By Faleye Oluwatosin
The recent outbreak of violence involving firearms during the Eyo Festival in Lagos has reignited an old but unresolved debate about culture, representation, and reality.
The incident is particularly striking when viewed against earlier criticisms by the Special Adviser to the Governor on New Media, Jubril Gawat, who had condemned the portrayal of the Eyo masquerade tradition in the film Gangs of Lagos.
At the time of the film’s release, Gawat argued that it misrepresented Lagos culture by placing the revered Eyo festival within a narrative of gangs, violence, and criminality.
Such a portrayal, he maintained, unfairly linked a deeply symbolic and spiritual cultural event with lawlessness, thereby distorting its historical essence.
Yet, recent events compel a more uncomfortable reflection: what if the film did not invent a false narrative, but rather exposed a latent societal problem?
The violence witnessed during the festival suggests that the boundary between cultural celebration and social disorder may not be as clearly defined as authorities once insisted.
Seen through this lens, Gangs of Lagos becomes more than fiction—it reads as a cautionary artistic expression, reflecting underlying tensions, power struggles, and the creeping intrusion of violence into spaces traditionally regarded as sacred and communal.
The Eyo masquerade, also known as the Adamu Orisha Play, is one of Lagos’ most distinctive cultural traditions, comprising different groups that represent specific lineages and perform defined roles during the festival.
These include Eyo Adimu, the most senior and sacred group symbolising spiritual authority; Eyo Oniko and Eyo Ologede, often linked to ritual execution and festival coordination; as well as Eyo Agere, Eyo Akinade, Eyo Olorogun, Eyo Eleko, and Eyo Oseto, which represent various quarters of Lagos Island and serve as custodians of communal identity.
Each Eyo group is distinguished by its unique hat (Akete) and staff (Opambata), symbols that reflect hierarchy, history, and tradition. Collectively, they embody Lagos’ ancestral heritage and cultural continuity.
This development raises broader questions about the relationship between art and reality. Does art merely mirror society, or does it sometimes function as a prophetic lens—revealing truths institutions may be unwilling to confront? Filmmakers like Jadesola Osiberu may not simply be storytellers, but chroniclers of social undercurrents, using fiction to illuminate uncomfortable realities.
Rather than resorting to censorship or outright condemnation, this moment calls for a more mature and honest dialogue.
Cultural custodians, policymakers, creatives, and the public must engage critically with how cultural events are evolving, how modern social pressures are reshaping them, and what responsibilities both artists and authorities bear in preserving their sanctity.
Ultimately, the Eyo Festival incident suggests that the real challenge may not be representation alone, but the reality it reveals. If art is indeed holding up a mirror, the critical question is not whether we like the reflection—but whether we are prepared to confront and address what it shows.
A Word of Caution to the Special Adviser to the Governor While public officials have a duty to protect cultural heritage, it is equally important that they do not dismiss artistic expression simply because it is uncomfortable.
The earlier condemnation of Gangs of Lagos by the Special Adviser to the Governor on New Media now deserves sober reassessment. Recent events suggest that the film may not have desecrated culture, but rather exposed vulnerabilities that required urgent attention.
Caution is therefore advised against reducing complex societal issues to matters of image management or censorship. Cultural preservation is not achieved by silencing narratives, but by confronting the conditions that allow violence to encroach upon sacred traditions.
As a key voice of the government, the Special Adviser must encourage introspection, dialogue, and reform—not denial—so that Lagos’ cultural symbols are protected not just in reputation, but in lived reality.
By Faleye Oluwatosin Simon writing from Lagos .
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