Siyan Oyeweso
Introduction
The theme for this lecture ‘Harnessing the Yoruba Cultural
Heritage for National Development’ is highly topical considering the richness
of the Yoruba cultural heritage and its economic potentials which have not been
adequately harnessed for the socio-economic and political development of
Yorubaland in particular and Nigerian national development in general. The
analysis of the ways by which the Yoruba rich cultural heritage can be
harnessed for national development is my main objective in this lecture. It is
my hope that this would be a worthwhile experience for all of us.
I do not intend to
go into detailed conceptual definitions of culture and national development in
this lecture. However, it is important to give concise but succinct descriptions
of these terms which are central to the subject of this lecture. According to
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO),
culture is the whole complex of distinctive, spiritual, material, intellectual and
emotional features that characterise a society or social group. It is the
totality of the way of life evolved by a people in their attempt to meet the
challenges of living in their environment which gives order and meaning to
their social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes of
organisation thus distinguishing a people from their neighbours. A people’s
culture is the universe that incorporates the essence of life expressed in
their beliefs, customs, songs, dances, dress, food, stories and so on and the
preservation of any peoples’ culture has always been central to their very
existence and survival. On the other hand, development simply denotes growth,
improvement or advancement. According to Professor Babawale, development must
involve two basic processes. The first has to do with improving and refining that
which is already in existence and adapting it to contemporary
requirements. The second process
involves finding solutions to new problems or new forms of solutions to old
problems. Premised on these basic processes, we take national development to
mean significant advancement and improvement in the quality of life and
standard of living of people of a particular nation.
Having briefly conceptualised culture and national
development, the question may be asked: How could culture or cultural heritage
be harnessed for national development? This is the question to which this
lecture wants to provide answers with special focus on the Yoruba people. The
paper is divided into five major parts. The first part is the introduction
while the second part gives a historical background to the Yoruba cultures and
traditions. The third part examines how the Yoruba have contributed to national
development over the years. The fourth part outlines ways by which Yoruba
cultural heritage can be harnessed for national development. The last part
concludes the paper.
Origin of Yoruba Cultural
Heritage: A Background Analysis of Yoruba Homeland and History
As we are sharing ideas on “Harnessing the Yoruba
Cultural Heritage for National Development”, it is necessary that I start with
some discussion on the people we are talking about. The Yoruba are one of the
most prominent ethnic groups in West Africa.
The Yoruba country spreads a vast territory from the present Edo State of
Nigeria, across the Republic of Benin
and Togo.
Some Yoruba groups are also found in such places as Sierra
Leone, Gambia,
Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso,
and across the Atlantic, as far as the Caribbean, and the Americas especially in Brazil, Cuba
and even Argentina. According to estimations, Yoruba have
a population of over forty million people worldwide. They are made up of a
number of sub-ethnic groups. In Nigeria,
these include the Ife,
Oyo, Ibarapa, Ijesa, Igbomina, Egba, Egbado, Awori, Egun, Ijebu, Ekiti, Ilaje,
Ikale, Owo, Akoko, Ondo, Yagba, etc. In Benin
and Togo, we have the Ife, Isa, Idaisa, Ajase, Ketu, Sabe and “Anago”
as the major Yoruba sub-ethnic groups. In Brazil
and Cuba
the major Yoruba sub-group are known as Nago
and Lucumi respectively. The Yoruba speak a standard Yoruba language that
is mutually intelligible to all the sub-groups. This is despite the fact that
the Yoruba language has many dialectal variants peculiar to the various Yoruba
sub-groups.
The historical consciousness of the Yoruba
started at Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race and civilization. The Yoruba
claim descent from Oduduwa, a deified personality and the acclaimed progenitor
of the Yoruba people. Based on linguistic evidence it is now clear that the
Yoruba emerged as a distinct language group from the Kwa group between about
2,000 BC and 1,000 BC from the Niger-Benue confluence area. Ile-Ife was
obviously the first Yoruba settlement to become prominent soon after the people
acquired distinctiveness and self-awareness as a separate language group. Thus,
oral traditions point to Ile-Ife as the spiritual and ancestral home of the
Yoruba. From Ile-Ife, they dispersed into different directions led by the
siblings of Oduduwa to found new kingdoms, which more or less constitute the
present Yoruba sub-groups.
