Everybody praising Ijebus for their colourful festival, can we have similar thing here?
Femi OGUNLANA
The Ijebu people of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state Tuesday caught the attention of the world with their colourful and impressive Ojude Oba Festival (King’s Forecourt Festival) annually held two days after the Eid-al-Adha. It is a festival staged for the citizens of the city to appreciate their Oba and showcase their rich, flamboyant cultural heritage. It is always magnificent, glamorous and exciting. People in same age groups (regberegbe) swelled by friends and associates and also family compounds (Itun) adorning similar local attire (aso ebi) of exotic fabrics sewn in traditional styles made from sanyan, and alaari, etu, adire to the more contemporary brocades and laces, parade the venue and pay homage to their Oba, the Awujale, the paramount ruler of Ijebu in the process. The festival has come of age and assumed national importance with people who love tradition and culture and the tourism buff now looking forward to it across the world. It is a major feat of the Ijebus.
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This year’s event has continued to generate social media frenzy and rave review. It exemplifies the wealth of the Ijebu people (l am still dazed how that large number of people could purchase such varying expensive clothes (not N3, 000 wears), horses and other paraphernalia of riches), their unity, humility, cooperation, love and accommodating spirit.
It is pure admiration for the Ijebu festival, making one to wonder if Ogbomoso can stage such an eye-catching carnival. It is amazing. Meanwhile It is not impossible but a lot has to go into it, in terms of planning, resources, getting our people to key into it, provoking the prerequisite level of unity, carrying everyone along, getting sponsorship, and so on.
Ojude Oba Festival is over 200 years old and it didn’t become a cynosure of national eyes in a day. It has evolved and evolved. But starting is essential, not necessarily in that format, every town is unique in its own way and have different histories and backgrounds with varying cultures and so what is of essence, is evolving a cultural template that embodies a town’s uniqueness and making concerted efforts to be true to it.
In order for Ogbomoso to establish a festival that can compete with the best on a global scale, a challenging endeavour lies ahead. The initial step involves selecting a name that resonates with the sentiments of the communities in Ogbomoso – one that is generally accepted, appealing to a wide audience, and avoids causing any resentment. This decision is crucial. The festival’s level of intricacy must also be considered. What specific aspects of our culture do we aim to showcase? Where do we hold a comparative advantage? How can we effectively integrate all the different components? It is essential to prevent any individuals from becoming disgruntled and attempting to sabotage the festival’s success. The event must be inclusive and not give the impression of being exclusive to certain groups, thereby alienating other members of the community due to vanity, arrogance, or petty rivalries. Addressing primordial sentiments is key – whether to exacerbate or ameliorate them. Measures must be taken to prevent greedy, self-centered, and egocentric individuals from taking control of the festival’s organization. Intensive efforts must be made by the organizers to subdue the prevailing culture of “awa la wan be” in order to elicit full participation and cooperation. Ensuring that individuals with knowledge, a broad perspective, who are focused on achieving goals, not elitist, and who value local talent and do not hold contempt for others, are the ones leading the effort to bring this festival to fruition.
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The unique characteristics of Ogbomoso must be carefully considered in the planning process in order to increase the likelihood of hosting a successful festival. It is essential that true patriots, who will not unintentionally neglect any stakeholders, take the lead in organizing the event.
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Yes, we can unleash such cultural festival if the necessary things are worked into the planning and embraced. We have a real opportunity with the cultural festival slated for December to show the world what we can conjure too in Ogbomoso. Actually, not for the world but for ourselves, our economy and what have you! But surely, we can’t expect something as grand as the Ojude Oba Festival, where colours, royalty, art, loads of steeze (meaning: straight up easy flow and mad unique style, confidence and skill expressed via actions and phrases that knock people back in awe and amazement) and composure, grandeur were on parade, that spared no expenses, that broke all barriers – religion, primordial stratifications, social classifications and so on.
The upcoming December cultural festival in Ogbomoso should be a litmus test. However, the substantial principle is to insure integration and incorporation of every interest to facilitate large enthusiastic (and not grudging) participation or total boycott.
Let’s set the ball rolling towards a previously uncharted but exciting, vibrant, buoyant event. Rising from the inaugural edition we can hope for better subsequent editions.
