete. Sepete is very sweet, but it intoxicates a person with just two cups, while Oguro has a sour taste, but makes its drinker just a little tipsy. Both are used in making offerings to the gods, and especially to Ogun, the god of war and iron. Those who know the sad and humble story of Ogun and palm wine respect the relationship between the two. As time passed, other form of wines began to surface among the Yorubas, but the myth surrounding Ogun would not let the story of palm wine die.

In those days, people preserved palm wine in a gourd. As a result, the gourd has become the symbol of palm wine even today. The constant use of gourds and palm-trees in the metal art works refers to the intrinsic relations between the gourd, palm trees, and palm wine. The three metal imprints chronicle the images of three different generations in the Folorunsho family and communicate the joy that comes from palm wine. Isola is the son and his son Toyin, the grandson, of Y. Folorunsho a master artist.

Currently, palm wine has become a strong part of a family’s livelihood. People sell palm wine. In order to get palm wine, the tapper must climb to the top of the tree to get the drink, while exercising patience in filling the gourd. Filling a gourd takes several days. Spirits and hard alcohol drunk in the West can be distilled from palm wine. When palm wine is boiled on a fire and the vapour is collected, it forms as a spirit. The drink is highly intoxicating and can burn the intestine if not diluted before drinking.

Strong elements of Yoruba culture persist from generation to generation of artists, despite the changes brought about through globalization.

Palmwine

43Local Wine Collectors – Emmanuel Emvic

44Palm Wine Tapper – Toyin Folorunsho

The Blessed Palmwine Tapper – Emmanuel Emvic

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Untitled – Ishola FolorunshoUntitled – Y. Folorunsho

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Osun Oshogbo is an annual social and spiritual festival which takes place in Oshogbo town in Yorubaland. The festival celebrates Osun, the water goddess who transformed herself into a river instead of dying. Myth indicates that among all the initial gods that ‘Olodumare, the Creator’ sent to earth, she was the only female. Like Yemoja, Osun also has the powers of fertility and is able to grant favours. Every year, her devotees converge at the river to give thanks for favours received in the previous year, and offer sacrifice for things they expect in the coming year. People from all over the world come as worshippers, initiates, tourists, or observers. In a way, this shows the two sides of the Osun Oshogbo as both a propitiatory and celebratory festival.

Isola Folorunsho, a resident of Oshogbo town, who has been part of many of these celebrations, encapsulates the essence of the festival in this beautiful piece. Starting with the Osun priests, priestesses, and devotees, and the 16 lamps lit at the beginning of the festival to symbolize the 16 corpora of ‘ifa’ divination, he also depicts the procession with the King on a horse accompanied by his entourage, and the townspeople on their way to the river. Subsequently, he introduces us to ‘Arugba – the Calabash Carrier,’ who also happens to be the most significant person of the entire festival. Not only does Arugba carry the big calabash containing the major sacrifice to the river, she must also be a virgin to perform this duty. At the bottom of this piece is the final stage of the festival, which is the actual offering of the sacrifice. The sacrifice is poured into the river, while Isola has chosen a big fish as a representation of Osun to accept the sacrifice. One of the companion pieces shows the16 lamps and an Osun acolyte, while the ‘Calabash Carrier’ is depicted alone in the other.

In An Ancient Osun Calabash Carrier, Emvic’s emphasis is focused on the spiritual nature of Osun and her relationship with water and fish. This concern can be easily observed in the use of fish to “make up” the calabash carrier’s outfit.

Osun Oshogbo

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An Ancient Oshun Calabash Carrier – Emmanuel EmvicUntitled – Ishola Folorunsho

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In some of his works, Emvic treats contemporary issues while continuing to strictly adhere to a traditional style of painting. In The Politicians that Fly Away with Our Money, he portrays how corruption in both politics and the government in Nigeria impacts the masses. Emvic creates a powerful visual argument condemning the politicians who are voted into power by the people, but end up serving their personal interests over the people who supported their bid for office. These officials deplete the national treasury and fly all over the world stashing their loot in foreign banks, while the Nigerian people suffer. Emvic depicts the politicians flying away in a helicopter with money in their hands; one politician is even clutching a briefcase with a dollar sign on it. The design of their caps indicate that they are representatives of the major tribes in Nigeria: Yoruba, Hausa and Ibo. The fourth man may represent the remaining minority tribes because, in the corrupt politics of the country, everyone is involved. Below the politicians are the downtrodden masses. While some are begging for their rights, like the woman with a baby on her back, others are protesting or fighting for theirs with guns and machetes. Some look on helplessly, while others drink away their lives in order to escape reality, and there are even those who are too weak to stand on their own feet..

Water Scarcity, deals with one of the most significant problems in Nigeria. Despite the abundance of rivers and lakes throughout the country, many people still lack potable drinking water. Most of the smaller towns and villages lack pipe-borne water, while water taps in the bigger towns and cities operate erratically. Rich people sink bore holes in their compounds, while the poor resort to wells, ponds, and streams as water sources. In this painting, Emvic shows a woman kneeling and filling a pot of water in her hand, while another carries a pot on her head, and there are fish poking their heads out of the water. In the background, there are other women coming to fetch water, and another woman with a baby tied to her back who is going home with a pot filled with water on her head.