It seems that
the period of the emergence of the Yoruba as a distinct people coincided with
the late Stone Age in West African history. The Yoruba must have started out as
fruit gatherers in an area where varieties of wide edible fruit existed in
abundance. Eventually, the Yoruba people had the knowledge of agriculture. The
domestication of yam took place as far back as 3,000 BC; and that of sorghum or
guinea corn about 1,500 BC. Probably because of ecology, pastoral farming was
not developed. The Yoruba were interested in arable farming and this formed the
strongest base of their agricultural economy.
Following the
development of agriculture, the process of state formation began in Yorubaland
with the emergence of village settlements. Before the 19th century,
the Yoruba lived for many years in separate autonomous kingdoms. In the central
region, there was a handful of centralized states, notably Oyo, Owu, Ijebu, Ketu, Sabe, Ife,
Ijesha, Ondo, and Owo with Oyo being the most powerful until its eventual
collapse during the 19th century. In other areas, political units tended to be
smaller as among the Akoko, Kabba, Ikale
and Ilaje. The early phases of the foundations of these settlements are
presented as the golden age when committed political and military leaders
emerged to establish territories or expand existing frontiers. Most of the
mythical heroes, such as Oduduwa,
Oranyan, Lagelu, Lisabi and Owaluse emerged during this phase.
It should be
stated that these settlements did not emerge at the same time throughout
Yorubaland. The village settlements formed the nuclei of larger states. The
process that this transformation took was one of evolution spanning centuries.
As a matter of fact, the Yoruba kingdoms and the system of government were the
climax of social relationships and constitutional arrangements that evolved
over time. Evidence from the Ikedu
traditions, as analysed by Akinjogbin, reveals that Oduduwa seized power from
Obatala sometime between the 8th and 10th centuries AD.
Oduduwa
thereafter founded an enduring dynasty, provided dynamic leadership and
revitalized the Ife
kingdom. In fact, his career revolutionized political developments in
Yorubaland because emergent centralized states in Yorubaland took a cue from Ife and developed in many
parts of Yorubaland. Prominent among these were
Owu, Ketu, Ijesha, Ekiti, Owo, Ondo and Oyo kingdoms.
Most importantly Oyo Empire became the largest and most militarily powerful in
the 17th and 18th centuries. The all-embracing and pervasive influence of
Oduduwa over these kingdoms especially at their formative stages secured for
Oduduwa his unparalleled reputation in Yoruba history and historiography.
The fall of
Oyo and the attendant military and political crises that plagued Yorubaland in
the 19th century affected the fortunes of many of these kingdoms. While some
prominent states disintegrated like Ijaye
and Owu, some new ones were founded like Abeokuta and Ibadan. Some others had to be structurally re-adjusted
like Ife and Oyo. Despite the century long
disturbances and turbulence, the basic culture and civilization which the
Yoruba have built, endured and in fact political, economic, religious and
intellectual development were promoted. The Yoruba developed a highly
sophisticated system of government with effective checks and balances, which
was spiced with a high level of gender consciousness. The Yoruba traditional
system of government is indeed one of the oldest forms of democracy in the
world.
It is
practically impossible and even unnecessary to give a detailed analysis of
Yoruba cultural history here. However, it must be emphasised that the Yoruba
have unique and rich cultures and civilizations which have remained resilient
to any foreign cultural domination in spite of Yoruba contact with the
Europeans.
Having gone
this far, it is important to briefly discuss how the Yoruba people have
utilised their rich cultural heritage to impact the Nigerian state positively
in various walks of life in the past.
Yoruba’s
Role in Nation Building: A Historical Analysis
In all walks of life, the
Yoruba people have utilised their rich cultural heritage to contribute greatly
to national development in Nigeria.
