2014 WORLD SANGO FESTIVAL

On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the festival featured Oyo State and Oya Day, Aje Oloja Day, Sango Oyo Day, Osun State Day and Iyemonja Day, Esin Elejo Day as well as Kwara State Day respectively. At the grand finale, held on Saturday, August 30, Elegun Sango from  Oyo, Ekiti, Ede, Ibadan, Ajagba and Koso entertained the participants with brilliant display of magical powers. The appearance of each of the Elegun Sango frightened a lot of people at the festival. They plaited their hairs and their eyes were bloodshot as they menacingly brandished their typical axes called “Ose.” All their followers also plaited their hairs and wore red attires. Oyo, Ekiti, Ede, Ibadan, Ajagba and Koso. One of the Elegun Sango showed a small calabash containing lightly wet sand to the participants and covered it with red clothes. By the time he opened it, maize had grown from the calabash. Another one brought a small gourd, placed it on the ground and invited a volunteer from the audience to break it. The volunteer force­fully marched the gourd with his right leg and candies were found in it. The candies were distributed to some of the partici­pants.

Also, each of the Elegun Sango engaged in dangerous display such as stabbing themselves with knives in the stomach, cutting their necks with razors, inserting nails in their nostrils and so on. There was no blood or any scar when they removed the knives and the dangerous, sharp objects. The Elegun Sango Koso Alaafin, Chief Sangodele Ibuowo, was the last to appear on the stage at the grand finale. He had gone round Oyo township, praying for people, before coming to the palace. He greeted the people and went to Iya Ilekoto before leaving the palace.The Cultural Ambassador to Alaafin, Dr. Paula Gomes, a Portuguese who has been living in Aafin Oyo for the past five years, told Daily Sun that Sango festival has been in existence for almost 1,000 years. The 10-day festival, she said, has to do with the crown of Alaafin: “For Alaafin to become a king, he has to wear the crown of Sango in Koso. So, without Sango, there is no Alaafin and without Alaafin, there is no Oyo. Before you can choose Alaafin and crown him, he must wear the crown of Sango. This will be done at the main shrine of Sango in Koso. “The crown of Sango gives Alaafin the authority to rule from the old Oyo Empire to the present Oyo. It is a heritage. We want to preserve the heritage and give it colour. Then, people will know that the culture exists. It is not a carnival. It is not a theatre. It is really a heritage.”But why is it a taboo for the Elegun Sango of Koso and Alaafin to see each other face-to-face? Gomes answered: “It is a taboo for Alaafin to see him because he represents the energy of Sango and Sango is father for Alaafin. Alaafin represents Sango as well. So, Sango cannot bow for Alaafin and Alaafin cannot bow for Sango. It is like they are one. So, once in a year when the traditional rites are being done for the crown of Alaafin, the Elegun Sango of Koso must come out on the last day. He would go round the town to bless people.