Folklore · Benin · 6 min read
Gèlèdé: The Mask That Honours Mothers
Story · 6 min read
Spoken reading of this record. Original community recordings are released only with the knowledge holders' consent.
The Story
Gèlèdé belongs to Yoruba-Nago communities in the Ketu region of Benin and across the border into Nigeria and Togo. Its subject is the power of women — mothers, elder women and ancestral women — described in Yoruba as awọn ìyá wa, our mothers.
The performance has two parts. Efe takes place at night and is carried by song: satire, warning, praise and commentary on how the community has behaved. Gèlèdé follows in the afternoon, when carved headdresses and costumes are danced in pairs.
The headdresses
The carved superstructures on the masks are miniature scenes: traders, animals, sewing machines, motorbikes, aeroplanes. Carvers respond to the present, so a Gèlèdé headdress is also a record of what the community was watching that year.
The masks are worn by men, who dance in pairs and must move identically. The costume includes padding that gives the dancer a woman's silhouette.
Why the songs matter
The night songs are the sharpest part of the tradition. A singer may name a wrong done in the town without naming the person, and everyone understands. It is a public form of accountability performed within an art form.
Why it is protected
The Gèlèdé oral heritage was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 and inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List in 2008, in a nomination covering Benin, Nigeria and Togo.
Editorial note
Editorial note: this record is written from public heritage documentation rather than from a single recorded interview. Practices, meanings and names vary between communities, so descriptions here are held as one telling among many. Knowledge holders from this community are invited to correct, expand or replace this entry.
Cultural Context
A society tradition. Some songs and preparations are restricted to initiated members and are not published.
Contributor: Her African Culture editorial team, from UNESCO documentation.
Associated place: Ketu, Benin
Language: Yoruba, French · Consent: Granted · Verification: Human verified