Tag: Osun Osogbo

Osun Osogbo festival’s grand finale was marked last week. The usual gaiety and air of festivity was backed again. It was a far cry from the subdued tone of last year when the Ebola virus was ravaging West Africa and there were travel warnings and efforts to limit large scale gatherings. But all that was gone and in its place, Osun devotees and tourist visitors both local and international  trouped to Osogbo city to witness the event.

Many saw last year’s deep in attendance because of the health warning as something that might signal a reduction in the glamour of  the festival. But, the opposite turned out to be the case this year. Tourists visitors from countries like Russia, Brazil, Cuba, United States of America and many other countries came in droves the grove.

Being a festival held in August, the rain always plays a kind of hide and seeks at the grand finale. This year, right from the evening of the day leading to the finale, the cloudy sky held a hint of possible wet festival. But the rain never disrupted anything. It was  just  occasional drizzles that had more of  a cooling effect than  disruption to the to the festivity.

Since there was no health caveat, visitors and devotees were boisterous in their celebration.

Speaking on the 2015 edition, the festival consultant and head, Infogem Business Communications Limited, Mr. Ayo Olumoko said in terms of attendance, this year’s edition was one of the largest he has seen in recent time. He said the number of tourists visitors both from within and outside the country was a re-affirmation of the pride of place that Osun festival holds in Nigeria as a religious, cultural and tourism event. He said the organizers of the event would continue to work hard to maintain the festival’s pride of place in the country. He however lamented that the level of support from the Federal and Osun State government could be much better.  According to him, even the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), the federal  agency charged with the statutory responsibility of marketing and developing Nigerian tourism failed to turn up for the event. He said the organizers approached the authorities at the NTDC for support but they complained that they don’t have the money to do so. He however said despite this little set back, the 2015 edition was a huge success.

The National Co-ordinator of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams who was present at the annual event, also used the opportunity to call on Nigerians to support and preserve  their culture. He said: “It is therefore part of that effort to preserve our culture that we gather here today to celebrate Osun goddess, a powerful African goddess whose power rules the world. Osun,..

“Unfortunately, some ignorant people who have been brainwashed by European value system have chosen to condemn and deride our culture, custom, religion, political organization, science, commerce and everything about  our value system.”

Significantly, the 2015 edition of the festival marked the 10th anniversary of the enlistment of the Osun Grove as a world heritage site. Speaking on this, one of the leading artists from Osogbo who helped to grow the festival become a major tourism event in the country spoke on the anniversary and what the status of the grove  as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has done to the festival: “ The status had brought popularity to the Osogbo. From inception, some of us, like Ulli Beier, Susanne Wenger, Georgina Beier and the king then, made it possible. Unaware, we were just doing what we think is okay for us, not knowing that the future of the arts will be better. What we did then, when we were in the school of the late Duro Ladipo; I can call it a school because it is theatre. I was working there as one of the theatre men, and Twin Seven Seven was not part of the theatre. Myself and Oyelami were there. But as we were doing it, anytime the festival was coming, we role out exhibitions. Ulli invited different kinds of people from different countries and from the Diaspora to come and look at the exhibition. I can remember vividly, I remember in 1963/64 he invited Kofi from Ghana who did sculpture. And later on he brought somebody from an art school for summer school. Several of us emerged, some of them have now passed on, Rufus Ogundele and the others. In 1964, about the four of us emerged out of about 60. Georgina Beier, the wife of Ulli Beier, conducted the workshop.We worked together as a team, but when the festival was coming, we held  exhibitions. We also did so many things-drama and so on, Duro Ladipo did drama, we also danced round the town to create awareness. That is how people started coming.”

It is to the credit of the Osun State festival committee and Osun Heritage Council, the organizers of the festival, that efforts are continually being made to uphold and conserve artifacts at the grove and also make sure that festival, as an international tourism event is held under conducive atmosphere. But it is important in the light of some minor skirmishes at the entrance of the grove this year  to re-jig the security during the festival. The road leading to the grove also needs facelift.

However, Osogbo has once again proved itself as a top tourist destination in the country and place that could counted on in the quest to develop Nigerian tourism.    The Osun Osogbo festival is in full swing once again.

It was just before night fall and the palace of the Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji was thick with people as tourists, fun-seekers and indigenes thronged the royal compound to witness the lighting of the 16-point lamp, OlojumerindinlogunWithin the Osogbo cultural landscape, the lighting of the 16-point lamp is an important aspect of the annual Osun Osogbo festival. Expectedly, the all-night carnivalfeatured traditional dances and music from various dance groups within Osogboland.

