World Press Photo 2019: Portraits Stories Winner

Nigeria has one of the highest occurrences of twins in the world, particularly among the Yoruba people in the south-west. In the south-western town of Igbo-Ora, dubbed "The Nation’s Home of Twins", reportedly almost every family has at least one set. In 2018, the town hosted a Twins Festival, attended by more than 2,000 pairs. The first-born twin is usually called Taiwo, meaning "having the first taste of the world", while the second-born is named Kehinde, "arriving after the other". Communities have developed different cultural practices in response to this high birth rate, from veneration to demonisation. In earlier times, twins in some regions were considered evil, and vilified or killed at birth. Nowadays, the arrival of twins is generally met with celebration, and many think they bring good luck and wealth. Two colour filters were used to express duality: of identity, of photographers, and of attitude to twins.

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