Ìgbétì is a part of a cluster of towns, usually called Òkè-ògùn, known for their hills and rocky geography. It is located in the Northern part of Oyo State in Nigeria.
While there might not be so much about it, it is called the "marble city" for its large deposits of marble.
It's a small town with a small population, mostly concentrated in the central part of the town.
In the past I have had the opportunity to visit other Oke-Ogun towns, but this was my first time visiting one so far away from the state capital, Ibadan.
And I was visiting the town as a wedding cinematographer, not exactly as a tourist.
A friend and colleague 'found his wife' in this historic town, Ìgbétì - meaning a townbthat cannot be taken over. He invited me to tell the story of his wedding, and I obliged the invitation.
The journey was at least 3 hours from Ibadan. I did not think it would take that long at all.
However, I found myself there anyway after a harrowing journey through a mix of bumpy, dusty and lonely roads.
Seeing vast expanses of hills were not an uncommon finding as we drove into the town
I wasn't opportuned to visit the 16 hills of the town and its wonders, as the event took place in the less interesting part of town. But I was able to see the famous Agbele rock while our car drove past its location.
The Agbele rock is a depiction of a mother carrying a load on her head. The rock's position and stance is said to have been formed naturally.
I was lucky to have sighted the Agbele rock from a distance, while our car passed through the town's main hub
I was also opportuned to see the Iya Mopo Hill as we drove past it. It is the most expansive hill out of the 16 hills of Igbeti. It occupies over 6km of land mass and rises to over a hundred and fifty feet high.
A section of the Iya Mopo Hill as seen while driving through
There are other named sights such as the "Bata Erugba" which I couldn't see.
For most of our stay in this town we were mostly within the premises of where our event was to hold, and for lack of a planned visit, we couldn't really explore. Also, it was an event taking place during the week. So we all had to get back to the capital city in good time.
I hope to do some proper tour sometime soon and get a better perspective of the town in the near future.
However within the limits of this, I was able to capture the rich culture of a Yoruba wedding in the dressing and the activities that happened during this visit. And here are some of the pictures of the couple in their fantastic "Òfì" attires.
Here is also a link to a wedding film I shot that cinematically summarises this wonderful love story!
The Most Captivating Ìgbétì Wedding
| Camera | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus/Lumix GH6 |
|---|---|
| Inbuilt Camera Lenses | 12mp dual aperture(f/1.5 f/2.4), 12mp telephoto (f/2.1), 16mp ultrawide (f/2.2), Lumix and Meke MFT lenses |
| Editing | Lightroom for PC |
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