The Okuyi (plural: Mekuyo, also known as Ukuyi, Ocuya, Mokoi, Mukudj, Ikwara, Okukwe and Mbwanda, in Equatorial Guinea (Spanish): Mamarracho[1]) is a rite of passage practised by several Bantu ethnic groups in different countries mainly across the west coast of Central Africa.

Some of the countries where the rite is exercised include Cameroon in West Central Africa, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

The coastal community known as Ndowe, also known as playeros, is a primary example, as peoples across Equatorial Guinea frequently perform the ritual in public.

The dance is believed to have originated from the rites of passages initiated by western and southern ethnic groups like the Mpongwe and from the Galwa region.

It was in the mid-nineteenth century when the Benga people, who are both native to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, introduced the ethnic performance to the island of Corisco and Cabo San Juan.

Well known Okuyi dancers from the Litoral Province include Kungulu, Ngadi, Aduma and Ngüende a limba from Ekuku.

[3] The typical Okuyi performer wears a large, loose costume that is said to resemble the spirit of the clan members’ ancestors.

The ancestors are illustrated by the dancers as tranquil and serene and suggest that they were the people who safeguarded, counselled, and educated them from the residence of the deceased.

Okuyi costumes are made either from the raffia palm, a tree native to tropical African nations, or bamboo.

These three colors represent diverse aspects which are illustrated to the audience but are mainly targeted to the initiated person who is the centre of the rite of passage.

The colors on the mask aim to link in cosmogony to the ritual as the Mekuyo tradition is related to cosmos which are the customary dwellings of the spirits.

The red displays the fight a person must perform during life, the strength needed to do so, the blood involved and the birth.

Performances usually consist of the Ukuyi dancer dancing in short and fast episodes as he stomps his feet on the ground usually to a beat played by three drums and wooden sticks.

The base of the ibito plant has a sack held by several poto leaves holding numerous barks from a variety of trees.

In funeral performances the primary mourner traditionally sits on a chair in the middle of an open area and surrounding him or her is an Okuyi dancing in his normal method similar to the new mother's rite "djae".

The lyrics of the melodies the choir sings educate the listeners about everyday life possessions, experiences and traditional folklore.

In funerals, the Mekuyo music and dance is used to break the mourning period and bring hope to all the mourners for the future.