They are pioneers in all fields of human endeavours in Nigeria. The fact that colonialism grouped the
Yoruba together with other ethnic groups made them realize that they had to
share a wider and common identity with other Nigerian ethnic groups. The Yoruba
interacted politically, militarily, economically, socially and culturally with
the Hausa, Nupe, Edo,
Borgu, etc. for centuries before the colonial period. The early arrival of
European missionaries to Yorubaland in the 1840s, ahead of any other Nigerian
group brought along with it the social force that set in motion the systematic
pioneering role of the Yoruba man in virtually all spheres of national life.
Consequently, the Yoruba have the distinction of producing the first European
trained medical doctor, Dr Nathaniel King (1847-1884) from Abeokuta, and the first lawyer, Mr Sapara
Williams (1855-1915), from Igbara-Oke. This claim is without prejudice to the
fact that one Nash Hamilton Williams, a Sierra Leonean was the first black
lawyer to establish private practice in Lagos
as far back as 1881 while Sapara Williams started his law chambers in 1888.
Between 1876
and 1920 a period of 44 years, only 18 African doctors were trained for Nigeria by British Universities
and medical institutions. Most remarkably, 16 out of these 18 doctors were indisputably
Yoruba. The Christian Missionary Society (CMS) commenced evangelistic work
among the Yoruba in 1845. Within 85 years they had produced six indigenous
bishops, including the famous Samuel Ajayi Crowther. Such a record is
unparalleled in modern Africa. A revolutionary
move was made in 1830 with the attempts to reduce Yoruba language to writing
and between 1830 and 1875 the main features of Yoruba orthography were
fashioned out. Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the first African Bishop, played a
prominent role in this venture. There were also other Yoruba men such as Rev.
Thomas King, the prolific translator of the Bible and Church Hymnals, and T.B.
Macaulay the first African Principal of CMS
Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos. These men were
particularly active in translating into Yoruba, the Holy Bible, the Hymnal
Companion and the Book of Common Prayers. Mention must also be made of the
gigantic efforts of Reverend Samuel Johnson who as early as 1895 had completed
his History of the Yorubas, a book
that provides ample details on the culture, history and civilization of the
Yoruba.
This
relatively early contact with Christian missionaries and Western education
partly gave the Yoruba a head start among other Nigerian ethnic groups. But the
richness dynamism and resilience of Yoruba culture also helped to a large
extent in this regard. In the sphere of religion, the cosmology of the Yoruba
must have influenced the vibrant interaction between the “new” Christian
religion and the “old” traditional way of worship. By identifying some of the
local religious practices with practices in the new faith, a sense of
continuity is established in the mind of the convert, and he sees more reality
in the new faith. For instance, it is important to state that the Reformed
Ogboni Fraternity (ROF) which derived its inspiration from the traditional
Yoruba Ogboni cult has been serving as a potent instrument for religious and
social harmony as well as national integration. Apart from the
Yoruba members, the Newbreed Magazine of April 5, 1993, p.31 listed the
kingpins of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity which included 6 leading traditional
rulers from the North, 2 former heads of state from the North, 12 Easterners
including a former president and a vice president and two traditional rulers
among other numerous members that cut across the various ethnic groups in the
country. According to Sir
Adetokunbo Ademola, the first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria, the ROF was
infused with distinct principles, all in the context of cultural nationalism and
national unity.
It is
important to state that various other aspects of Yoruba religious life diffused
outside Yorubaland both within and outside the country. Among other ethnic
groups for instance, the Egungun cult
is found among the Nupe where it is known as Egwu and in western Igboland it is
called Egwugwu. Apart from the Egungun cult, Yoruba's Ifa divination diffused to Northern Igboland where it is known as Afa. Ifa is also prominent in Igala, in fact it features prominently
in their traditions of origin. Thus,
evidence of Yoruba religious practices is in those places West and South of the
Niger
wherever the Yoruba had a vibrant interaction with their neighbours. Implicit in this development is the ease
with which national unity could be forged if these unifying cultural strands
are carefully studied and emphasized.
