Eje Ohun Wàrà

Eje Ohun Wàrà (Milk and Blood) is a powerful performance by Lanre Tejuoso confronting the recurring farmer–herder conflicts in Benue State and other parts of Nigeria. Through symbolism and embodied expression, the work questions the human cost of coexistence.

At the centre of the performance is a piercing question:
Are communities expected to continue accommodating violence and paying with their blood simply to preserve access to wàrà — the traditional cheese made from cow’s milk?

Using wàrà as both material and metaphor, Tejuoso exposes the tension between survival, culture, economy, and security. The performance calls for urgent, practical, and humane solutions to a crisis that has displaced families, destroyed livelihoods, and deepened national division.

This work was staged in Ibadan as part of the Art is Everywhere Project, transforming public space into a site of reflection and resistance.

Watch the full performance to experience the message, the symbolism, and the urgent questions it raises.