Deliver comedy, poetry, comment and satire
The masked dance is at the height of the Gelede, an annual ritual honouring the primordial mother Iyà Nlà and the role women play in the process of social organisation and development of Yoruba society. Oro Efe critiques antisocial persons and events, praises those who have worked positively for the community, and makes comic and satiric reference to irregular behaviour within the community over the past year. The dance lasts overnight, flowing from formal ritual to participation by those who are watching, and then further. According to Henry J. Drewal at the University of Wisconsin in "Yoruba Gelede Masquerade": "The afternoon after Efe night is reserved for the performance of an elaborate series of Gelede maskers whose images and actions embellish and intensify reality to create exaggerated visions of maleness and femaleness and specific social groups and roles. The maskers, all males, impersonate both men and women. The first to appear are the youngest dancers, enthusiastically encouraged by friends and relatives who gather around them as they attempt their first steps to the intricate, changing rhythms of the drummers. Their dance instructors in the Gelede society follow closely, giving advice and encouragement during the performance."
