Ayòbámi Adébáyò
Ayòbámi is a graduate of UEA’s MA in Creative Writing and the author of the acclaimed novel Stay With Me (Canongate, 2017), shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Wellcome Book Prize and described as a ‘stunning’ debut novel by the New York Times.
Explore the Work
![When a twin dies, after due consultation with a priest, the parents commission a wooden ibeji sculpture that would subsequently be treated by the parents, particularly the mother like the living twin]()
Explore the WorkA re-telling of history with a sacred object
‘Provenance’ brings to vivid life the story of twins born yet separated, and the afterlife of their togetherness in the form of the sacred object. Known as Ibeji amongst the Yoruba of southwest Nigeria, twins are traditionally revered as gods. When a twin dies, after due consultation with a priest, the parents commission a wooden sculpture that would subsequently be treated by the parents, particularly the mother like the living twin.