In Southern Nigeria, it appears the Yoruba are the only
group who have a complete, ancient and original costume of local origin and
design. In fact according to Mr. Kanu Offonry in the 1947 edition of West African Review, what later
constituted the national dresses of the other tribes of Nigeria were a mere
modification of the Yoruba style of dress. Mr. Increase Coker sums it up in Daily Service of October 19, 1955, in
the following words: "… yes we are developing a national costume. What
used to be an exclusively Yoruba tribal costume is developing in popularity and
usage into a Nigerian national costume.”
In
the area of mathematics and philosophy, Yoruba intellectual activities deserve
mention. In mathematics, the Yoruba adopted base 20 in their arithmetical
calculations. Professor A. Longe in his inaugural lecture titled “Ifa
Divination and Computer Science” indicates the depth of Yoruba intellectual
life in the realm of mathematics and philosophy.
Ifa divination, an ancient Yoruba knowledge system
reveals to us the coherence, logicality, precision and profoundity of thoughts,
philosophy, mathematics and computer science as known and practised by the
Yoruba before the 11th century A.D.
Professor Idowu Odeyemi has described
Ifa as the greatest unwritten Holy Book on earth, a perennial fountain of
esoteric knowledge from which all prophets derive their inspiration. To him
Science, especially computer science is 'Ifa
compatible'. The computer like Ifa is based on the binary system.
As mentioned
earlier, the early contact of the Yoruba with Western education and Western
civilization made it possible for them to produce the first set of educated
elite, the first set of commercial magnates and the first set of politicians in
modern Nigeria. The Yoruba
were in the forefront of the nationalist struggle to achieve independence for Nigeria. They joined forces with other ethnic
groups to prosecute the struggles against colonialism. The earliest pressure
groups cum political parties in Nigeria
were organised by the Yoruba. The first of these groups was the Peoples Union
formed by Thomas Randle (1855-1928) and Orisadipe Obasa (1863-1941). The party
became prominent during the famous Water Rate Agitation and the proposed Land
Tenure Law for Southern Nigeria in 1912.
Herbert Macaulay, a descendant of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Nigerian
civil engineer, formed the Nigerian National Democratic Party in 1923.
Macaulay’s NNDP could be described as the first national political party in Nigeria. Samuel Akinsanya, H.O Davies and
Obafemi Awolowo were very active and played leading roles in the formation of
the Nigerian Youth Movement in 1934. In 1945, Chief Obafemi Awolowo
founded the Egbe Omo Oduduwa in London. The emergence of
the Egbe represents the first serious
and far-reaching attempt to foster the idea of Yoruba nationalism in the 20th
century. The Egbe promoted the study
of Yoruba language, history and culture and advocated a virile united Yoruba
nation within the framework of a larger Nigerian state47. Thus, the Egbe stimulated the idea of cultural
renaissance among the Yoruba, which was one of the vital aspects of reaction
against colonial rule. In the words of Atanda, “… the solidarity built up by
the Yoruba not only helped them to effectively participate in displacing their
colonial masters, it also helped them to play a strong and useful role in the
political structure of the emergent Nigerian nation.”
As soon as
political parties became more ethnic based in Nigeria,
the Yoruba founded the Action Group in 1951 to rival the Igbo dominated
National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), and the Hausa-Fulani controlled
Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). The government of Chief Awolowo and his party,
the Action Group, transformed the Yoruba homeland and led other regions in Nigeria in developmental projects during the
1950s and early 1960s. Historical landmarks like the free education programme,
first television station in Africa, Liberty Stadium, Cocoa House, and other
physical infrastructures like roads, hospitals, where free services were
provided for people under the age of 18 years, and agricultural projects, to
mention but a few were recorded. It was not surprising therefore, that other
regions tried to emulate the Western region’s example.
