Yoruba festival: Ikorodu Oro go block movement on Tuesday for women

Lights out, lock door, close windows, stay inside house. Dis na wetin women wey dey live inside one town for Lagos, Nigeria need to do on Tuesday, 1 June.

Dis na because Ikorodu town go celebrate di Oro Magbo festival.

Oro festival na pure men affair for son of di soil alone and women, pikin dem plus visitors no suppose show face for road at all until di festival end.

As per tradition, every time dem dey do Oro, no woman fit waka comot dia house. Also woman must not look di men wey dey perform di rites, as dem dey waka from street to street.

Di belief na say any woman wey use eye see di men wey dey perform di Oro rituals go die - or something bad go happun to di woman.

Different towns for Yoruba land dey do Oro festival for different times for di year and each village get dia own way wey dem dey take do di celebration.

Oloye Kazeem Adeniyi Roga, wey be traditional leader for Ikorodu say di reason dem dey do rituals na to pray say evil spirit go comot from di community and to promote good tins to come to di pipo wey dey live dia.

But one woman wey don live for wia Oro festival dey happen, disagree wit am.

Taiwo Yusuf say if na so, why e be say those towns still dey see bad tins happen dia, like how malaria dey kill small small children and how anyhow killings dey happen.

She say in fact Oro dey violate women right because na dem go suffer pass during di festival wey fit last for up to two weeks in some places.

"I sabi one woman wey die inside her house because her husband no fit carry am go hospital when she get emergency situation with her pregnancy."

One BBC tori pesin Damilola Oduoluwo wey imsef come from family wey dey practice Oro say di reality of tins dey different as di festival leaders dey considerate.

E say in di case of emergency for women, man fit carry am go hospital inside car but go cover am wit thick cloth for di back. Dis way she no go fit see anything.

No be only Oro festival dey shun women for Nigeria. Ekuechi Festival, Ekasa festival and Imo Akwa festival no dey gree women to dey involve, and must stay inside house.

For 2018 when di traditional ruler issue statement say women must not waka during Oro Day, di Nigeria Police counter say dem no authorise anybody to ban movement for women.

"E dey unthinkable to reason say man wit di kain exposure wey di Oba get go do anytin wey go discriminate against women, di festival go hold and women go fit waka," di Police bin tok then.

Yet many women wey dey live in di areas wia dem dey do Oro, no dey get mind to disobey di ban.

One lady Juliet Obafunke wey dey live for Ikorodu say "No" when we ask if she go dare comot her house on Tuesday.