Thousands of people gathered in Igboora, south-western Nigeria, for the World Twins Festival, an annual celebration of the town’s unusually high number of twin births.

The festival, held in the Oyo state community known as the “Twin Capital of the World”, featured twins dressed in matching outfits, traditional drumming, dancing and other cultural performances.

Twins have a special place in Yoruba culture, where they are often accorded spiritual significance. Omolabake Dada, a researcher on twins, said the community regarded them with particular reverence.

“They refer to them as deity, they recognise them as deity and they tend to address them as one,” Dada said.

Some residents believe the town’s high rate of twin births is linked to its traditional diet, particularly okra leaf soup, although there is no scientific evidence establishing such a connection.

Silifatu Oyediran, a mother of twins, said the soup was widely consumed because residents considered it healthy.

“I believe the multiple births in Igboora can be attributed to the consumption of okra leaf soup. It is our favourite soup because we believe it is healthy,” she said. “Even if our people marry from another country, once we feed the new bride or groom with okra leaf, they will definitely give birth to twins.”

Oyediran described the frequency of twin births in the area as a blessing, saying: “God, the Almighty, has really blessed us here in Ibarapaland such that we have the most occurrences of twin births in the world.”

The community also maintains traditional customs surrounding twins, including rituals of veneration. Sidikatu Ayaniyi, a custodian of twin traditions, said some residents believed the practice brought material support.

“Once we venerate the twins, when we are broke, they would provide means for us to feed ourselves. By evening or the next day, we would have money to take care of our needs. We never go hungry; the deity made sure of that,” Ayaniyi said.

Traditional music is another feature of the celebrations. Adisa Ayanjomi, a traditional drummer, described how drummers accompany some twins who beg for alms.

“If a twin decided to go out and beg for alms, for there are different types of twins; some beg for alms, others don’t. The type of twins who beg for alms usually go around with drummers… they must go around with drummers,” he said.

The festival, an annual event held every year in October, typically culminating in a grand finale on the second Saturday of October, featured its main celebrations under the theme “Twinning for Safe and Secure Communities”.

Wasiu Olatubosun, Oyo state’s commissioner for culture and tourism, said the government was seeking recognition for the event from Unesco and Guinness World Records.

Adebo Ogundoyin, speaker of the Oyo state house of assembly, said the festival could attract visitors, promote the region’s cultural heritage and stimulate economic activity.

CliqMetro reports that the festival celebrates Igboora’s distinctive twin heritage, bringing together families and visitors while promoting Yoruba traditions, cultural preservation and tourism in Oyo State.