Walls from Arugba's Gate to Olomoloyo; Two Drummers Greet Visitors

As you enter the main gate to the Osun Shrine, passing through the Arch of the Flying Tortoise, there are beautiful sculpted walls on either side of the pathway leading to the main Osun Shrine. This image is of a completed deep sculpture on a portion of the wall. Two drummers emerge in bas relief from the wall - greeting visitors to the Groves. The drummer is playing a Bata drum, a double headed drum in an hourglass shape, originating from Yorubaland where they were used traditionally for religious and ceremonial purposes.
They are the work of Adebisi Nurudeen, the talented son of Adebisi Akanji, an original member of the new Sacred Art Movement and Susanne Wenger’s closest collaborator in the Groves. Akanji had succeeded in passing his knowledge and artistic abilities to his son. Adebisi Nurudeen has risen to become an extremely important member of the New Sacred Art Movement restoration team. Just as he was mentored by his father, he now mentors apprentice artists and artisans who are learning the technique of restoring the works of art in the Groves.