Oba Of Lagos & Staff Move Back Into Palace After Ungergoing Ritual Rites

 The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu has moved back into the palace after undergoing traditional spiritual rites. This comes after his staff of office which had been taken during an invasion of the palace by hoodlum was returned.

Obaruwa Festival of Arts & Culture 2019

This video covers the main performance of the Obaruwa Festival of Culture & Arts in Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State Nigeria. Obaruwa is an annual, week-long programmes which highlights and showcases the Culture & Traditions of the Makun people.

It is a very colourful affair with cultural dancers, masquerades traditional worshippers with a lot of kings and dignitaries in attendance.

Picture of my dad, Ewusi of Makun and traditional worshippers

Oba of Benin Welcomes His Youngest Prince Idugbowa Ewuare 11.

Benin palace was thrown in a festive mood as the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare ll welcomed his youngest prince Idugbowa Ewuare 11. Iyase of Benin Kingdom (Prime Minister), Chief Sam Igbe disclosed the news to newsmen as the Benin Traditional Council initially broadcasted the birth of a new Prince of the Kingdom to Oba Ewuare ll, Oba of Benin. READ ALSO: Divorce About To Happen? Actress, Lizzy Anjorin Puts Up Newlywed Husband For Sale An immense festival held at the royal residence on 25th July to invite the infant sovereign who’s naming ceremonial was seen by the aristocrats, chiefs and dignitaries. The new Prince Idugbowa Ewuare is the second to be destined to the ruler on the seat. Watch video below:

 

Tinuade Adejuiyegbe Becomes First Seating Tradition Ruler To Attend NYSC Camp

- A Nigerian female monarch has made history in the country and she excitedly shared the news on social media

- The Oluboropa of Iboropa revealed that she participated in the three weeks NYSC camping experience in Minna

- According to her, none of her fellow corps members discovered that she was a royal because she blended in perfectly

- The traditional ruler who also attended her POP ceremony shared photos on her Instagram page

A Nigerian female monarch, Tinuade Babalola Adejuiyegbe who is the Oluborapa of Iboropa in Akoko, Ondo state, has made history as the first seating traditional ruler to participate in the three weeks National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camping experience.

The excited monarch took to her official page on photo-sharing app, Instagram, to share the news with her followers.

According to the Oluboropa, she is the first traditional ruler to achieve the feat while still occupying the throne.

The monarch disclosed that she was a part of camping activities in Minna and did everything other corps members were expected to do apart from domestic works.

She added that NYSC officials in the camp were aware of her identity but her fellow corps members were not because she blended so well with them.

"History was made today I went to camp in minna paiko even though NYSC officials were informed of my coming, my fellow corpers didn’t know my real identity cause I blended so well and I did everything all Corp members did with the exemption of domestic work though," her post read in part.

The Oluboropa extended her sincere appreciation to God, her parents, siblings, her chiefs and the people of Iboropa who all supported her.

Congrats To Oba David Olofinlade New Oloja-Owa Of Owatedo- Ekiti

Congrayts to HRM, Oba (Engr.) David O.Olofinlade, Olofin-Ajigbaruru II OLOJA-OWA of Owatedo-Ekiti who recently received his staff of office.

ADE A PE LORI OOO

Happy Birthday To Deji Of Akure's Daughter

Happy Birthday to cute PRINCESS of His Royal Majesty
Oba Ogunlade and Olori Oluwafunmilayo Aladetoyinbo
Deji of Akure Kingdom
Ondo State, Nigeria

We Summoned The Spirit Of Ooni Adremi From His Tomb- Ooni Of Ife

As part of numerous mysteries and sacred practices of the Kingdom of Ife which our Ancestors handed over to us in preservation is that, it remains a taboo for an Ooni to get near a tomb except for the ones of the past Oonis because they are immortal beings and are all present in the Palace.

All spirits of past Oonis are always recalled, yesterday I was privileged to have Ooni Adesoji Aderemi come out of his tomb to celebrate with us. He was extremely happy.

Yoruba Culture And The Stigma Of The Left Hand

The Yorubas are one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria and can also be found in Togo, Benin and parts of Ghana. They are descendants of Oduduwa, who is believed to be the spiritual head of all Yoruba people. The Yorubas are a people with a strong sense of cultural, tradition and social identity and there are so many customs, beliefs, superstitions and taboos which govern the customs and lifestyle of the  people.


Yorubas do not joke with their culture and this is evident in the religious way they showcase, appreciate and promote it. This is also evident in everyday life especially  when it comes to the way you accord respect to an elder. They ensure they pass on traditions and culture to the younger generations through oral lectures, poetry, storytelling  and so on. They believe it is very important to teach their children and the younger generation the importance of good manners, respect and grounded moral upbringing.


