African Languages and Societies Commons^™

The Art Of Fasting: Benin's Ague Ceremony, Kathy Curnow

Department of Art and Design Faculty Publications

Part of a special issue on the Great Benin Centenary, which marks the British invasion and conquest of Benin in 1897 (see also summer 1997 issue). The writer discusses Benin's Ague ceremony. She notes that formerly a ceremony of critical importance, Ague has received little scholarly attention. This could be, she explains, because its full celebration ceased during the reign of Oba Eweka II (ca. 1914–33). Among the topics she discusses are how the ceremony changed substantially under various monarchs, the significance of yams in the ceremony, and the role of fasting.