Ooni of Ife for Europe tour to promote African culture

In a bid to showcase and promote African culture to parts of Europe, His Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Kabiyesi Enitan Babatunde Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja 11), will embark on a tour to Germany, Netherland, Austria and Hungary from October 21 through 29, 2016.

The tour is being put together by Africulra Awards, in conjunction with 127 Yoruba associations in Europe. It has the diplomatic support of Nigeria’s Consulate offices in Germany, Netherland, Austria, Hungary and other diplomatic missions in Europe, which will also host the Ooni during the nine-day period.

The tour will focus on promotion, development and sustenance of the African culture through cultural celebration and unique educative forums. President of Africulra Awards, Mr. Adeyanju Adewale Toyin, stated that African culture holds no grip on Africans in the diaspora any longer, particularly sons and daughters of Oduduwa, who are spread across the globe. He said some of them find it difficult to trace and identify with their origin.

Toyin also stated that the research carried out by Africulra Awards, a socio-cultural company that promotes culture and humanitarian works, reveals that many Nigerians have acculturated into the culture and ways of life of their host countries. He said the syndrome is traceable to many factors, including immigration, barrier, economic, psychological perception of kinsmen, and empirical experience among others.

According to him, “It was amazing to see full grown adults on the streets of Europe struggling to remember their villages or any notable tradition of their communities, even a 60-year old man in the U.S. with conspicuous tribal marks on his cheek, who is unable to speak his language clearly. Astonishingly, he could not pronounce his Nigerian name correctly”.

The Ooni stated that culture is a unique natural identity of an individual, which distinguishes him from other human beings in term of language, tradition, value system, beliefs, orientation, customs and religion.