Gelede Ketu revisited: Performance, gender, and the politics of identity in contemporary Yoruba culture

Abstract

Gelede is a vibrant Yoruba masquerade tradition with deep roots in the Ketu region, now in southwestern Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. Although frequently examined for its artistic and ritualistic qualities, its role as a political and gendered discourse in modern African cultural contexts remains underexplored. This paper revisits Gelede as a performative, living tradition that facilitates negotiation of identity, power, and femininity across changing sociopolitical conditions. It draws on ethnographic fieldwork and oral histories collected in Ketu communities, underpinned by insights from postcolonial theory, African feminist scholarship, and performance studies. Gelede is positioned as a dynamic cultural archive that fosters community reflection and critique while resisting binary thinking around gender, spirituality, and tradition. This research expands existing discourse on indigenous performance as resistance and cultural preservation in postcolonial Africa.