9ice's Yoruba Ritual Video Sparks Online Debate

Veteran Nigerian musician 9ice, whose full name is Akande Abolore, ignited discussions on social media after posting a video of himself engaged in an indigenous spiritual ceremony. The video, shared on his official Instagram account, features him balancing a heavy cluster of raw yams on his head during a nighttime gathering, while an assistant holds a covered ceramic ceremonial bowl.

Adorned with a green-and-yellow ceremonial garland, 9ice appeared solemn throughout the rite. Earlier in the year, during a listening party for his album "Beginning of Wisdom," he revealed that he had left Islam and had been practicing as an Ifa Babalawo priest for nearly two decades, attributing his journey into African traditional spirituality to a serious health scare that led to his recovery.

This recent post reflects his openness about his spiritual life, which has elicited both praise for promoting African cultural heritage and criticism for the public display of traditional worship.