On a normal day, a visitor might cross Igbo-Ora a little more than twice as often and wonder why so many pairs of residents wear matching clothes.
But this weekend no one was left in doubt as to what makes this city in southwestern Nigeria special.
With fanfare, pageantry, talent shows and even a royal visit, hundreds of people gathered in the self-proclaimed “Twin Capital of the World” to celebrate the unusually high rate of multiple births.
“There is hardly any family here in Igbo-Ora that does not have a twin,” said Yoruba king Oba Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, who is himself a twin.
Yoruba culture respects twins and their first names are traditionally decided – Taiwo for the eldest child means ‘he who tastes the world’, and Kehinde for the second child means ‘he Which came later’.
The town also stands out in the wider Yorubaland region, where the number of non-identical twins is higher than average, according to population experts.
According to scientific studies and hospital records, the global average birth rate of twins is about 12 per 1,000 births – but in Igbo-Ora, it is thought to be closer to 50 per 1,000.
Explanations for the abundance vary.
Many residents include it in the diet, especially ilasa soup with okra leaf or yam and amla (cassava flour).
Fertility experts – and many residents – are skeptical, saying there is no proven link between diet and higher twin rates.
Scientists are investigating genetic factors, and also looking at how twins’ special cultural status may make them more likely to find mates and have children.
‘Gift from God’
Whatever the reason, everyone in town agrees that the abundance of twins is a blessing – even more so this year, as Nigeria grapples with its worst economic crisis in a generation.
Suliat Mobolaji gave birth to twins eight months ago and said the family has been showered with gifts since then.
“It has changed my life,” the 30-year-old man said, holding a son in both his hands.
“You can’t have twins and be down on your luck,” she smiled. “It’s a gift from God.”
Taiwo Ojewale, a research assistant specializing in Yoruba culture at the University of Ibadan, said celebrating twins is “rooted in traditional religious belief.”
The twins are seen as a gift from the supreme deity Olodumare, he explained, and Igbo-Ora oral history describes them as a reward after a series of disasters befell the community.
As soon as the program started on Saturday, the city rejoiced with joy. On the festival grounds, staff rolled out a red carpet for the twins, both young and old.
They paraded in immaculately matching outfits – from glamorous sunglasses and patterned flowy dresses to a pair of children wearing purple dresses and identical handbags.
Dozens more saw the twins side-by-side from the stands or around town.
Organizers of the festival – who are twins themselves – say they eventually want to attempt to set a world record for the largest gathering of twins on the planet.
Taiwo and Kehinde Oguntoye, 39, also said they hope to organize a mass wedding of the twin couples next year.
Taiwo said, “Twins bring favor, fame and wealth.” “That is why we Yorubas celebrate their birth, and perhaps that is why God blessed us in Yorubaland with the highest number of twins in the world.”
“It’s a blessing,” the Oguntoye twins nodded, speaking in unison.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
