Aro Meta (Three White Cap Chiefs of Lagos), The Explicit Monument of Lagos, Yorubaland.
Moyo fun e, moyo fun ara mi
Aro Meta popularly called the “three wise men” are meant to
welcome people coming into the City of Lagos. The Aro Meta are a white
granite sculpture of three Lagos white-cap chiefs, mainly, of the Idejo
family. They are not just a mere sculpture; they are rich in meaning.
They depict the three kinds of traditional greetings common amongst Eko
chiefs. Eko refers typically to Lagos Island.
Their clenched right fists symbolize a strong belief in the
supremacy of the right over the left. All of them display clenched
fists with the right hand always placed over the left. Not only that,
the statues are also robed in intricately tied white wrappers with the
ends flung across the left shoulder allowing the gesture of the right
arm .
This is not a coincidence, because in the Yoruba culture,
the right hand signifies acceptance and respect while the left hand is
viewed with revulsion because it is often used to perform unsavory tasks
and chores. Initially, the Aro Meta were located at the former
Lagos-Ibadan toll gate from where they were moved further to the bridge
linking Ojodu and Alausa secretariat. Until in 2004 where they were
destroyed by unknown persons for reasons believed to be religious, they
were also damaged during the subsidy protest in January 2012.
Aro Meta became more popular in the early 90s when Yoruba
Fuji Superstar Obesere sang about them, he proposed each of the men
indicates different meaning to newcomers to Lagos, apparently, being
smart and cautiously attentive aren't options in Lagos,
