The festival of the Olowo of Owo, held annually to commemorate Queen Oronsen, the wife of an ancient Olowo who is said to have turned into stone after her taboos were violated. During Igogo, all men of Owo plait their hair and dress as women in her honour, and the Olowo himself wears Oronsen's coral beads. It is one of the most distinctive gender-inverting festivals in Yorubaland.
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Tradition· Codex · Ritual
Igogo Festival
Owo Yoruba (Ondo State, Nigeria) · West Africa
