Way out in the Agric area of Ikorodu, past bumpy roads and the usual Lagos bustle, you’ll find a compound that’s easy to miss until you step inside. Chief Robinson Olafisoye’s studio bursts with colour. His walls? They’re covered in beaded art that practically hums with life: Yoruba gods, royal regalia, spiritual symbols, each piece alive with stories from long ago. For more than forty years, Olafisoye has used beads to turn the language of Yoruba spirituality into art. These aren’t just decorations. They’re portals, pulling the physical and spiritual worlds a little closer together.
Olafisoye was born on 17th August 1955, in Ondo, back when it was still part of Nigeria’s old Western Region. From the start, he didn’t just follow tradition; he pushed it forward. His beadwork appears everywhere: on boards, walking sticks, and even on everyday objects. He proves that spiritual art isn’t stuck in the past. It’s alive, and it speaks to anyone willing to listen, whether you grew up in the tradition or you’re just curious.
Discover how Chief Robinson Olafisoye transforms traditional Yoruba beadwork into spiritual art, bridging ancient cosmology and contemporary expression.
So, Who Is Chief Olafisoye, Really?
His whole journey started with a bit of rule-breaking. As a boy in Ondo, Olafisoye was drawn to pottery, even though his mother kept warning him, “Boys don’t make pots. That’s not our tradition.” Pottery, in Yoruba culture, belonged to women. Boys were supposed to stick to other crafts. But Olafisoye couldn’t ignore the pull. He kept working with clay, no matter what anyone said.
That stubbornness, fighting old restrictions but still respecting deeper spiritual rules, became the heart of his work. School helped, too. At St Ann’s Catholic Primary and St Ambrose’s Modern School, teachers noticed his talent and pushed him to keep going. In 1979, he left his hometown for Lagos, learnt informally at Shomolu, and then got formal training in ceramic sculpture at Yaba College of Technology.
But he didn’t stop in Lagos. Olafisoye wanted more. He travelled to Bombay (now Mumbai), picking up new skills and ideas, then joined workshops at the National Museum in Lagos and in the Netherlands. All that training made him versatile and broadened his perspective, but he never lost sight of the Yoruba spirituality, which remained at the core.
How Beadwork Became Chief Olafisoye’s Spiritual Language
For years, Olafisoye focused on ceramic sculpture. Then, approximately 10 years before 2018, his life drastically changed. Illness struck, and he became paralysed. For an artist who worked with his hands, it was a nightmare. Clay was suddenly out of reach. But during that dark chapter, Olafisoye found something unexpected: beads. They were lighter, easier to handle, and let him keep creating even when his body failed him.
But it wasn’t just about what he could physically do. As he recovered, he realised that working with beads wasn’t just practical; it felt right on a spiritual level. Every tiny glass bead, stitched with care, seemed to carry energy. In Yoruba thought, beads are more than ornaments. They’re alive with ashes, the spiritual force running through everything. When priests and kings wear beaded regalia, it’s not just for show. Those beads protect and amplify ashes. Olafisoye, who calls himself both artist and spiritualist, saw beadwork as a way to make objects that matter: beautiful, powerful, and sacred all at once.
When his body grew strong again, he jumped into beadwork with both feet. Now, his Ikorodu studio is a living museum of Yoruba spirituality: Oduduwa, the legendary founder; Yemoja, mother of all Orishas and goddess of rivers; and Ere Ibeji, the sacred twins. Each piece tells a story, and every bead is a link between past and present, the seen and the unseen.
How Chief Olafisoye’s Beadwork Differs from Traditional Yoruba Royal Regalia
In Yoruba tradition, beaded objects have always held great significance. They showed off power, wealth, and spiritual clout. The crown, the ade, stands out the most, with its tall conical shape and beaded face. Only the obas (kings) wore those, along with other fancy regalia like beaded staffs, horse whisks, slippers, and ceremonial robes. These pieces were off-limits to anyone who wasn’t royalty or a top chief.
There’s a reason for that. Beads weren’t cheap, especially after European traders started bringing in those tiny glass seed beads in the 1800s. Blue beads? Even rarer. The colour was tough to find in nature, and it had its own vibe. Blue was cool, calm, and wise, all qualities Yoruba culture admires and connects to spiritual insight.
