By Damiete Braide
In his article “Ojude Oba: Nigeria’s Dazzling Festival of Royal Homage and Unity,” Emmanuel Solate achieves what a few cultural commentators do with such grace. He captures the soul of a festival, illuminating both its historic roots and contemporary significance with narrative elegance. His piece is a striking addition to the growing body of Nigerian creative nonfiction that seeks not only to inform but to evoke, not merely to preserve culture but to propel it into global consciousness.
From the outset, Solate’s language captivates. His opening line, “A sea of vibrant fabrics swirling to thunderous drum beats”, immediately takes the reader to the heart of Ijebu Ode, where the Ojude Oba Festival unfolds in technicolour splendour. This is not just good prose but immersive storytelling. Through rhythmic descriptions and evocative imagery, Solate positions the reader as a participant in the ceremony, not just an observer. His writing offers the pulse of the drums, the glint of the sun on beaded regalia, the scent of festival food, and the echo of ancestral chants.
But what elevates this article beyond the picturesque is the dual lens through which it is written, at once scholarly and lyrical. Solate deftly explores the deep history of Ojude Oba, tracing its Islamic beginnings and the contributions of key figures like Alli-Tubogun and Chief Balogun Kuku. These historical detours do not feel like digressions; rather, they provide necessary context, anchoring the reader in a heritage that is at once ancient and living. The writer’s approach to historical material is not pedantic but poetic, and therein lies the article’s strength. Solate does not burden the reader with facts, he invites them into a narrative of continuity, resilience, and pride.
One of the most commendable sections of the piece is the treatment of the Regberegbe, the Ijebu age-grade societies that form the backbone of the festival. Solate’s attention to their sartorial brilliance, choreography, and communal function highlights the intergenerational vibrancy of Ijebu culture. He presents them not as relics of a bygone tradition but as living agents of cultural continuity and social structure. His portrait of the Regberegbe is nuanced: they are at once celebrants and custodians, dancers and historians, symbols and citizens.
Even without visual aids, Solate’s prose alone has the power to conjure imagery. However, the inclusion of photography in the article enhances its documentary value, offering the reader a parallel narrative told through lens and frame. Still, it is Solate’s pen that does the heavy lifting.
He captures moments such as the majestic arrival of horsemen, the silent authority of masquerades, and the familial joy of intergenerational feasting with such vividness that the reader feels transported.
Importantly, Solate does not restrict his gaze to the local. He positions Ojude Oba within a global framework, drawing parallels with events such as Brazil’s Carnival and India’s Kumbh Mela. In doing so, he reimagines the festival not simply as a local or regional affair but as a cultural product with international potential. This framing is strategic and refreshing, it recasts Nigerian tradition as a form of soft power, a potential export in the marketplace of global cultural experiences. The writer subtly introduces a kind of cultural diplomacy, suggesting that Nigeria’s festivals can do more than celebrate heritage; they can rebrand national identity, foster tourism, and drive creative economic value.
What is most inspiring about Solate’s piece is that it stands as both documentation and aspiration. It is a celebration, but also a call to action, for Nigerians to take ownership of their narratives, for cultural stakeholders to invest in their preservation, and for global readers to encounter Nigeria not through deficit stereotypes, but through the richness of its living traditions.
As a cultural journalist, who has encountered numerous features on Nigerian festivals, I find this particular article exceptional in scope, depth, and ambition. Solate’s work is an example of the finest possibilities of cultural reportage, layered, emotionally resonant, and intellectually rewarding. It is the kind of writing that contributes meaningfully to the preservation of heritage, the education of audiences, and the projection of a confident, creative Nigeria onto the world stage.
In Emmanuel Solate’s hands, Ojude Oba becomes more than a festival; it becomes a metaphor for unity, a vessel for memory, and a beacon of cultural pride. This is not just a festival report, it is literature, history, journalism, and advocacy, all masterfully interwoven.