The launching of the free Universal Primary
Education (UPE) in 1955 by Chief Obafemi Awolowo revolutionized educational
development not only in Western Nigeria but in
the country as a whole. Undoubtedly, it was the boldest and perhaps the most
unprecedented ambitious educational scheme in Black Africa. The UPE programme
saw education as the most powerful tool for fighting two deadly enemies:
ignorance and superstition. It demonstrated the commitment of the Action Group government
to the development of its citizens and its effects were far-reaching even up to
this day.
The
contributions and pioneering role of the Yoruba in Nigeria’s
quest for socio-economic development deserve mention. In fact, Captain Davies
Josiah Crowther, Candida Da Rocha, Richard Blaize and many others distinguished
themselves in business in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Richard Blaize's business became so large that it ranked as one of the most
important concerns in West Africa. In 1896,
Governor Carter reported that Blaize was the wealthiest man in Nigeria with his financial resources estimated
at 150,000 pounds. Incidentally, Blaize's daughter Olajumoke who later married
Dr. Obasa was one of the earliest pioneers of motor transport business in Nigeria. She introduced the Anfani Bus Service in Lagos
in 1913. Equally, Da Rocha was so rich that the corrupted version of his name,
Darosa, became synonymous with wealth and comfort, and sometimes, with
profligacy.
A look at the
list of the 15 leading businessmen and women in Nigeria between 1920 and 1980
reveals that 9 are from the Yoruba stock, 3 Igbo, 2 from Edo-Delta, and one
Hausa-Fulani. Chief Adeola Odutola was perhaps the most well known and pioneer
industrialist in Nigeria. He
was the first industrialist to establish factories in all regions of the
federation. He was also the first to oppose the domineering influence of
European and Lebanese firms and warned that Nigerian businessmen should not
stand idly by and see their resources being taken away by the Lebanese with the
aid of British firms. J.K Ladipo launched a food processing company in 1939 and
Samuel Fawehinmi started a modern furniture factory in 1948.
The pioneer
and first motor dealer in Nigeria
was W.A Dawodu (1879-1930). He was the first person to import motor vehicles
into Nigeria and was sole
agent for Ford cars and Humber cycles. He also
built up motor bodies, did conversions and built rickshaws at his factory in Lagos. By 1920 he was
employing 250 workers and had a branch at Oshogbo.
Of the first four Nigerian to be associated with foreign construction
companies, three were Yoruba. They are Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony (Borino Prono)
Chief M.A Aboderin (Strabag) and Chief Akin Deko (Soleh Boneh). Sir Philip
Ojukwu (Costain) was the only non-Yoruba. Lawyers who joined the boards of oil
companies in the early '60s included such Yoruba men as Chief Chris Ogunbanjo
(Philips, 1960) Chief H.O Davies (Total, 1961) and Chief Bayo Kuku (Mobil,
1964). Three distinguished Yorubamen, Dr. Akinola Maja, T.A Doherty and H.A
Subair floated the first indigenous bank in Nigeria
in 1933, the National Bank of Nigeria.
The Bank then was small, but nonetheless it was a significant source of funds
for indigenous entrepreneurs especially those engaged in commodity exports in
the 1950s and 1960s.
In the field
of science and technology, the Yoruba man is not found wanting. Professor G.A.
Makanjuola invented the yam pounder, Professor A. Olubunmo was the first
professor of Mathematics in Nigeria
and Professor D.F. Ojo was the first professor of Atomic Physics in Africa. Dr. S.L. Manuwa was the first Nigerian to become
the Chief Medical Adviser to the federal government of Nigeria from 1954-1959. It has to be stated even
though briefly, that in the military sphere, the Yoruba have made an indelible
mark. Sodeke, Ogedengbe, Aduloju, Bashorun Oluyole, etc. distinguished
themselves as brilliant military tacticians and charismatic leaders in the 19th
century. Professor J.F. Ade-Ajayi has done extensive studies on the role of professional
warriors in 19th century Yoruba politics. Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi
displayed an unparalleled valour by choosing to die with his guest, the head of
state, General Ironsi. Generals Benjamin Adekunle, Olusegun Obasanjo and James
Oluleye and Alani Akinrinade, played decisive roles in bringing an end to the
Nigerian civil war. Olusegun Obasanjo is reputed to be the first African
military ruler to voluntarily relinquish power to a democratically elected
government in 1979.
