A few weeks ago, these guys started popping up in the city. Statues covered in sheets with big sticks and mariachi hats. The Klan meets the Taliban for Cinco de Mayo??? What is this???
Dotun the driver told me that it was advertisement for the Eyo Festival, also known as the Masquerade. He seemed very surprised that I had not heard of such a famous event.
I decided to investigate further and attended a lecture by a Nigerian expert at the National museum. It has something to do with the death of a chief or maybe the harvest of yams...a lot got lost in translation. I did hear that the stick was for beating people who wore shoes, hats, carried umbrellas or wore their hair in a bun. Now they want to make this a tourist attraction like Mardi Gras. However, there is much controversy over whether to show the animal sacrifices on TV or fade to black when the Eyo pull out their knives. I know you all will want to book your flights early so you can see this spectacle. Just don't bring your umbrella.