The night started with the palace chiefs lighting the 16-point lamp just before dusk after which the king came out accompanied with other ranking chiefs to dance round it. The king first had two round of dancesaround the lampwhich was kept burning by a palace chief  who regularly added cotton wool soaked with palm oil to it. On the third round, the king and his palace chiefs took the dance rites around the city and beforethey returned, the lamps were put off and carried away to where it is stored till the next OsunOsogbo festival.

The spiritual significance of the lamp ritual can never be over-emphasized. Legend has it that the 16 point lamp was taken from the spirits in the Osogbo groove by a powerful hunter called Olutimehin. A ranking chief in the land, Chief PopoolaFolarinwa, the Ajaguna of Osogboland said the lighting rites were in line with an instruction the hunter received from the goddess of Osogbo when he took the lamp from spirits in the forest.

He said: “The lamp is part of the history of the founding of Osogbo kingdom. There was an elephant hunter called Olutimehin. While searching for water during hunting in the Osun groove at night, he stumbled onsome spirits dancing around this lamp. As a powerful hunter, he overpoweredthem and took the lamp from them. But the goddess of the river warned that for him to keep the lamp, he will have to replicate thedance steps of the spirits around the lamp. That is how Osogbo kingdom came about the lamp andjust as we are doing tonight, in the last 600 years we have been doing it in compliance with what the deity requested.”

The Ajaguna said it takes no special ceremony to light or put off the lights on the lamps. However, he said two things must not happen; one, the lights must not go off when the king has not danced around it twice. Two the king must not return during his dance tour of the city to meet the lights burning. To ensure neither of the two undesirable events happen, a palace chief has to constantly stay around the lamp stand to keep it burning and put it off at the appropriate time.

To the Osogbo people the lighting of the lamp reminds them of their ties to the Osogbodeity. It is a time to renew and strengthen ancestral bonds.

He added, “It means we are fulfilling the mandate that was given to us by the goddess of Osun Osogbo who allowed the hunter to keep the lamp provided he dances the spirit dance. The annual Osun Osogbo festival is a paramount celebration in Osogbo and it gives us the opportunity to reconnect with the deity of the land. It is a festival no Osogbo man would want to miss.”

Apart from its spiritual significance, the lamp provided photo opportunities for indigenes and tourists alike who took turns to take photographs with it. Besides, in the chilly night breeze, the lamp provided warmth as people encircled it.

For Goldberg lager beer, it was yet another opportunity to treat tourists and visitors to a classy beer experience. A mobile cart was deployed at the king’s palace to serve visitors with Goldberg lager beer. For the third year running, Goldberg lager from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc.,is the official beer sponsor of the UNESCO-rated annual festival in Osogbo. Drinking Goldberg was being equated to being in sync with the Osun Osogbo festival. Tourists, festival revelers and indigenes proudly displayed their Goldberg bottles and cans as they enjoyed into the night. The brand’s activities during the festival has reportedly boosted economic activities in the city. According to a source, the activation of the Goldberg beer village has provided direct jobs and income to some families in Osogbo.

From Monday, Osun Osogbo festival will kick off. It is a two-week celebration that would culminate in the grand finale on Friday, August 23. The festival is the most consistent in the country and has been held for many years now.
Okorie Uguru reports all is set for the Iwopopo on which begins the festival.

The fever of expectations is building up. It the dawn of the annual Osun Osogbo fesitval. The festival kicks off on Monday with the Iwopopo, the traditional city cleansing.

It would be a day royalty would mix with the high and the low. A day when the people of Osogbo would again rekindle the spirit of their common ancestry, celebrate their humanity and generally thank their creator for seeing them through the full circle of their tradition year. It is the traditional town cleansing day that also ushers in the official count down to the grand finale of the annual Osun Osogbo festival which will be on August 23.

Activities will kick off with royal procession led by the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji. The royal procession would kick off from the Ataoja’s palace, following pre-determined route. The Ataoja would be the harbinger of good tidings to his people. Every step he takes tells the people their ancestors and gods have preserved them for another year and that the people should rejoice. As he takes each regal step, he is also wading off every form of evil in the land and ushering in a period of festivity and celebration. The oba, along his route, will receive homage from the high and the low, princes and commoners, kingmakers and ruling houses would also be on hand to pay homage to the oba.