Social Commentary

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The Politicians That Fly Away With Our MoneyWater ScarcityEmmanuel Emvic

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The egungun is very symbolic in the Yoruba traditional belief system. Among the Yorubas, the cosmological understanding of human existence revolves around the trilogy of the world of the living, the world of the dead, and the world of the unborn. The egunguns are representatives of the dead among the living as the physical manifestations of the spirit of the ancestors. Egunguns, therefore, are referred to as ‘ara orun’, or, ‘the people from heaven’. This heaven is not necessarily a Judeo-Christian heaven, but includes the world beyond, the world of the spirits, and the land of the dead. The egunguns come out to entertain and bless the people who, in return, offer them money and send messages through the egunguns to their departed ones. There are many kinds of egunguns with different attributes and functions. There are entertainers who come out during the annual egungun festival, while there are others associated with certain religious rites and rituals who return at specific times. The occasion could happen once in every seven years, or occur during coronation or burial rites of a king. Some egunguns are friendly, while others look dreadful and wild. Other egunguns are associated with particular families, while others still are communally linked to Yoruba culture. The Egungun festival is one of the annual social and spiritual celebrations common to the Yorubas. What is known today as Yoruba Theatre was derived from egungun performances.

In this collection of egunguns, Ishola Folorunsho presents different egunguns in their full regalia based on their type. In one of the pieces, we see the egungun dancing with a couple which is a sign of celebration.

Emvic’s piece, King’s Masquerade, depicts a fierce and scary looking masquerade carrying a calabash of fire on his head. While in Eleleture, he presents a friendlier and mellow looking masquerade who is an entertainer with a drummer and crowd of admirers, as seen in the many eyes behind him.

Egungun (Masquerade)

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Eleleture Masquerade King’s Masquerade Emmanuel Emvic

52 Untitled - Ishola Folorunsho

53Untitled - Ishola Folorunsho

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The Artists

Emmanuel EmvicMr. Ogunniran Kolawole Emmanuel popularly known as “Emvic” was born in 1958 at Ada in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State. He was born into the Christian family of Mr. Ogunniran Israel and Mrs. Dorcas Ogunniran (Nee Abraham).

Emvic had his primary education at Saint Andrew Primary School, Ada, 1967-1973 and his secondary education in at Secondary Commercial Grammar School, Ada, 1974-1979. Between 1980-1983, “Emvic”

did further art studies at the Institute of Textile Technology Art and Design affiliated to Yaba College of Technology, Lagos where he received his National Diploma (N.D) in Graphic Art and Textile Design.

He then settled in Oshogbo training with famous world artist Chief Twins Seven Seven. He worked with him between 1987-1992 before establishing his own residence in Oshogbo which he subsequently developed as a cultural embassy and gallery compound. He is now Curator of “Emvic Art Gallery” Oshogbo situated at No 14, Fadare Avenue Ota Efun Area Oshogbo, Osun State. P.O. Box 395, Oshogbo.

Ishola Folorunso“I, Mr Ishola Folorunso was born in Oshogbo in 1949 in the house Gbodupe Compound in Oshogbo. I was trained under my master Asiru Olatunde from Gbodupe Compound as well. I live in Oshogbo with my wife and the children.

Mama Adunni Olorisa, the devote of Osun worshiper was among the people who inspired me and encourage me of this work and introduce me to her colleagues whenever they visit her. I have participated

in so many exhibition here in Nigeria like Goethe Institute, Alliance France, Germany exhibition, American exhibition and so on. I worked with Ayo Idibo at the National Theatre Lagos. I found myself happy whenever I am doing my hardwork.”

The Curators

Ayo Adewumi Ayo Adewumi studied philosophy at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. After concluding his master’s degree program, he went further with his postgraduate studies, obtaining a postgraduate diploma in Theatre Arts from the same university, specializing in directing and media production. After working professionally in the theatre, television and film industries in Nigeria as an actor and a director, Ayo migrated to Canada in 2004 and did a postgraduate program in documentary film production at Humber College, Toronto. He has since worked on some stage plays, documentaries and feature films.

Ayo currently works for the Shaw Festival Theatre. He is married to Carrie and they have two kids, Tyrese and Tayo, and a new baby, Omotola.

Makinde Adeniran Makinde Adeniran hails from Ogun State in Nigeria, graduated as a Directing student from Obafemi Awolowo University and has since then directed notable plays-: Death And The King’s Horseman, Who’s Afraid Of Solarin, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat, Jesus Super Star Khaki–A–Go-Go, Ajantala, Odun-Ifa, Tai, The Gods Are Not To Blame, Wedlock Of The Gods, Muje-Muje, A Resting Place (FESTINA 2004), Opera Wonyosi (MUSON festival 2005), Open Your Eyes (NAFEST 2007, Ogun state

artistic director) In the quest for documentation of his personal experiences and researches through life, writing plays became a veritable tool in the hands of Makinde to combat societal ills. He has written some plays: Abiku (An adaptation of Ben Okri’s “The Famished Road”), Beggars’ Opera, Agbara, Sodom And Kolombia, (still in progress) Abinibi (A memoir – also in progress), Alamori (the play that represented Nigeria in the Cairo International Experimental Theatre Festival 2005) I Confess, and several other HIV/AIDS drama skits. Makinde has worked with reputable organizations like BBC (Voices) Mo’ment (An M-NET talk show) and individuals in the theatre and literary circle across the world.

Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) is a not-for-profit, charitably registered, member-driven collective formed by and dedicated to serving the working artists and community of Niagara. Founded in 1969 as a collective of working artists, NAC is one of the oldest artist-run organizations in Canada.

NAC gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council,the City of St. Catharines, and Ontario Trillium Foundation.