Cultural Survival, an international NGO with core interests to support indigenous cultures, indigenous people and traditions has given grants to the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Development and Sustainability ( CIKDAS ).
The grant enabled CIKDAS to organise workshops for 50 selected youths on the utilisation of community radio to promote indigenous peoples and ideologies.
It also held a sensitisation training and radio production for elderly women on the usages of folklore songs and drums in addressing critical social issues and positive changes.
The workshop is slated for Ikorodu in Lagos State while the sensitisation training held at Ikere-Ekiti.
Four of the selected youths were physically challenged to promote inclusivity in Yoruba cultural norms.
Princess Jumoke Owoola, an indigenous Knowledge and Development Expert who doubles as the CIKDAS Projects Director, said: ” We want to show appreciation to the Cultural Survival for sponsoring our programs. Yesterday was a workshop for 50 young women and men on how to utilize the community media , notably radio and social media in promoting indigenous people and their ideologies.
” The training workshop enabled CIKDAS to equip the 50 young women and men to learn skills in community radio, impacts and productions , script writing, social media, cultural advocacy and norms
“We brought in experienced facilitators with deepest interests in indigenous peoples rights and ideologies. They were able to guide participants in harnessing the power of community radio to amplifying indigenous voices , promotion of inclusivity as well as advanced their existence and ideologies”
Owoola informed the second training workshop will take place later in Lagos State, stating the workshop enabled her organisation and participants on how to preserve oral tradition and heritage as well as development of community radio production skills.
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Olupitan Omonike, one of the participants, said: “This project has showcased the power of cultural preservation and community led initiatives that will forever give the indigenous community the room to be proud of their heritage and survival to the whole world”
Ayo Afolabi, one of the trainers, said: “The power of the community radio can not be waived asides with one hand , I believe these innovations initiated and demonstrated today showed the enormous power behind the community radio in promoting indigenous voices “
Mojisola Ereloja said: ” I am now a culture advocate and Indigenous peoples Ambassador as this workshop has enabled me to learn basic skills that I need to amplify my voice ,tell.my story and feel superior to do so.
“No more inferiority complexity as I now know the left to the right . I can even make money creating skits on the social media and doing programs on the community radio with a focus on indigenous matters.”
The second project titled: ‘The wisdom keepers’ was an avenue to bring together elderly professional drummers and indigenous story tellers to showcase the impacts of folklore songs in addressing critical social issues and inspiring positive attitudes through storytelling, local drums and songs.
Madam Omope Grace, one of the elderly women said: “This gathering has enabled me to get a new dimension to the usages of indigenous storytelling in a contemporary manners and still retains the indigenous Knowledge angle of it ” .
Madam Abosede Oso, a culture advocate and one of the trainers, with 27 years experience, said: ” The motive behind this is to find an enabling ground to curb moral decadence through the usages of folktales, folk songs and drum beats they can easily attract audiences either in real life or on air. Not forgetting how to address critical social issues by telling folkloric stories .
” We also tend to achieve preservation of oral tradition and heritage, imbibing this in the veins of the youngsters in order to grow up with it, reawakens the interest in the minds of the older people, empower elderly women as the agents of change, digitize the production for community radio broadcasts as well as promoting intergenerational learnings and skills transfer to the children.”