Alaafin assures of promoting Yoruba heritage globally 

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbọla Owoade, has assured of his readiness to promote Yoruba heritage on a global scale.

The monarch made the pledge while receiving the executive members of Ọmọ Yorùbá Àtàtà Socio-cultural Initiative, ỌYÀSI, in his palace, in Oyo.

He said the Yoruba were more specially blessed with some cultural heritages than any other tribe in the world, and there is a need to flaunt these heritages and show the world that we have really got it.

According to him, “Yoruba are more specially blessed with some cultural heritages than any other tribe in the world, and there is a need to flaunt these heritages and show the world that we have really got it.

”I am ready to support this initiative. You should go and celebrate the role you want me to play to ensure the success of this laudable initiative.”

Responding to the plea of one of the teams who paid him courtesy visits, Oba Owoade promised to be friends to all Yoruba monarchs and not to engage in any superiority battle with the Ooni of Ife, stating that all the news suggesting any superiority battle with the Ooni of Ife was fake news by bloggers.

The Chairman of Ọmọ Yoruba Atata Socio-cultural Initiative (ỌYÀSI), Ọlawale Ajao, while informing the monarch of the purpose of the visit, said having congratulated Kabiesi on his ascension to the throne, he led the team to introduce the initiative with its flagship programmes to the traditional ruler.

He said, ”ỌYÀSI is an initiative, registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission [CAC] to promote Yoruba culture and tradition on a global scale. One of our flagship initiatives is a proposed annual World Headdress Day with the aim of securing international recognition whereby a day will be set aside as World Headdress Day by UNESCO.”

Explaining why the proposed World Headdress Day deserves global recognition, he said while headdresses worldwide are primarily meant for adornment, they perform numerous other functions including spiritual, security, social, and medical purposes, noting that the programme would boost the economy of Yorubaland and Nigeria at large.

Other members of the team that paid a visit to Oba Owoade were Chief Saheed Alatise; Mr Nurudeen Adeyẹmi Olorire, and Mrs. Riswat Ajao.