Restoration Work: Tunrayo Ojewale and Others

This photo illustrates the effort required to restore the works of art in the Groves!
Tunrayo Ojewale is in the foreground with her baby carried in a traditional wrapper on her back. Tunrayo is one of the 19 members of the New Sacred Art restoration team, led by Sangodare Ajala. Tunrayo’s Grandfather, Ojewale Amoo, was one of the early members of the New Sacred Art Movement artists and is famous for the highly decorated Egungun Masquerade walls on the opposite side of the road from this photo. His granddaughter, Tunrayo was keen to learn and was recruited as a labourer by leader Sangodare Ajala. She upgraded her skills and is now able to assist as an artisan working in cement.
The decorated wall on other side of the road which seperates the Sacred Groves into two form an impressive entry to the Sacred Forest. All the walls have required extensive restoration. As you can see from this photo, the walls are first scraped down to their earth- laterite core. They are then reinforced with gravel for drainage and then with stone to add additional protection. Only after this engineering work has been completed does the complex task of adding the cement and reinforcing iron rods and netting to the core begin.
These walls undulate evoking the movement of the Osun River, named after the Deity of Fertility, which meanders through the Sacred Groves. The walls had all but collapsed prior to the restoration.