But Olafisoye sees things differently. Sure, he still creates beadwork for chiefs and kings, shoes for men and women, and beadwork ranked by status, but he’s on a mission to open things up. He’s planning a whole exhibition dedicated to beadwork, and he’s clear about his goal: “Beads are our heritage, and they belong to everyone, not just chiefs and royals.”
He’s flipping the old script. Instead of treating culture like something to lock away for the elite, he’s sharing it. Through his beaded art, especially the pieces with spiritual themes, Olafisoye invites everyday people to connect with their roots.
How Spirituality Shapes Every Piece
This is where Olafisoye really stands out. He doesn’t just make beadwork for beauty or profit. There’s a spiritual engine running underneath everything he creates. He says it himself: “I am not just an artist but a spiritualist.” That’s the lens he brings to every piece.
His beadwork isn’t random or generic. He crafts images of major Yoruba deities with real attention to detail. Oduduwa comes across as the original king, all authority and creation. Yemoja appears in flowing shapes, evoking water, fertility, and motherly protection. The Ere Ibeji twins appear with the perfect symmetry their legend demands.
These details don’t come from guesswork. Olafisoye knows Yoruba cosmology inside out: how each Orisha looks and their symbols, colours, and stories. This isn’t just book knowledge. It’s a lived, spiritual experience.
He doesn’t shy away from talking about inspiration either. He says he works “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” and that’s what lets him create work that stands out. He’s also honest about his limits. “I don’t make crowns for obas unless I’m asked,” he says, because those sacred pieces need special permission and ritual.
The Surfaces and Objects He Transforms with Beads
Traditionally, Yoruba beadwork decorated fabric, leather, and woven shapes, crowns, robes, slippers, and staffs. Olafisoye has pushed past that. He covers boards with beads, turning them into art that hangs on walls, like paintings, but with their own texture and shimmer and a deeper spiritual punch.
These beaded boards can tell big stories. One board might show a whole scene from Yoruba mythology, or a group of figures interacting, or patterns that carry hidden spiritual meanings. People can hang them at home or in public spaces, not just in palaces or shrines.
He still carries a staff and walking sticks, too. In Yoruba culture, those are more than just tools; they’re symbols of leadership, ritual, and respect for elders. Olafisoye makes them for traditional rituals and for modern life, keeping the old forms alive but giving them new relevance.
But he doesn’t stop there. Shoes, caps, ritual containers, decorative pieces, even purely sculptural forms, he beads them all. Every object becomes a vessel for spiritual energy. The colours matter: blue for depth and calm, red for life and passion, white for purity, and black for ancestral wisdom. Olafisoye chooses every colour deliberately, drawing on tradition rather than just looks.
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How Does Olafisoye Pass His Knowledge On?
After more than 40 years in the game, Olafisoye is all about legacy now. He’s not just making shoes; he’s running a craft production unit out in Ipaja, Lagos, cranking out shoes for everyone from regular folks to clients who want something custom. This isn’t just about business. It keeps things running, gives people jobs, and lets him train a new crop of artisans.
But Olafisoye isn’t stopping at commerce. He’s planning an art and craft training centre in Ikorodu, with a special focus on people with disabilities. That’s personal for him. He’s lived through illness and disability himself, and when his body couldn’t do much, beadwork was something he could still manage. Now, he wants others facing similar challenges to have that same shot, something creative, something within reach.
His training centre lines up with Lagos State’s push to make Ikorodu a tourism hotspot. If he pulls it off, the place could become a real destination. Tourists could watch beadwork in action, buy authentic pieces, and learn a bit about Yoruba spiritual culture along the way.
Olafisoye isn’t new to teaching. He’s already trained loads of young artists, both in Nigeria and abroad. He respects the old way, masters teaching apprentices through long observation and hands-on practice, but he’s also bringing that tradition to the structure of a modern training centre.
Why Does Cultural Preservation Matter?
Olafisoye doesn’t just make art for art’s sake. He’s passionate about its power to keep culture alive. “More than anything, art serves to preserve our cultural heritage. It identifies us as a people,” he says. When someone sees Igbo-Ukwu bronzes, Ife terracottas, or Benin plaques, they know instantly where they come from. Art calls back memories, traditions, and identity.
