Soyinka said Isese preaches mutual respect, but insists on the primal sanctity of human life and that it turns its face against murder.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka has thanked all who stood in support of Isese Day, noting that traditional worshippers are not at war with people of other beliefs.
Several states, including Lagos and Osun, declared holidays to mark Isese Day on August 20.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, Muslims clashed with Ifa worshippers over the celebration of Isese Day.
In his statement on Saturday, Soyinka said: “ISESE has come, but not gone. We salute all those – human rights activists, community leaders, affronted citizens, advocates of equity and all – but the state governors most especially – who have taken history to task and boldly formalized a level praying ground for the exploration of the infinite, the realm of intuitions which exists across pedigree, borders, class, politics, social mechanisms and cultures. The battle is not over. There are those who feel compelled to indulge their obsessions through the cooption of public symbols and educational institutions. We must never weary of instructing them, of offering them gleanings from the threshing floor of millenia old and new transformative ideas, rescue them from centuries of false historicism, baseless fears, and will to dominate and/or flaunt an inglorious past of enslavement.”
The professor noted that the celebration of Isese is not defined by an annual observance only, but as a presiding awareness, a daily companion that offers its essence for humanity’s harmonised co-existence.
Soyinka said Isese preaches mutual respect, but insists on the primal sanctity of human life and that it turns its face against murder, such as the brutal killing of Deborah Samuel, demands justice for her, her family, community and the nation.
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He added, “ISESE is not, has never been at war with any other commonwealth of beliefs – it is content to leave its doors open to the curious, the intrigued, and even the hostile. ISESE does not dictate, it does not maim or kill. We can only commiserate with those who confuse true religions with sinister cults that have sprung, ironically, from schisms within their own doctrinal certitudes. Cults, let us continue to instruct, are the malignant outgrowths of spiritual malformations. Symbols, such as religious statues are deployed to focus the mind on the ineffable.
“The genuine Path seekers must remain unwavering, and patiently await their detractors’ day of illumination. The Paths that lead to wisdom will survive them all, and continue to beckon to others as seekers after Truth, dedicated to the creation of the elevated community of man, woman and child.”