Oshogbo, Nigeria

2019-08-13: Oshogbo. The unreal sculptures of the Osun Sacred Grove.

Oshogbu has always been the artistic center of Nigeria and underwent a huge renaissance in the 1950s and 1960s with the arrival of foreign artists, the most important of whom was Susanne Wenger. An Austrian sculptor arrived in 1960 who was immediately fascinated by the Yoruba culture. So much so that one can say that she herself became a Yoruba. She was initiated into religion and ended up being enthroned priestess of the worship of Osun and Abatala, two of the main deities of the Yoruba. With a few local artists, she enhanced the site of the sacred forest of Osun by creating countless sculptures, as strange than interesting, dedicated to the various deities of the Yoruba religion.
The forest covers 75 ha and is surprisingly well preserved although entirely "besieged" by the city. We walk to the reception center by a wide alley lined with multiple sculptures giving us a first impression of what we will find later.

Oshogbo. In the sacred forest of Osun. Driveway to the reception center.

The great gateway to the sacred forest of Ossun.

In front of the entrance, the forest monkeys come to get the bananas that visitors do not fail to buy from street vendors. They are mona monkeys (cercopithecus mona). We are of course enjoying the show.

Mona monkey

 

The guided forest tour costs 500 nairas (1.26 €) per person plus 2000 naira for photo rights (5.03 €). Our guide, Shade, leads us to the first palace by the river. Along the way, she describes some of the sculptures that line it.

Christine and Shade, our guide in the sacred forest.

Statues along the path that leads to the palace.

Statue dedicated to the goddess of fertility.

We come across two Nigerian families returning from the site visit. The scenes that follow are unique because everyone wants to be photographed with us, the oyibos (name given to whites in Nigeria). First all together, then one by one or in small groups. The kids are crowding around us hoping to shake hands with us or, best of all, for one of us to hug them. It reminds us a bit of what we experienced in Iran, another country where European tourists are rare and therefore a real attraction.

Photo shooting with a large Nigerian family in the sacred forest of Osun.

Here is one who no longer wants to let go of his happiness!

Photo shooting with a second family

 
We descend by wide steps to the palace and the river. It is the main sacred place of the forest and it is here that thousands of followers meet during the Osun festival in mid-August.

The entrance porch into the palace park.

The Palace

A statue of Osun is erected in the shade of a large tree, feet in the river, arms wide open to signify that everyone is welcome, whatever their origins and religion.

A small statue in the sacred river.

 
We take an admiring glance at the beautiful wooden sculptures of the palace. We will get to know a colorful character, Kasali Akangbe-Ogun, one of Susanne's adopted sons. The wooden sculptures are by him. He talks about Susanne as an idol. Susanne Wenger, born in Graz in 1905, died at the age of 94 in 2009 here in Oshogbo.

The wooden sculptures of the palace.

Shade, Christine, Kasali Akangbe-Ogun and Thierry.

Shade then leads us to an ancient steel suspension bridge built by the British in 1936. It has nothing to do with the sculptures and the mausoleums but allows, from its middle, to discover pretty views of the Osun river.

By a path that winds its way through the forest we arrive in a small park a little away. We find gigantic sculptures there, several meters high. For example that of Obaluaye, a messenger from Osun, with an extraterrestrial head with big eyes, multiple sprawling legs and his praying mantis arms.

By sinking into the forest.

Statue of Obaluaye.

 

The statue of Ela, half-woman, half-man, straight and 20 m high with her arms stretched towards the sky.

Ela

And then perhaps the most spectacular and imposing of all: the statue of Iya Mapo, the goddess of feminine strength and fertility. It is represented with three pairs of arms symbolizing advice, blessing and regret, meaning that if you follow the right advice you will be blessed, otherwise you will regret it.

The statue of Iya Mapo.

Idowu, our driver, Christine and Shade.

We finish the ride at the visitor center, taking a look at the jewelry in the store. Shade is entitled to a tip of 700 naira (€ 1.76) before leaving the park. Christine is going to buy a few bananas (100 naira) for the mona monkeys that we like to photograph.

Mona monkeys are fond of bananas.

Visit at the Artists Village

Before joining the car we make a detour through the Artists Village. A kind of big workshop that serves as a learning ground for young students. A small group of 4 or 5 artists is present. They present their works to us: paintings, sculptures, batiks, etc.

They are going to give us an interesting demonstration of batik. First the design of the patterns with black wax passed with a foam "pencil", then the preparation of the dye (it will be black, but always with a very small touch of white to reinforce the black - yes! it's really true: white to make the black more black!), they add caustic soda for conservation, once the operation is complete they must dissolve the wax in a boiling water bath immediately followed by a very fast bath of cold water to solidify it, it only remains to fish it on the surface to reuse it (not more than 5 times because then it no longer has the required qualities).

Batik demonstration. Application of wax.

Preparation for dyeing.

Preparation of the dye.

Dyeing.

The remaining wax will be removed with boiling water.

The wax is removed…

…. and here's the result.

We don't buy anything because we really don't have room but I leave 1000 naira for the manager, Adeogun, for the workshop. We end with a photo-shooting session with the four young artists: Quenn, Esther and Timothy, a very nice little troupe.

With young artists: Quenn, Adeogun, Esther and Timothy.