In the fight against the military and the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria, Yoruba were at the forefront. M.K.O.
Abiola and his wife, Kudirat, paid the ultimate price of death in order to
plant democracy in this country. Several Yoruba people fought Abacha and the
military to as stand still until the death of the short man in Aso Rock in
1998. The names of people like Abraham Adesanya, Wole Soyinka, Gani Fawehinmi,
Beko Ransome-Kuti, General Alani Akinrinade, Olabiyi Durojaye, Bola Tinubu and
other NADECO chiefs would never be forgotten in Nigerian history. General Alani
Akinrinade, a retired military General, was particularly outstanding in the
fight for democratic enthronement in Nigeria
apart from his meritorious military service to the nation. He contributed immensely
to the development of the Nigerian nation through a rare combination of
military professionalism and political wisdom. He took active part
in the war to prevent the balkanization of Nigeria
between 1967 and 1970 when he was in his late 20s. After he had reached the apex
of his career as Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Staff under President
Shehu Shagari, General Akinrinade took part in military rule when it appeared
to be popular in the country, acting as minister of agriculture, industry, and
transport under the military dictatorship of General Ibrahim Babangida. His contributions
to political thought and pro-democracy activism in his post-military years
cannot be overestimated.
Not minding his
military background, General Akinrinade stepped boldly into the arena of
struggle for democracy and federalism in the country. General Akinrinade has
openly canvassed for re-structuring of the country with a view to restoring
true federalism that he earned the stigma of NADECO General. He joined forces with civilians to resist the annulment of the June
12, 1993 election. Although his clear opposition to the annulment of Abiola’s
electoral victory forced him into exile, first in England and later in the
United States, he stood his ground and took active part at the barricades in
London and Washington on the side of Nigerian professionals and students to
convince Europeans and Americans that no system of government other than
democracy was needed in Nigeria. One enduring aspect of Jagunmolu Akinrinade’s role
in the pro-democracy movement is his insistence that Nigeria’s
unity can derive only from true federalism.
On the
other hand, General Emmanuel Abisoye has played a leading role in the history
of Nigeria. In 1976, he
headed the military tribunal that tried and convicted plotters of the abortive
coup that claimed the life of then Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed on
February 13, 1976. Major General Emmanuel Abisoye (rtd) was later made Federal
Commissioner (Minister) for Health during the military regime of then General
Olusegun Obasanjo. When the military handed over power to civilians in 1979,
he, like many other generals of that period like Alani Akinrinade, T. Y.
Danjuma, etc retired. In 1986, after the Ahmadu
Bello University,
Zaria students’
riot that later spread to various campuses nationwide, Abisoye was called upon
to head the panel that investigated the circumstances that led to the riots. To
the utmost surprise of the people, particularly those who were trying to cover
up the root causes of the riots, retired General Emmanuel Abisoye, a member of
the ruling class, had the courage to tell President Babangida when he was
submitting his panel's report in 1986 that part of the cause of the
student crisis emanated from the fright, confusion, grievances and deep fear
and uncertainty which engulfed the campuses because of the lack of job
opportunities after graduation. He therefore urged the government to make
adequate plan for the future of the youth through provision of jobs and
opportunities. This is a reflection of the Yoruba culture of being frank and
truthful to people irrespective of their status in the society.
These are just a few of the monumental landmarks of the Yoruba people
towards the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria. All these achievements are rooted in
Yoruba cultures of excellence, hard work, dedication, determination, sincerity,
frankness, truthfulness, ingenuity, industry, and resourcefulness. This is the
main reason why Yoruba people are the engine of growth of the development of
this great country. They are at the fore front of the various sectors of the
national economy such as health, education, agriculture and so on.
