CULTURE: 'I ORGANISED "IJO ORISA" TO SHOWCASE ANOTHER RICH YORUBA CULTURAL HERITAGE'

--- ALAAFIN'S DAUGHTER, AREWA FOLASHADE, SPEAKS ON THE EPOCH-MAKING DANCE FESTIVAL IN KUTA TOWN

There is no gainsaying the fact that Oba Lamidi Adeyemi the 3rd, the Alaafin of Oyo, is a revered Yoruba monarch, who combines Royalty with Poise, Class & Style.

Oba Lamidi Adeyemi is a staunch believer and promoter of the Yoruba culture/tradition.

And by the virtue of his throne and place in the history of the Yorubas, he is a Custodian of Yoruba culture and heritage like no other.

So it is no surprise that a daughter of this First Class traditional ruler, Princess Folashade Adeyemi, the C.E.O, Arewa House of Culture, who doubles as the founder of Arewa Adeyemi Foundation (AAF) is taking after his father when it comes to promotion and upholding of the rich Yoruba cultural heritage.

Folasade Adeyemi, a paragon of beauty, is an International Cultural Ambassodor and Cultural Activist.

On Tuesday 10 August, 2021, the sleepy town of Kuta in Aiyedire Local Government Area of Osun State, was agog for the maiden edition of Ijo Orisa (Interpretive Dance) Festival.

The event is an initiative of Arewa Adeyemi Foundation (AAF) in conjunction with the state's Ministry of Culture & Tourism and packaged by Arewa House of Culture.

The epoch-making historical event, held at the palace square of the Olowu of Owu-Kuta, HRM Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, had in attendance dignitaries, renowned traditionalists, cultural ambassadors as well as different cultural troupes from Oyo, Osun, Lagos and others.

Expectedly, also in attendance were several prominent traditional rulers. Some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion are: Osun State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Sina Obawale; representative of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Alade Okin of Oriade, Ile-Ife; Oba Olalekan Faseesin; the host, Olowu of Owu-Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama; the Araba of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon; the Olu of Ile-Ogbo, Oba Habeeb Adetoyese Agbaje and several others. In this interesting and educative 1 - on - 1 with Event Diary Lifestyle Princess Adeola Shittu, beautiful Princess Folashade Adeyemi spoke about the Ijo Orisha initiative and its aims and objectives.

Congratulations on the success of the Ijo Orisa Festival. Tell us, what inspired you to organise Ijo Orisa Festival?

Thank you very much. Let me start by thanking everyone who contributed one way or the other towards the success of Ijo Orisa.

As a Cultural Ambassador and Activist, during one of my visits to Trinidad and Tobago, I witnessed their theater/drama of Orisa called 'Ijo' by the Orisa community and I was so inspired.

It was a musical dance drama of how the people who were brought as slaves to Port of Spain in Trinidad kept hope alive through their Orisa chanting. And when I visited Brazil and Republic du Benin, I also witnessed similar things.

As a Cultural Ambassador, I felt the idea can be replicated in other to "re-define the conceptual essence and existence of our traditional engagements and practices in this contemporary time." Our aim of the festival is to use the occasion as a drive to the redirection of peoples' psyche from the contemporary dance patterns to traditional dances mode, as a way of promoting and advancing Orisa dances with a view to advancing tourism and hospitality locally and internationally.

Can we say you were able to achieve the aim of the Ijo Orisa Festival?

Yes, I achieved my aim with a humble start. We are done with the maiden edition and I can assure you that next year's edition will be great.

I will like to use this medium to appreciate and thank Kabiyesi Olowu for his sense of understanding which is the background to what we all witnessed. I appreciate him for his wonderful support. Also, Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, for his commitment to promoting our culture.

All traditional rulers and Baba Araba, Baba Yemi Elebuibon from Osogbo and other participants. I appreciate them all.

As a Princess of Oyo Alaafin, one would have expected you to host the maiden edition of the Festival at Oyo. Why the choice of Kuta?

Having hosted a lot of festivals and cultural programmes in Oyo Alaafin in the last 9 years, I needed to go beyond the town and since I am an international Cultural Ambassodor, I felt I should spread my wings through my NGO, Cultural Foundation, to other parts of Nigeria and the idea of having it in Osogbo, Osun State, came up been an ancient town historic town too. I and my team wanted the Ijo Orisa in Osogbo, so I approached Kabiyesi Olowu of Owu-Kuta, HRM Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama for his support. But beyond just supporting us, Kabiyesi saw the tourism potentials for his town and the cultural value for Kuta community and the South West region of the country. He's so passionate to increase access, participation, facility development and growth in culture, heritage and arts, so he keyed into it and Ijo Orisa became a reality.

How do you come about the name, Ijo Orisa?

You will agree with me that most of our traditional festivals such as, Sango Festival, Osun Festival, Obatala Festival, Ifa Festival, Oya Festival, Egungun Festival, Ogun Festival etc, cannot do without dancing. I wanted a live concert that would feature the various Orisa devotees in their traditional songs and dancing steps with all magnificence, which is one of the aims of Ijo Orisa.

The dance is to be used to communicate a very ancient way of Healing; Grieving; Expression or Celebration, with request of support from the unseen, the other world, our Ancestors or deities which translates to Feelings; Emotions; Human conditions and Situations into the dramatic without the rituals, especially with the electrifying performances from different invited cultural groups such as: Ifawumi Agbeke Oje, Eegun Alapo, Eegun Alaba, Efunlade Group, Adedayo Ibile, Osun State Cultural Troupe and others, who thrilled traditional rulers and guests from Kuta, Ile-Ogbo, Iwo, Osogbo, Ibadan and Lagos. 

Following the huge success that the maiden edition was, what next?

Thank you, all hands are back on deck and I can assure you that the next edition of Ijo Orisha Festival will be a banger. More traditional  rulers are already buy in into it and are ready to key into the programme. For instance, Kabiyesi Olowu of Owu-Kuta, HRM Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, in his speech at the Festival has adopted Ijo Orisha as one of their major festivals, aside the annual Anlugbua Festival in Kuta town.