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Gelede pays homage to the spiritual powers of women, especially elderly women known affectionately as “our mothers,” awon iya wa . The powers possessed by such women, comparable to those of the gods, spirits, or ancestors, may be used for the benefit or the destruction of society.
When manifesting their destructive dimension such elderly women are termed aje (“witches”). If angered, they can bring down individuals and entire communities.
Gelede maskers entertain and enlighten the community and “our mothers,” pleasing, placating and thus encouraging them to use their extraordinary powers for the well-being of society.
Gelede performances are thus a sacrifice, ebo, an appeal to forces in the world using the aesthetic power of masks, costume, music, song and dance to evoke and comment upon social and spiritual matters, helping to shape society and those within it in constructive ways….
Gelede performances take place in the marketplace, the domain primarily of women. They begin with a night ceremony known as Efe.
A series of masked dancers culminates in the appearance of Oro Efe, “the Voice of Efe”—an elaborately attired masker who moves through the crowd singing and dancing.
His elaborate headdress is covered with images of power both spiritual and physical—leopard, snakes and knives evoking the iron and war god Ogun and birds signaling the sacred powers of women.
The grandeur of his ensemble, the stateliness of his dance, and the poetic imagery of his songs evoke a masculine authority sanctioned by the powerful women who are the honored guests and patrons of the performance.
The songs, which last until the first light of dawn, comment on diverse matters both sacred and secular.
Oro Efe critiques antisocial persons and events, and praises those who have worked positively for the community.
Oro Efe, as transcendent voice and powerful apparition, works to shape society using the aesthetic power of the arts.
The afternoon after Efe night is reserved for the performance of an elaborate series of Gelede maskers whose images and actions embellish and intensify reality to create exaggerated visions of maleness and femaleness and specific social groups and roles.
The maskers, all males, impersonate both men and women.
The first to appear are the youngest dancers, enthusiastically encouraged by friends and relatives who gather around them as they attempt their first steps to the intricate, changing rhythms of the drummers.
Their dance instructors in the Gelede society follow closely, giving advice and encouragement during the performance.