Harnessing Yoruba Cultural Heritage for National Development: Requirements and Modalities
So far, we
have tried to show that the Yoruba are heirs to an ancient, rich and cultured
civilization. This culture is known for its artistic triumphs, extraordinary
oral literature, complex pantheon of gods and an urban lifestyle. The Yoruba
possessed famous traditions of art, precisely because they had productive
economies and vibrant commercial systems, which allowed artists and craft
workers freedom from scarcity and provided access to metals, woods and clay sculpture.
The Yoruba have also created sophisticated institutions of government. The
Yoruba cultural impact is so great not only in Nigeria
but also in modern Brazil, Cuba and the Americas where their religion and
culture have remained pervasive. This remarkable cultural triumph makes the
Yoruba experience one of the most fascinating subjects of historical study in
the world.
This rich
history has placed a significant onus on the Yoruba people and their leaders in
the contemporary society given particularly the developmental challenges
confronting the Nigerian nation. Over the past several decades since attainment
of independence, Nigerians have sought to build virile, strong and economically
prosperous and developed country. However, the efforts at development have been
complicated by the country’s tremendous poverty and uneven distribution of
resources. In order to solve these problems, the people at the helms of the
country’s affairs have been looking outward to the international development
partners for solutions in form of financial assistance. This has not helped the
situation in any way but has only compounded our problems. It must be stated
here that the developed countries of the West do not want our development
because our development is a problem for them. If this is so, then, how do we
achieve our development without looking up to advanced countries for loans.
With the rich
Yoruba cultural heritage, they have tremendous opportunities ahead of other
Nigerian peoples to explore their cultural heritage for income generation and
translate the generated income into infrastructural facilities through their manpower
resources. This would result in several developmental strides that would bring
about not only economic growth but also economic development measurable by high
living standard among the citizens and alleviation of poverty. What do we do
and how and where do we begin? There are three categories of things we need to
do in order to achieve this laudable objective. These are cultural protection,
rejuvenation and revolution in the face of globalisation; cultural renewal and
investments; and cultural promotion for income generation, wealth acquisition
and sustainable development.
Indeed, the
world is now a global village as a result of the powerful influence of
information and communication technology (ICT) which is powering the new
globalisation. In spite of the benefits associated with the new globalisation
and ICT, it must be established that much of what is being bandied around is
not modernisation in the real sense of the word, but more of Westernisation
which tends to degrade our cultural values and make them look barbaric and
uncivilised. Today, Yoruba music, visual arts, customs, rituals, names, dance,
modes of dressing, food culture etc are being relegated to the background by
Yoruba people to the adoption of foreign, particularly Western music, visual
arts, names and so on. This is why I have said there is a need for cultural
protection, rejuvenation and revolution in the face of Westernisation stylishly
called modernisation.
There
is a critical need to find solutions to problems of cultural destitution and
destruction in the name of modernisation. The first and most important solution
is to protect, cherish and nurture our cultural heritage through the pursuit of
sustainable development policies that will marry culture and development. This
is because any development that destroys our culture is counter-productive and
so is any culture that does not allow for development. Do I need to remind you that
the graduation of the Asian Tigers, particularly China, from underdeveloped
countries to developed countries was culture-driven. The root of Chinese
development success was in the 1965-1968 cultural revolution that was meant to
restore the cultural principles of the Chinese people and revolutionise
political opinion and behaviour. Today, China is one of the strongest
economies in the world courtesy of its development efforts driven by cultural
rejuvenation and revolution. My argument here is that the foundation of our
efforts at development must be the rejuvenation, protection and appreciation of
our cultural heritage which will be the bedrock of selling it to outsiders. If
we do not appreciate our own cultural values, there is no way we can harness it
for our development. In simpler terms, our starting point is that we must be
proud of our cultural heritage.
