Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
As part of efforts aimed at restoring and promoting Yoruba civilisation across the globe, The House of Odùduwà, led by His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, in partnership with governments of Brazil, Cuba and over 20 other countries, has initiated Odùduwà Mobile Museum.
Earlier in the year, the House of Odùduwà, in collaboration with Rejevenee, and others, brought on stage, the life and times of Queen Moremi tagged. Moremi, the Musical, which equally aimed at promoting Ife heritage. The mobile museum, which promises lots of economic, political and socio-cultural benefits, seeks to draw global attention to the richness of Odùduwà culture and stimulate a well-sustained healthy conversation and international collaborations. It will be unveiled on September 7 at the Brazilian Embassy in Lagos. A four-day exhibition of antiquities, art recreations of divinities and treasures of ancestors of Odùduwà descendants will follow the unveiling ceremony.
The event, which will last 60 days during which priceless cultural materials of African origin, will be moved from place to place within Lagos for all to see. The cultural items slated for the exhibition will recall the earliest civilisation of Odùduwà people spread across the world and their place in the history of mankind.
The cultural items combine to reinforce the belief that, indeed, humanity originated from Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the acclaimed origin of the Odùduwà people located in the South-Western part of Nigeria. Interestingly, the unveiling ceremony will coincide with Brazil’s 197th Independence Day anniversary, and thus, provide a befitting celebration of its independence of September 7, 1822, on the continent of origin of millions of Brazilians.
Brazil is said to be the only country in the world with over 80 million Odùduwà descendants as part of its population. Recently, the country adopted Yorùbá as the official language (lingua franca), and the first country to collaborate with the House of Odùduwà on the promotion of African Heritage, the crucial place of Brazil in the project is worthy of note. “It is therefore appropriate that the museum project has been designed to have Ilé-Ifẹ̀ and Brazil as its split base,” The House of Odùduwà had noted in a media briefing to herald the event.
The museum, which is first of its kind, is set to pursue the following objectives:
To recognise the strategic importance of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) acknowledgement of the great benefits in the collaboration between the Municipal Secretariat of Culture of the City of Rio de Janeiro and the Kingdom of Ifẹ̀, Nigeria, for the establishment of a House of Heritage, the Odùduwà Heritage House, in Rio de Janeiro.
To work for the reinforcement of “the historic ties of Brazil with Africa” as recognized by the UNESCO; to valorize the “memory and the cultural diversity” of Africa as a way of enlarging the scope of valorizing the memory and the cultural diversity at the Valongo Wharf, as inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2017.
“The mobile museum is committed to showcasing all these collections as part of the necessary reconstruction of the black man who increasingly is being scientifically proven to be the oldest species of humanity.”
The House of Odùduwà noted in the briefing through this project, the organisers said;
“It cannot be any other time apart from now for the world to hear from and through Ilé-Ifẹ̀, where it all started, the narrative of a continuum of the past, the present and the future!”
The project also serves as the centre for the collection, protection, exhibition, and promotion of antiquities, treasures and traditional art forms of Africa; to embark on initiatives that can restore and reinforce the dignity of the African person such as the uprooted in the diaspora.
And to work in all possible ways for healthy global cultural interaction which will afford African and Africans the rare privilege of showcasing their cultures and histories; to encourage more collaborations (local and international) between Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀ and nations/institutions/organizations/individuals that may be interested in the preservation and promotion of African heritage and to promote rare positive virtues by which the Odùduwà hero/heroine is traditionally defined.