Attend the Ojude Oba Festival through the colourful lens of a photographer

The morning preparations

My photographer friend and I woke up to a call around 7:30 am on Friday, June 30, 2023. My client, Prince Adedoyin Alatishe, a member of the family I was going to photograph, told us to leave our hotel and come to the stables. So we went to the stables to see horses who appeared majestic and strong.

The horses in the morning being prepared for the festival [Instagram/@o'banks_wills @kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

Horseback riding and horse displays are important parts of the Ojude Oba Festival. I was convinced horses were going to be a huge part of the event and my day.

There are many family houses involved in the Ojude Oba Festival. My friend and I were covering different family houses, so we soon split up, and I headed for the Balogun Alatishe family house.

At the family house, the band and the drummer who play the talking drum were seated there, but they weren’t playing anything yet; they were just busy eating breakfast. I was also served bread and eggs before the activities of the day began.

Different family members and friends of the family came from different parts of Nigeria and even the world to attend the festival.

Uniformity is important during the festival [Instagram/ @obanks_wills / @kingbelaire ] Pulse Nigeria

Outside the Alatishe compound, some people were dressing the horses. Everyone had the same colourful Ankara outfit, even me — there has to be uniformity among the family members and everyone walking with them.

I started by taking some pictures of the people sitting, and the band also got to work by playing different Yoruba praise songs.

Music and dance is an essential part of the festival [Instagram/@obanks_wills/@kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

Some old women came out to sing their praises, so wealthy family members would spray them with money, while others got ready for the big event to come, and more family members came to join them at the family compound.

The riders

The riders are special people at the Ojude Oba Festival — special enough that they have their own unique aso-oke. Horseback riding is not for beginners because it’s taboo to fall off the horse. So, if you are a rider and have your own horse, you will be allowed to perform and display; but it’s useful to be very skilled since you have to do different stunts.

Horseback riding is an important aspect of the festival [Instagram/@o'banks_wills/@kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

The typical Yoruba family unit is large, with many groups and clans within it. The Ojude Oba Festival welcomes everyone — aunties, uncles, mothers, fathers, age groups, representatives, everyone. I took pictures of all of them.

The procession

When all the family members had arrived and were dressed, we walked to the burial place of their clan’s progenitor and ancestor, Alatishe himself. They paid homage to him and prayed that as they were going out, he should go with them. They prayed that no one would get hurt, that their family’s horses don’t fall, and that they would be able to return next year. Muslims and Christians did their own prayers.

The procession to the king's forecourt [Instagram/ @o'banks_wills/ @kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

Gunshots fired into the air finalised these prayers as the riders got on their horses for the procession to the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium which is in front of the Oba’s Palace, where the festival usually takes place. On our way there, musical instruments were played and people danced. I took pictures of the town’s central mosque and one of its biggest churches so close to each other — the duality of the Yorubas when it comes to religion is like no other.

The main presentation

Ojude Oba means the king's forecourt; the stadium is opposite the palace of the Oba Awujale of Ijebu Land, Sikiru Adetona, who’s a central figure in the revelry of the Ojude Oba Festival.

On our arrival at the stadium, we waited for a couple of people who were higher in the hierarchy of the Alatishe family so they could make their presentations to the dignitaries. Age grade is a very important part of the celebration; people in the same age grade are called regberegbe.

On the field, there was a group of judges to score the presentations of the competing families. They are scored based on the largest of the crowd, uniformity, number of horses and behaviour of riders.

There were so many gunmen from different families shooting into the air as part of the presentation. The family with the best presentation is usually given a gift.

Gunshots are usually fired in the air [Instagram/@o'banks_wills/@kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

Every square inch of the stadium was filled with people while horses and horsemen performed their majestic stunts. Everywhere was rowdy, with so many people dressed to the nines dancing and bands playing happy local tunes.

I was terrified my equipment would fall and break, not to mention the intermittent sounds of gunshots that rent the air in celebration. I didn’t want to be accidentally shot. The family doing presentations were all Baloguns, a term loosely translated as ‘warriors’ in the old days, so shooting guns in the air was a form of military display.

Prince Adedoyin on his horse [Instagram/@o'banks_wills/@kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

Soon, we were complete and ready for our presentation. Prince Adedoyin’s horse was performing a stunt, and I was trying to take a picture when all of a sudden the tip of the horse's hoof touched my leg, and I started bleeding. I was so shocked by how powerful horses are — just the tip caused so much pain — but I continued taking pictures despite the pain, which also made me limp. The Alatishe family went to perform before dignitaries like the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, and others in attendance, but I couldn’t get too close because I didn’t have an official press pass.

The Alatishe's during their presentation [Instagram/@o'banks_wills/@kingbelaire] Pulse Nigeria

When that was done, I decided to leave the stadium because my leg hurt, but I had to fight my way out of the stadium because the entrance and exit were full of people pouring into the already crowded stadium.

After the event, the Alatishes went to pay homage to their deity, but you have to be a bona fide family member to enter the deity's shrine. After that, we returned home after a particularly hectic but exciting day.