But for Olafisoye, keeping traditions alive doesn’t mean freezing them in time. He uses old-school beadwork for new things, boards, fashion, whatever feels right. He tackles both classic and modern themes, making beaded art for a much broader crowd. It’s how heritage shifts and grows but still stays true to its roots.
Take his beaded boards, for example. They pull Yoruba spiritual symbols out of ritual spaces and into everyday life. Someone might buy a beaded Yemoja piece not because they belong to her cult, but because they love how it looks or feel some tie to Yoruba culture. That opens up new ways for traditional knowledge to move around and stay relevant.
There’s a quiet but essential shift here. In the past, beadwork had clear social and spiritual roles, marking royalty, showing rank, and preserving secrets for the initiated. Olafisoye keeps those traditions where they matter, but he’s also pushing beadwork out into the world, letting it mean more, be seen by more, and stay alive by evolving.
What’s Next for Chief Olafisoye?
Olafisoye made his mark internationally years ago with exhibitions and workshops in the Netherlands. After a long break, almost twenty years, he’s gearing up for a comeback, planning a whole weeklong show devoted to beadwork. It’s his way of stepping back onto the global stage.
He wants to bring this exhibition across Nigeria, especially for people who don’t often make it to art galleries. It’s a two-pronged approach: build credibility worldwide while staying rooted at home. He knows Yoruba spiritual art can speak to people from all walks of life, no matter their background or what they know.
From his disability-focused training centre to his workshops, his production unit, and his new plans for exhibitions, it’s all about making sure his skills and knowledge don’t end with him. He keeps tradition alive by staying true to old techniques, honouring his spiritual roots, and creating the kinds of objects his ancestors would recognise. At the same time, he keeps it all relevant by adapting to new forms, reaching new audiences, and staying current.
Conclusion
Chief Robinson Olafisoye’s beaded art isn’t just about personal success. It shows how traditions can stay alive even as the world changes, how spiritual meaning and stunning visuals can go hand in hand, and how one person’s dedication can keep ancestral wisdom relevant for a new generation.
Look at his work, intricate boards full of Yoruba deities, accessories that turn the wearer into something more than just themselves, and his outreach to disabled youth. Every part tells you he’s building bridges. He connects the physical and spiritual, the old and the new, exclusive customs and wider access, Nigerian heritage and the world stage. Olafisoye’s beadwork manages to hold all of this together, never letting one side overpower the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Chief Robinson Olafisoye?
He’s a Nigerian artist and spiritualist, born on 17th August 1955, and based in Ikorodu, Lagos. He’s known for beaded art that draws on Yoruba spiritual themes and traditional royal regalia.
2. What materials does he use?
He mainly uses glass seed beads, the same ones used for Yoruba royal clothing. He beads onto boards, cloth, leather, sticks, and other objects, creating both art pieces and usable items.
3. What spiritual themes does his work cover?
His beadwork features major Yoruba deities like Oduduwa (the Yoruba founder), Yemoja (goddess of rivers and fertility), and Ere Ibeji (sacred twins), all deeply rooted in Yoruba beliefs.
4. Why did he switch from ceramics to beadwork?
Around 2008, he became paralysed due to an illness. Beadwork was easier for him physically, but it also turned out to be his true calling; it gave him a way to keep creating as he recovered.
5. What kinds of objects does he make?
He beads boards, fashion accessories, shoes for chiefs and kings, staffs, caps, and other royal items. Each piece fits into the Yoruba system of ranks and status.
6. How does spirituality shape his art?
He says he’s “not just an artist, but a spiritualist,” working under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. His art channels spiritual energy (ashe) and serves as a link between the physical and spiritual worlds.
7. What’s his educational background?
He studied at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, learnt ceramics in Bombay, India, and has led workshops at the National Museum in Onikan and in the Netherlands.
8. What’s next for him?
He wants to open a training centre in Ikorodu for people with disabilities. He is working on exhibitions that showcase beadwork as a shared heritage for all Nigerians, not just royalty.
