Oyo State Director, National Orientation Agency, Aderogba Akanbi, has bemoaned the gradual intrusion of foreign culture into our much cherished and respected yoruba identity which has placed us on a high pedestal world over.
Speaking on the heels of a certain nude video 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 the Press in Ibadan this morning, expressly counselled against such acculturation as he warned that we should not mortgage our values and norms on the altar of modernisation.
“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.
