Gelede: A Yoruba Masquerade

Subtitle: Yoruba masquerade, A
Synopsis: A study of the Gelede ritual which is found in Western Nigeria and amongst the Yoruba in Dahomey. The purpose of this ceremony is to propitiate the great mother and assure the placation of women with potentially dangerous mystic powers. It is unusual in that it underlines the social significance of the female, whereas most of the other Yoruba rituals stress women’s subservience to men.
Among the Yoruba of Western Nigeria and Dahomey the Gelede cult honours the earth spirits, the ancestors and especially the Great Mother. The festival filmed here emphasises the status of women and placates their potentially dangerous mystic powers. The annual Gelede serves a cathartic role by paying respect to women in a patriarchal society. During the course of the festival social tensions are brought out into the open and ridiculed; antagonism between the sexes is controlled and given a legitimate outlet. Shows also the preparation of masks and the climax of the festival in which the Great Mask appears at midnight. On the following day the lesser masks entertain, satirising the movements of women.
Language: English
Country: Nigeria
Medium: Film; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 30 min.
Technical information: Black-and-white / Sound
Year of production: 1969
Availability: Hire
Uses: Undergraduates. Postgraduates.
Subjects: Anthropology
Keywords: ceremonies; Gelede ritual; Nigeria; religious festivals; women; Yoruba

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