Seeing double: the wooden carvings that celebrate the Yoruba's unique connection to twins

"When the Nigerian art collector, curator and dealer Kayode Adegbola was given a pair of Yoruba twin statuettes ere ibeji in 2022 as a reward for a successful art deal, it was the start of a new passion. While he had seen a few ibeji carvings in his uncle's collection of African traditional art, the gift resonated with Adegbola, a twin himself. I have always been conscious of ibeji but I will say my passionate research was definitely a 2022 moment."

"The ere ibeji are a material embodiment of a unique spiritual, cultural and artistic tradition among Yoruba people, who have one of the world's highest birth rates of twins and are more than four times more likely to have them than Europeans. The average birthrate of the Yoruba town of Igbo-Ora in Nigeria's Oyo state, is 45 twins per 1,000 births, compared with a global average of about 12 per 1,000."

"In Yoruba culture, twins occupy a position of profound spiritual and social importance, says Kehinde Adewumi, a researcher at Durban University of Technology who has studied ere ibeji. The Yoruba are reputed to have one of the highest twinning rates in the world, and this phenomenon is interpreted not merely as a biological occurrence but as a sign of divine blessing. Twins are regarded as bearers of good fortune, prosperity and protection for their families and communities, he says."

Kayode Adegbola began collecting Yoruba ere ibeji twin statuettes after receiving a pair in 2022 and sources them from foreign auctions and local Nigerian owners. Adegbola is a twin and trained as a lawyer in London. Ere ibeji are carved wooden figures created to house the spirit of a deceased twin, ensuring continued veneration. The figures represent a spiritual, cultural and artistic tradition among the Yoruba, who record exceptionally high twinning rates. The Yoruba town of Igbo-Ora averages about 45 twins per 1,000 births versus a global average near 12. Twins are seen as sources of blessing, prosperity and protection.

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