Ojude Oba: NOA resists desecration of Yoruba cultural identity
BY ADEGBOYEGA STEPHEN
Oyo State Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Aderogba Akanbi, has bemoaned alleged gradual intrusion of foreign culture into “our much-cherished and respected Yoruba identity, which have placed us on a high pedestal the world over.”
Speaking on the heels of a certain video of near-nude appearance of a woman in her prime age entertaining guests (now viral) during the recent Ojude Oba annual festival in ijebu Ode, Ogun State, the director, in a release he personally signed and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday, expressly counselled against “such acculturation,” as he warned that “we should not mortgage our values and norms on the altar of modernisation.”
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“Ojude Oba tells our stories of social cohesion and cultural identity, as it accentuates our mode of dressing, horse display and cultural ensemble, which is central to the festival as well cultured people of proud origin that preserve traditional institutions. “Therefore, anything that will taint that identity should be regarded as a ‘dark spot’ on a colourful attire and be condemned forthwith.
“Ojude Oba transcends an annual routine. It showcases our heritage, values, and norms to the world, and the legacy should remain unblemished.
“Nudity or obscene dressing during festivals are alien to Yoruba culture of the South-West Nigeria and should not be imported into our land.
“We should appreciate our cultural relativism,” he said.
