Ita Osun festival unites indigenes, foreigners in promoting Yoruba heritage

The annual celebration of this year’s Ita Osun festival, in Ile-Ife, did not only provide another ample opportunity for the teeming worshippers of the Osun River goddess within and outside the shores of Nigeria to converge on the historical city, it also created another leeway for the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi to promote and export the rich and fascinating heritage of  the Yoruba nation.

This year’s festival was not only unique with aesthetics and glamour that coloured the event, it also boosted the social and economic activities of Ile-Ife as local and international tourists visited strategic places, public facilities and institutions domiciled in Ife.

Oba Ogunwusi, Ojaja II—whose peace advocacy and agenda for unity among the Yorubas of the South West, including the entire nation and the Diaspora have attracted global accolade—emphasised the need for the government to put cultural tourism into priority as a veritable tool for economic growth of South West states.

Speaking during the festival tagged, “Ita Osun 2018” on Saturday at the Osun shrine in Ile-Ife which served as the first settlement of the Osun goddess from where she moved around the world, the monarch maintained that “tradition is the root of Yoruba’s heritage, Nigerian government and all the states in Yoruba land must invest in cultural tourism.”

According to him, “to productively drive economic growth, as this is the case in Isreal, Saudi-Arabia, Brazil and other tourist destinations in the world, we must know that they use pilgrimages which can be said to be a lucrative economic tourism. Public leaders at the helm of affairs should be more committed to fund the tourism sub-sector.”

• Cultural tourism my focus as Aare Ona Kakanfo —Gani Adams

Oba Ogunwusi, who also doubles as the co-chairman, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, used the occasion to preach peaceful co-existence among Nigerians. “Nigeria will survive during challenges only if the people maintain peace with one another irrespective of religion and ethnicity.

“As the custodian of the sacred throne of Oduduwa, the progenitor of Yoruba people worldwide, the Ooni is one of the 401 deities sent by the Almighty God to form the world from Ile-Ife then known as Ife-Oodaye. While Oduduwa, Ogun and Kori were in charge of prayer, iron and children respectively, Osun was made a deity that has to do with water which should always be celebrated as no one can function without water,” he said.

Oba Ogunwusi maintained that Nigerians must uphold their cultural heritage and traditions by showcasing deities like Osun saying “water is an essential commodity that is necessary and compulsory for humanity. No one can be enemies with water. We should therefore celebrate and always remember this deity that has to do with productivity and multiplication.

“We are not Idol worshippers as people think. But we are promoting our cultural heritage as done all over the world. Because any stream that forgets its source will surely dry up.

“I am pleading with our governments at all levels especially in Yoruba land to support prioritising tradition and culture of Yoruba for economic gains because tradition is the root of our heritage.”

Also, Muyiwa Oladipo, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ogun State, commended Ooni Ogunwusi for prioritising tradition and culture of the Yorubas.

“We are celebrating Osun festival by reviving and sustaining our culture. The festival is a good thing to value and embrace because our culture and tradition are dying. We need to proudly acknowledge our own Ooni of Ife who is trying his best to ensure the stability of our cultural heritage. This is why our tourism promoting governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has always taken part in all the cultural events organised by the Arole Oodua represented by me as his commissioner for culture and tourism,” he said.

Oladipo admonished all and sundry to support the royal father in uplifting tradition, saying “culture is different from religion.”

Dr Santos Pedro Bernardo, a Brazilian tourist from Rio De Janerio who was among the several foreigners that came from countries like Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Congo Republic, South Africa and the United States of America to witness the Osun festival expressed delight for the cultural reception they enjoyed at Ile-Ife which they described as the ancestral home not only to the Yorubas but also to entire mankind.

Speaking with journalists in company of his co-tourists, Berbardo lauded Ooni Ogunwusi’s commitment to African cultural tourism revolution which has taken him to several countries including Brazil where he met him recently.

“Ooni is undoubtedly the global face of cultural tourism revolution at the moment. I read about him in 2016 when he travelled to America with about 100 chiefs and priests, awesome! I have since then developed interest in him and I went to meet him at a Rio’ Heritage site CRISTO REDENTOR, a giant (98-ft.-tall) mountaintop statue of Jesus Christ, accessed by train & offering city views with its horizontally outstretched arms spanning 92 feet.

“We have been visiting tourist sites in Ile-Ife. I am so amazed to see this land. This place is so culturally blessed especially Nigeria’s tallest statue of liberty built 2 years ago by this Ooni Ogunwusi in honour of Moremi Ajasoro. Nigerian government must really encourage this great traditional ruler,” he said.