As I stated earlier, there are many superstitions, taboos, stigma which the Yorubas do not take lightly and  I will be taking a closer look at one of such taboo which is the sigma that is attached to the use of the left hand.

The left hand (Owo Osi) as known by Yoruba people is considered to be an 'unclean' hand. The left hand is associated with a lot of negative connotation. There are so many superstitions associated with the left hand so one must begin to wonder where these beliefs originate from and its impact on Yoruba culture. In contrary, The right hand is used as a symbol of strength, authority and acceptance. eg. 'My right hand man!'!

It is the belief of the people that it is unclean to eat with your left hand and certain activities are equally reserved for the left hand such as picking your nose, picking up litter and dirt or cleaning yourself after visiting the toilet.

Also, you do not give or receive items with your left hand in Yorubaland. I cannot remember how many times I was scolded and reprimanded for giving or receiving items with my left hand. I have to say even till date I still live my this strict moral code of conduct associated with my people. I find myself on numerous occasions swiftly 'changing hands' from left to right whenever I want to give anything to anyone even to those who are not Yoruba talk less of  being Nigerian.

There is a popular saying in Yorubaland "Omo ale lo ma fi owo osi juwe ile baba re" meaning It is a bastard that points to his father's house with the left hand. This further emphasises the severity of the issue amongst the people. 

It should also be noted at this point that religions like Christianity & Islam also denote the left hand in a negative manner.

Having said this, I will like to note that not all aspect of the culture looks unfavourably on the left hand. If you look at IFA divination and religion for example, the  rites use the left palm of an individual to reveal details of their future and also to hold traditionally sacred items.

The fact that Yorubas sometimed call the left hand ‘Owo Alaafia’ which literally means ‘hand of peace’ instead of ‘Owo Osi’, the original Yoruba word for the left hand also shows that the left hand is not totally condemned.

In conclusion, one begins to wonder if the stigma accorded to the left hand by the Yoruba people does not stem from the natural weakness of the left hand compared to the right although left-handed people will disagree and we can also imagine the impact of these beliefs on such left handed individuals.

I invite all readers to share their views, comments and experiences below.

Edo Traditional Dancers Thrill Us At Ewusi Palace Sagamu During Kabiyesi's 10th Year Coronation Anniversary

To say my father's 10th year coronation anniversary celebrations in Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State in Nigeria back in February 2018 was a mini carnival would not be an exaggeration at all. It was  indeed a very colourful affair and a showcase of rich cultural and traditional heritage from not just his loyal subjects of Makun but indeed all parts of Nigeria.

As part of the celebrations, we invited the Edo cultural dancers from Benin to add their graceful steps to the occasion. Edo is part of the historic and powerful Benin Empire. The Kingdom of Benin's capital was Edo, now known as Benin city in Edo State. The Benin Kingdom was "one of the oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of  West Africa. The dancers had arrived in Sagamu a day earlier from Benin city and they went through a brief rehearsal in the palace ground before retreating back to their hotel.

Fast forward to D day, my father kabiyesi Oyesola Akinsanya was escorted to his seat and exchanged greetings with his high chiefs and some of his subjects before relaxing in his seat for the performances by different cultural, traditional social groups which had come to honour him.

After a few performances, it was time for the colourful ladies from Edo to take centre stage. They wore lemon coloured wrappers and were adorned with beads- head, neck, hands and feet. We were treated to a medley of soulful Bini songs most of which were in praise of the celebrant.

One of the members who translated most of the songs said some of the songs took us back to the Ancient Benin empire. They sang bout the divinity and sacredness of their kings (Obas). They narrated their story through song- How they built an empire with slaves, trading in palm oil, textiles and ivory, their deep rooted culture and wealth, their bronze artefacts before all was destroyed by the British.

We were also thrilled to the rhythmic and melodious sounds of their drums and the women moved energetically all over the arena with such speed and elegance that ladies half of their age would have been in jealous.

The ladies were not done yet and in a grand finale of enormous proportions, they then sent the crowd in a frenzy when they started gyrating their backsides in synchronised fashion. Their movements timed to perfection with the speed of the drum beats. My father and his high chiefs burst into laughter and you could see the excitement on their faces and they proceeded to join the dancers on the arena, spraying them with wads of Naira notes in appreciation.

The ladies rounded up their performance with a rendition of  'Happy birthday' in their local dialect and walked off the arena to a rousing ovation by all those who were in attendance.

