Oyinlola, Goldberg promote excellence of Yoruba dresses

The ex-Osun State Governor and the Nigeria Breweries Plc brand underscore why it’s important to showcase one’s culture with their preference for Yoruba attires

SPEAKING at the 50th anniversary of the Osogbo Artists Movement last month in the Osun State capital, Chair, Governing Board of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, raised the alarm over the erosion of Yoruba culture and tradition by western values.

He warned that foreign influences were eroding some aspects of Yoruba culture, including language, greeting, traditional song, poetry, religion, dressing and traditional architecture and that it was vital to protect them.

“It is our collective responsibility to preserve our culture as we witness the incursion of foreign cultures.  The cultural erosion is threatening aspects of our cultures and we must all rise to address this,” warned the former Osun State governor, who narrated an encounter with his daughter to buttress his point.

He disclosed that during one of her visits to him, he asked her: “Baale re nko”, meaning how is your husband? However, she didn’t know that ‘Baale’ means husband and thought her father was referring to one of his uncles, a chief who bears a title by that name in their native Okuku. Prince Oyinlola said he had to tell her the difference and encouraged others to join the train of preserving Yoruba culture.

Unknown to the ex-governor, however, other individuals and organisations agree with him and in their own little way, have joined the crusade to preserve and promote Yoruba culture. One of the organisations is the Nigerian Breweries Plc through its popular brand, Goldberg that has resolved to promote Yoruba dresses, music (fuji), greetings (paying courtesy visits to traditional rulers in the southwest) and festivals amongst others.

In announcing the credential campaign that was used to christen the brand, its promoters elected to use the agbada (Yoruba male flowing garment worn over a blouse), which Oyinlola also favours and always adorns to official functions with a cap to match, to connect with the people. Consequently, top officials of the company, including its Marketing Director, Franco Maria Maggi, were attired in agbada while dancing to fuji music at the unveiling of the campaign. To underscore its seriousness, Goldberg also chose to advertise Yoruba dress and music for its major campaign in print and billboards.  Actor Odunlade Adekola, proudly spots a Dansiki, one of the several Yoruba male styles with a talking drum (gangan). Complementing his dansiki were beads, which have their own place in the Yoruba culture of dressing.

Disclosing why they wore Yoruba attires to the venue, Senior Brand Manager, Regional Mainstream Brands of NB Plc, Funso Ayeni, said: “We appreciate the unique place Yoruba excellent dresses occupy in the minds of the people and the company also believes it must connect to the people through their dresses and culture.”

He added that in line with the ‘Your Excellency’ tagline of the campaign, they couldn’t have appeared in western attires at the event, hence the need to “put up excellent appearances with the agbada.” Ayeni noted further that Goldberg believed in the excellence of Yoruba dresses because it was also an excellent brand loyal to the people’s culture and would not relent in promoting it.