Gelede

Yoruba masquerade tradition performed primarily by men but in honour of àwon ìyá wa — "our mothers" — the elder women whose collective spiritual power can bring fertility, justice and prosperity, or withhold them.

A Gelede performance pairs paired carved masks (often satirical caricatures of social types) with elaborate cloth costumes. The headpiece sits on the crown of the head rather than over the face — the dancer remains visible. UNESCO inscribed Gelede on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.