"I’m A Christian But I Don’t Joke With Ifa", Says Obasanjo at Lady Drummer Ara's Birthday, Calls for Preservation of African Cultural Heritage
Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has honoured female Nigerian drummer, Olamuyiwa Aralola by hosting her for her 50th Birthday at the Green Legacy Hotel and Resort Abeokuta,where he called for preservation of African cultural heritage.
Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said although he is Christian but he does not joke with Ifa, adding that the Yoruba culture must be guided, guarded and preserved because it’s “authentic.”
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Hosts Nigerian Lady Drummer Ara (In the Middle) Flanked By Veteran Film Maker Tunde Kelani
OTN News further reports that the former president who disclosed this in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital while hosting a renowned female talking drummer, Olamuyiwa Aralola, popularly known as Ara, on her 50th Birthday at Green Legacy Hotel and Resort, within Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), called for preservation of African cultural heritages, saying they must not go into extinction.
According to him, hosting Ara for birthday celebration was a deliberate action, to appreciate her efforts in preserving the Yoruba cultural heritage with specialty in talking drum, believed to be exclusive to the male.
He said, “For whatever reason, we must preserve our culture, Ara is a woman of culture, she is our cultural ambassador, she has lifted our culture and had broken the taboo on what was formerly believed to be exclusively for male gender. She had not only excelled in this, but was already building young ones to preserve her legacy.
“When I was growing up, there are two things that you don’t imagine a woman should do. You cannot see a woman climbing a palm tree. Secondly, you cannot see a woman playing talking drum, Ara had broken the taboo and she had done it very well.”
The elder statesman said that the lesson in what Ara had done is that one must do whatever he or she is doing very well.
“Before now, parents don’t allow their son to play football but today, parents are now begging that their children should be allowed to play football.
“For me if you are dancer, dance well and if you invite me for celebration, I will come. If you are a footballer and you invite me for celebration, I will come. Whatever you find your hands in doing, do it well.
“We must not joke with our culture. We are being relegated to the background, our language is being relegated, our food, our dress and others. We must not allow it. They are things that are authentic. Yoruba is not vernacular.”
Obasanjo maintained that despite being a Christian, he hasn’t forgotten his culture.
“I am a Christian, I had attended two churches today and that does not mean that I should forget my culture. Whoever says Ifa is nothing, I will say that person is a big fool.
“Before Christianity and Islam, we have Ifa Orunmila meaning Olorun lo mo eni to ma la “It is Heaven that knows who will be saved,” the former Nigerian President said.
Ara however, thanked Obasanjo, for the honour done to her.Ara, who said she started playing talking drum at age 10 in her father’s palace in Ondo, said parents should do everything possible to preserve the culture.
Ifá is a divination system and a religious text in the Yoruba religion that originates from Yorubaland in West Africa.
It originates within the traditional religion of the Yoruba people, and is also practised by followers of West African
Ifá is an ancient divination system originating from the Yoruba people of West Africa, particularly in present-day Nigeria.
Initially, Ifá was an integral part of Yoruba oral literature, passed down through generations via word of mouth.
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