This will not be all. On Thursday, the traditional lighting of the 16-point lamp (Olojumerindinlogun), would also take place. The lamp is not just apiece light stand. It is history in itself. The candle stand has witnessed the rise and demise of kings in Osogboland. The candle stand is reputed to be about 500 years in existence. The lighting of the lamp is done in the night and the light burns till the dawn of the next day. It is done as part of directives given by the Osun deity.

After lighting the lamp, the king, at interval, during the night, would come out and dance round the lamp. This continues till the next morning. Early in the morning, the lamp will be turned and returned to the custodian to be kept till the next yext.

However, in lighting the sixteen pints of the candle-stand, it goes deeper to signify the riddance light brings into a community.

The grand finale of the Osun Osogbo festival, will hold on August 23, but from Monday till then, Osogbo would be bubbling with activities.

Outside Christian religious tourism, the Osun Osogbo festival attracts the highest number of tourists on faith visit to the country. That underlines the importance of the festival in the tourism calendar of the country.

Knowing the importance of festival, the Osun State government has put in great deal of resources and efforts to grow and promote the festival.

In a recent festival’s corporate sponsors’ unveiling, the Special Adviser to the Osun Governor on Tourism, Mr. Ladi Soyode, said the state government has rebuilt the pavilion inside the grove to only improve on the number of people it can take , but also on aesthetics. He said it is part of the bigger efforts of the state government towards making the state a tourist destination and in the process reaping the economic benefits of tourism. He mentioned most of the tourist sites in the state being worked on by the state government and promised that the government would continue to support the festival.

The Osun Osogbo festival has been in existence since the establishment of the Osogbo. The festival, according the indigenes, is built on a kind covenant between the Osun deity and the ancestors of the Osogbo people. According to the history of the town, many centuries ago, hunters from a nearby village (Ipole Omu), Larooye and Olatimehin, and their subjects migrated in search of water.

They finally settled at a place very near the Osun River in present day Osogbo. Later, Larooye became the first Ataoja (King) of Osogbo, as one of the initial builders of the settlement. These men and their subjects knew nothing about the administration of the goddess of the Osun River. As time passed by, members of the established community were engaged in preparation of the grounds for a planting season when a tree fell into the river and a mysterious voice was heard from the Osun River saying:“Larooye, Olatimehin, gbogbo ikoko aro mi leti fo tan”, meaning, you have destroyed all my dye pots. Having heard this mysterious voice, they were afraid for they never knew how the goddess of the river knew their names. After Oba Larooye and other lesser spirits within the community pacified the goddess of the river by saying: “Oso igbo pele o; Oso igbo rora”. The ancient city was said to have derived her name from the mysterious voice the lesser spirits made to pacify the goddess of Osun River, thus Oso igbo pele o; Oso igbo rora, was abbreviated to Osogbo. Same goes for the royal title, Ataoja which was derived from the function which the goddess of Osun River advised the first Oba (King) to perform during the last day of the then festival, Atewogbeja, which is abbreviated to Ataoja.

The dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove on the outskirts of the city of Osogbo is one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria. Regarded as the abode of the goddess of fertility, Osun, one of the pantheons of Yoruba gods, the landscape of the grove and its meandering river is dotted with sanctuaries and shrines, sculptures and art works in honour of Osun and other deities. The sacred grove, which is now seen as a symbol of identity for all Yoruba people, is probably the last in Yoruba culture. It testifies to the once widespread practice of establishing sacred groves outside all settlements.

Because of the huge number of visitors, the festival has become a huge opportunity for corporate organizations to showcase their products. Companies such as the Nigerian Breweries, telecom giants, MTN and many smaller companies are involved in sponsoring the festival, and in the process get opportunity to push their product brands.

Mr. Ayo Olumoko, the CEO of Infogem Limited, the official marketers of the festival, said the quality of corporate sponsors that always identity with the festival is a pointer to the huge interest the festival attracts and also the fact that each year, the festival witnessed improvement from the past edition.

Meanwhile, security at the grove has been tightend. According to sources, although no security breach is expected, the organisers are not leaving anything to chances.

In line with this, both the police and the O’odua People’s Congress (OPC) are collaborating to make sure the place is secured.

“The security has been tightened and it is a round the clock security. This is just to make sure that every thing went well, ” a source said.

Some of the other activities lined for the year include FTAN Osun hospitality workshop, art exhibitions, golf competition, musical and theatre nights and many more. But for the core traditionalists, after the lighting of the sixteen-point lamp, the next important event is the Iboriade on August 19 where all the crowns of the past kings of Osogbo will be on display.