Kabiyesi been escorted to his seat by some of his security personnel

The dancers take up position

The Edo traditional performers thrilling the crowd

Kabiyesi Oyesola Akinsanya going to meet the dancers

My father appreciating the performance

The dancers pay homage

                                                           

The dancers start to move their backsides in unison like clockwork

My father and his chiefs join them in appreciation

The drummers from Edo

Subjects paying homage to their king

On the right is the high chief Aro of Makun Sagamu. He is also one of the kingmakers

The female dancers

Me (In white) with the performers

OSUN- An African goddess

òrìṣà

According to the Yoruba people of South-Western Nigeria and also parts of Republic of Benin, practitioners of the Yoruba traditional tradition and Ifa oral literature believe in a pantheon of 401 gods or deities (orisa) who were sent to the world by Olodumare to protect and govern the world and all forms of human life.

Who is Ọṣun?

Ọṣun can be described as a spirit, a deity or river goddess who is the the goddess of divinity, fertility, femininity, fertility and love. She is believed to be omnipresent and omnipotent. She is very powerful and kind and she is also the saint of the Osun river which can be found in Ekiti State, Western Nigeria.

Ọṣun-Osogbo Festival

The Osun river also passes through the sacred Osun-Osogbo sacred grove and that is where the principal sanctuary of the deity is located. The Osun goddess established her kingdom there. Olaguna(1952:16) writes that many centuries ago, Oba Olarooye of Ipole omu, Olutimehin, a great hunter and their subjects migrated from Ipole omu because of water scarcity and they settled at the Osun groove where the goddess had established her kingdom.

 One day, as they were preparing the ground for the planting season, a tree fell across the river crushing many of Osun tools of trade. It is recorded that the goddess was furious with  Olutimehin saying: "Gbogbo ikoko aro mi le ti fo tan" (You have destroyed all my calabashes).The spirits within the grove pacified the goddess saying:

"Oso-igbo pele o" spirit of the forest we plead
 "Oso-igbo rora o"  spirit of the forest be patient

Olarooye and Olutimehin were shocked because they wondered how the goddess knew their names. Sensing  this, she re-assured them and later advised them to move to the upper part of the river called OHUNTOTO. There Oba Olarooye established another palace as well as a thriving market. 

One day, Olutimehin saw some spirits dancing round a lamp with sixteen receptacles, which he seized through incantation. When the goddess learnt of this, she made Olutimehin and Olarooye promise to celebrate the lightening of the lamp annually, particularly nine days from the grand finale of the Osun festival.

She gave them a calabash containing antiquities with a warning that the contents must never be exposed to the naked eyes. She also decreed that the calabash must be taken to the grove during the festival by a virgin to the reigning king, and who must be chosen by the Ifa. 

On the festival day, the Ataoja (king ) sits on the dedicated stone of authority housed on the Osun temple/shrine where he commune with the ancestors. Osun gave her assurance that if her instructions were carried out, she would  pour a curative substance into the river if sacrifices from the Ataoja were acceptable. According to historical records, Osogbo had been founded as early as  the Oduduwa period. Osogbo, the goddess of Osun river was the queen original founder of Osogbo.

According to Bier (1966:69) there are some heroic roles of historical importance, rendered by Osun goddess especially during the Fulani war of 1842. She was credited with many important achievements, which helped to established the state. She possessed magical powers which inspired her and frightened her.

The relationship between the Osun Osogbo festival which has been celebrated for about six hundred centuries.

Primordial Ọṣun

According to Ifa oral literature, Osun was the only female irunmole (primordial spirit) sent by Olodumare (God) to the world and she encountered difficulties in the course of her duties that she sought the assistance of Sango (god of thunder & lightning). She was mesmerised by Sango's mythical powers that she decided to become his wife. She was honoured by the gods who granted her goddess status based on her loyalty.

Mortal Ọṣun

According version of Ifa literature states that she went to a drum festival where she met and fell in love with Sango. Other versions also mention that she was also married to Orunmila (god of wisdom and divination). The Abẹ̀bẹ̀ is the ritual object most associated with Ọṣun. The Abẹ̀bẹ̀ is a fan in circular form.

Brazillians

The Afro-Brazillians in Brazil also worship Osun who they believe is the goddess of rivers and waterfalls. She is also in control of wealth, prosperity, love and beauty and follows seek Osun when they have marital or relationship issues.  "Lady of Gold" is another name they call Osun. In Brazil dhe is worshipped near waterfalls, and more rarely, near mineral water sources

Ọṣun worshippers

We showcased Osun worshippers at Golcabash2019, an  event I organise annually to showcase and promote Yoruba culture, tradition & customs. Please see the pictures below:

Me with the Osun worshippers at Ewusi Palace Sagamu

Osun priestess & followers making their way into our palace for their performance at Golcabash 2019

                                                              

Osun priestess carrying the sacred Calabash

Me and Osun worshippers at Golcabash2019.

The young Osun follower left me enchanted and full of emotion when she chanted my Oríkì (praise poetry)