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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Olubadan-designate, Senator Lekan Balogun, has said Yoruba cultural values must be accepted, celebrated and preserved by the Yoruba monarchs and their subjects in order to protect the identity of the Yoruba race.
He gave the charge on Wednesday at his Alarere residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, when a Yoruba group based in Canada, Asa Day World Wide(ADWW), led by its president, Prince Olaniyi Oyatoye, paid a courtesy call on the new paramount ruler of Ibadanland, to identify with him and congratulate him ahead of his coronation and installation on Friday March 11, 2022. The visit was also geared towards briefing Olubadan about Asa Day that will hold in Ibadan later in the year.
Balogun, who spoke through his media aide, Oladele Ogunsola,, stated that culture is about people and people are about the culture, adding that it is the identity of the race. He said every traditional ruler and their subjects in Yorubaland must embrace anything that will promote the culture, and tradition of the race.
The new Olubadan, however, threw his weight behind repatriation of looted artefacts from Yorubaland, advocating stringent measures on the recovery of the stolen artefacts from various museum nationwide.
According to him, he was ready to use his position as Olubadan to preserve the rich heritage of Yoruba culture, as he called on the youth and relevant cultural organisations in the country to follow the good steps of ASA Day Worldwide that has been organising Asa Day Festivals in Ibadan and Lagos in the South West Nigeria, as well as in Canada.
The convener of Asa Day, Prince Olaniyi Oyatoye, fondly called Baba Asa, said though the organisation is based in Canada, ‘it is about Yoruba Culture,” adding that the group has set up a Yoruba Cultural Museum in Canada with a view to taking Yoruba cultural revival to the next level.
He stated that the group decided to pay a courtesy call on the new Olubadan in order to solicit his support towards ensuring that Yoruba culture does not go into extinction, adding that many Yoruba children have lost interest in speaking of Yoruba language. He warned that language is part of culture and those who cannot speak their mother tongue have lost their identity.
His words: “Yoruba culture and heritage must be accepted, celebrated, and preserved. Weust showcase our cultural artefacts, our cultural attires, and everything that identifies us a Yoruba. This can help significantly in boosting out economy. It can also be leveraged on to empower the youth.
“The Asa Day Worldwide is the organiser of Asa Day. It is an annual event. We held the programme in two places in Nigeria, Ibadan and Lagos as well as Canada in 2021. We are looking forward to Asa Day this year in Lagos, Ibadan and Canada. We have cultural museum in Canada to ensure that out culture and heritage are well protected. We shall work with other cultural Yoruba groups to ensure repatriation of looted Yoruba artefacts.”
