Expdonaloaded News; Massive boost for Nigerian culture, tourism at Okota Festival

Nigeria needs to explore extra and alternative revenue resources in the face of negative twists and turns in its economic fortune, which informed why Olokun Festival Foundation has continued to invest in tourism development through the indigenous cultural festivals. National Coordinator of the foundation, Otunba Gani Adams, made this known at the just concluded Okota Festival, which held at the Palace Square Arigidi-Akoko, Ondo State.
Gani Adams recalled that his organisations’ commitment to the annual celebration of this festival was informed by the numerous benefits derived from its presence in Arigidi-Akoko. “It should be understood that the strategic location of the river is a boost to the agricultural production of the people and the development of the tourism and economic sustenance of the people. The Festival has drawn people far and near to the river. Along with the presence of the crowd, this celebration has drawn in the brisk business they are doing,” he said. In addition, he said the “celebration represents our people’s way of giving thanks for its benevolence, seeking forgiveness for our sins in the past years and praying for favour and blessings from the goddess.” He added that Olokun Festival Foundation’s investment in organising Okota Festival annually was also an opportunity for the town to showcase the event as an important tourist attraction to the world, one of the ways the Olokun Festival Foundation has continued to contribute to the individual and government’s economic benefits to the country. “Likewise, the pilgrimage by Christians from different parts of the world to Israel is a huge economic platform for the empowerment of her people. It continues to contribute and boost the country’s revenue base and her Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he added. Dr. Boluwaji Oshodi, a lecturer at the department of Linguistics & Languages, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State, in his lecture entitled “Showcasing Tradition and Preserving Inheritance through Cultural Awareness”, observed that traditions help the people to remember and appreciate their ancestors, adding, “It helps to maintain a cultural link and ultimately preserve their inheritance through such cultural activities and awareness.” According to the guest lecturer, culture is not static: “It evolves over time from the values and norms embraced by a society that are formed because of the political and economic philosophy, social structure, religion, language and education influences to which the society is exposed, while tradition can also refer to beliefs and customs that are pre-historic, with lost or arcane origins, existing from time immemorial.” Originally, he said, traditions were passed orally, without the need for a writing system. He further lectured the audience that “festivals are elements that are enshrined in the African concept of cultural activities in which experiences of the participants could also be shared through acrobatics, puppetry, myths, rituals, legends, initiation ceremonies, festive dances and celebrations, masquerades, circus drama of carnival, ancestral worship, etc.” Festivals, he affirmed, were celebrated in memory of some powerful and historical figures in a particular community, who had achieved and fought for that community and made history, citing the examples of Monremi Festival in Ile-Ife, Aiyeala of Ilaje, Osun in Osogbo, among others. No matter how far a group of people moves away from their ancestral place of origin, once they retain their culture, they tend to retain their language, he echoed.