Furthermore,
in finding solutions to problems of cultural destitution and destruction, there
are other things that must be carried out. One of these is that our indigenous
languages must be promoted in all facets of our life. It is sad to see many
Yoruba families where their grown up children cannot speak Yoruba language
correctly but a two-year old child speaks good English. This would not take us to
any where as we cannot develop by embracing other people’s culture. We must
therefore encourage the speaking of our indigenous language and dialects even
in our school environment. This does not prevent our students from doing well
in examinations on English Language. There is even the need to teach our pupils
in elementary schools in the mother tongues in order to effectively understand
the message of the lessons. Similarly, efforts must be made to incorporate
Nigerian arts and culture in our school curricula from the elementary schools
to tertiary institutions. All these would go a long way in creating a new
cultural reorientation for our young ones and aid in our efforts at achieving
sustainable development using our cultural heritage.
Having
achieved cultural protection, rejuvenation and appreciation, we can move to the
second stage of the process of harnessing culture for development which is
cultural renewal and investments. In order to position our cultural heritage
for development, there is a need for packaging to attract foreign and local
tourists. This can only be done through huge investments in our cultural
heritage because the management and packaging of cultural assets require a lot
of funds. This would include making these cultural sites accessible through
construction of roads, and making them comfortable through the provision of
basic infrastructures like electricity, portable water, communication
facilities and decent accommodation in the local communities where these sites
are located. We must also ensure that during the packaging, the natural habitat
and ecosystem of our cultural heritage sites (i.e. material culture) are
preserved and retained. Once the packaging is achieved without destroying the
intrinsic features of the cultures, we can then move forward to the next line
of action which is cultural promotion for income generation, wealth acquisition
and sustainable development.
In harnessing
our cultural heritage for development, our cultural heritage sites must be
developed for tourist attractions from within and outside the country. Without
mincing words, it could be categorically stated that tourism industry has
established itself as a prime national revenue earner in several developed and
developing countries of the world. More significantly, the Yoruba in diaspora
particularly the Nago and Lucumi in Brazil
and Cuba respectively have
used Yoruba cultures to attain enviable socio-economic standard in Latin America and the Caribbeans. Why can’t we achieve
such feat in Yorubaland with our abundant material and non material cultural
heritage in their original forms?
At this
point, I think I will try to mention some specific cultural heritage and sites
in Yorubaland which can be further developed to attract tourists and therefore
generate income and wealth for the development of Yorubaland. The first and
perhaps the most important in this regard is our numerous cultural festivals
such Olojo festival that we are celebrating today, Osun Osogbo festival, Gelede
festival and other Egungun festivals in other parts of Yorubaland as well as
other traditional festivals among the Yoruba. Others include our numerous age
long shrines and groves, extraordinary oral literature like praise poems and
panegyrics, artistic excellence, complex pantheon of gods, and so on. In other
words, we must strive to maximise economic opportunities of our cultural
artifacts and festivals for our development. All these can be developed to
meeting international tourist standard and thus yield enormous foreign earnings
to our governments at various levels.
Significantly,
in the long run, this would have a great economic impact on the development
efforts of Yorubaland. In the first instance, there would be a stimulation of
rural development since most of the tourist attraction areas are located in the
rural areas. Second, it would also lead to drastic reduction in rural-urban
migration and human congestion in the urban centres which is one of the major
economic problems of the contemporary Nigerian state because of employment
opportunities and income generation that will be opened up for rural dwellers.
In general terms, the development of our rich cultural heritage as
internationally recognised tourist attraction centres would boost our
economies, improve the living standard of the people and thus expedite our
development.
Conclusion
At this
moment, my position on how to harness our cultural heritage for development
should be very clear to my distinguished audience. It is simply that, since all
theories of development have failed to work for us and foreign loans have
compounded our indebtedness, we should look inward for our development drives.
My major thesis in our inward-looking development drive is tourism through
cultural heritage promotion. I have
identified some of what we must do and how to do them in order to achieve
development through tourism powered by promotion of cultures and traditions. As
I have argued, when this is achieved, it would definitely impact positively on
income generation, job creation and improvement of living standard of the
people. It must be emphasised that the major index of development is high
living standard of the people. My argument here is that in our cultural
heritage promotion lies the success of our development efforts. Let me end this
lecture by the dictum: “Culture never dies, tradition lives on”.
