The Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Mrs Hannatu Musawa, stated this at Saturday’s grand finale of the 2024 World Sango Festival in Oyo town, Oyo State.

In this regard, Musawa said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was committed to safeguarding and promoting the nation’s cultural heritage.

According to her, Nigerians’ cultural heritage was not only a source of pride, but also a vital component of creative economy, providing opportunities for economic growth, community development and tourism.

“The Tinubu-led administration is determined to support initiatives that protect people’s traditions, encourage cultural expressions, and harness the power of our heritage for the benefit of all Nigerians,” she said.

She added that her ministry would continue to work with local communities, traditional leaders, and international partners in line with its mandates.

Musawa said the collaboration was needful to ensure that Nigerians’ cultural heritage thrived in the modern world, contributing to peace, unity, and sustainable development.

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The minister noted that the 2024 edition of the World Sango Festival was the first since its recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisations, UNESCO.

She said the festival was enlisted on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Dec. 2023.

“Its recognition by UNESCO is not just a milestone for Oyo State, the Yoruba people, and the Kingdom of Oyo, but a victory for the entire nation of Nigeria.

“It affirms my ministry’s commitment to the global significance of our rich traditions, our stories, our values and our way of life.

“This tells the world that the Sango Festival is not just an event, but a living testament to the vibrancy and resilience of our culture,” the minister said.

She urged Nigerians to work together to preserve and promote the nation’s rich cultural heritage, ensuring that future generations would continually inspired, educated, and uplifted.

The Oyo State Deputy Governor, Mr Bayo Lawal, said the government recognised and could not toy with culture and tourism in the state.

He said the government prioritised culture and tourism as vital ways of improving the state economy apart from promoting people’s cultural heritage.

Lawal said the government would continue to support the growth and development of all recognised festivals and culture of the people across the state.

The cultural ambassador to the Alaafin, Dr Paula Gomes, attributed the tenacity of the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Olayiwola Adeyemi, to UNESCO’s approval of the Sango festival.

Gomes said, “The people are a creed that tells the past, relates with the present in order to prepare the future.

“This phenomenon leads to the appraisal of the growth and development of this community in maintaining this rich cultural heritage.”

Highlights of the event included cultural dance and displays by various communities.

Source: NAN

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Ayaba Ramat Adeyemi, the Iya Ile-koto and one of the Ayabas of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, made this known on Saturday.

She spoke while leading other Ayabas to perform their traditional roles of “Igbatiti” at the grand finale of the festival, held at the palace of the first class traditional ruler in Yorubaland.

According to her, “Igbatiti” means the beating of calabash by the Ayabas in the palace to get the attention of Alaafin whenever they needed to collect something, especially money, from him “because we women love money.”

“Any time we are beating this calabash in the palace, it is mandatory for Kabiyesi to come out and meet us.

“As we are beating the calabash, we are eulogising him and singing of his praises through his ‘oriki’, which we know very well.

“So, when it was raining before the commencement of the celebration at about 1.00 p.m., we the Ayabas were worried, because it would not allow us to perform our traditional roles.

“Whereas, as women and ayabas in the palace, we needed money from the Kabeyesi, I had to consult the Yemoja and Sango priests to appease the goddess to stop the rain,” she said.

Adeyemi stated that five minutes after consulting the priests, the rain stopped, adding: “if not, we would not be able to perform the igbatiti.”

“Ten minutes after, Alaafin entered the venue to commence the celebration of Sango festival,” she added.

The programme started immediately Oba Adeyemi stepped down from his car at about 2.18 p.m., with Iwure Agba (prayer by elders) led by Sango priests.

Source: NAN

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The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in the state, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, stated the need to earn foreign exchange through promotion of culture at the 2019 Annual Sango Festival which held at the Palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, at Oyo town, where he represented the governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on Saturday.

Olatunbosun said Makinde was eager to use all legally possible means to revive the economy of the state so as not to rely on the federal allocation which, according to him, could not cater for the basic need of the people of the state.

He said the present administration was looking for ways of boosting its internally-generated revenue while the moribund state-owned companies would be revived to anchor job provision and commercial resuscitation that would help the state to be financially free from going cap in hands to Abuja for monthly allocation and monetary aids.

“Our rich culture like Sango festival is enough to earn us foreign currencies if well promoted and given the right support. The present administration is ready to work with the Iku Baba Yeye, Alaafin of Oyo, our revered father, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, to see to the possibility of gaining another millage in generating revenue from cultural tourism through cultural festivals like Sango festival.

“We shall continue to support this and every other important festival that exhibits Yoruba culture as iconic among other cultures in Nigeria and other parts of the world. These cultural celebrations are in themselves capable of giving the state the financial freedom we seek through agriculture, commercial development by revamping abandoned state-owned companies and invitation to foreign investors to come and establish businesses here.”

Olatunbosun sought the support of the people of the state for the success of the Makinde-led administration, as according to him, if the government succeeded, the entire people of the state would have succeeded.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, called for collective voice of Yoruba people towards charting a prosperous economic roadmap for the nation.

The first class royal father said the ailing economy of Nigeria needed the support of all tribes, especially Yoruba sons and daughters that had the intellectual wherewithal to help Nigeria survive her security and economic woes.

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