EVENTS: Ooni Of Ife Kicks Off Oranmiyan Festival Today

TODAY, at 11am at Oduduwa hall, Obafemi Awolowo University, State of Osun, the Ooni of Ife, Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, will lead his illustrious Ile-Ife subjects and all Yorubas in celebrating the heroic valour of the fourth monarch, Oranmiyan, who occupied his throne. The three-day festival will open with a lecture that will put Oranmiyan in perspective before other activities will follow.
With the theme ‘Oranmiyan –What is a Name?’ organisers hope to give historical background to the rise of Oranmiyan and his place in Yorubaland. The lecture will be given by Karunwi III, Oba Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso and chaired by Prof. Wande Abimbola. Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola is special guest of honour.
Consultants to the festival, Flabsy Travel and Tours Ltd, said the festival would serve as source of unity among the Yoruba nation, as her sons and daughters would be drawn from all parts of the world to attend and pay homage to their illustrious ancestor.
Supporting the festival will be Nigerian Bottling Company, makers of Coca Cola Coke; Grand Oak Ltd, makers of Seamans Schnapps, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Vita Foam, WABP Publishers and others.
Also, through Oranmiyan Festival, Lawrence Omidiora and Abiodun Olabampe of Flabsy Travels and Tours Ltd hope to market the historical artifacts associated with the legendary Oranmiyan and Ile-Ife. Such artifacts include Oranmiyan Staff located in his grave site, his sword and calabash of divination, which must confer legitimacy on any would-be Alaafin of Oyo before he takes office, and his shield located at Alasa compound at Iremo, Ife.
A prominent Ife personage, Chief Bashir Awotorebo, noted that Oranmiyan isn’t a religious deity, but a cultural, war hero, said Ile-Ife is the cultural capital of all Yoruba and that Oranmiyan as legend of Ile-Ife culture, was a man who was always in the forefront of war. He added, “Flabsy is in the right perspective that Oranmiyan should be celebrated. There should be Ife Cultural Week to really bring to the fore the rich culture of Ife”.
THE GUARDIAN