Oshogbo, Nigeria, is one of Africa's most creative art centers and a must-see on any trip to the country. The town is filled with artists working in the style of the Oshogbo school, producing original masks, tapestries, batiks and sculptures, often based on Yoruba folklore. We particularly recommend the gallery of Nike Davies-Okunday—she is one of Nigeria's best known batik artists.
On the outskirts of Oshogbo is the haunting Sacred Forest, also known as the Osun Sacred Groves, a wooded area filled with shrines to the Yoruba gods. For more than 50 years, Austrian sculptor Suzanne Wenger has been renovating and adding to the shrines, making them even more stunning. (Wenger eventually became a priestess at the shrines.) Today it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural significance. You can pick up a guide who knows the history and the stories behind the shrines.
The best time to go to Oshogbo is during the Osun Festival, which takes place on the second to last Friday in August. 125 m/200 km northeast of Lagos.
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