Remove Eyo From Gangs Of Lagos- Oba Of Lagos

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has asked the producers of a movie, Gangs of Lagos, and Amazon Prime Video, the video streaming platform it is on to immediately remove, cease from using the image and manifestation of the Eyo masquerade in the film.

Written by Kay Jegede and Jade Osiberu, the movie was produced and directed by Jade Osiberu and Kemi Lala Akindoju, and was released on Prime Video on April 7, 2023.

Several criticisms had trailed the movie since its release for its portrayal of the Eyo masquerade as the ‘first gang of Lagos’.

Oba Akiolu, in a statement obtained by our correspondent, described the movie as a defamatory and sacrilegious one, which inflicted huge reputational damage on the Eyo brand.

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The statement read in part, “I am the custodian and final authority of the Adimu Orisa and its manifestation— the Eyo. These traditional rites are the tangible and intangible property of the indigenes of Lagos.

“This cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes, that have been inherited from past generations for over 200 years, past generations for over 200 years, maintained in the present by the Oba of Lagos, and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.

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“These traditions express our way of life and thought. They are proof of our intellectual and spiritual achievements. They must not be used without the indigenous owners’ express permission, or desecrated in any way whatsoever.”

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Photo Credit: Getty