By Julius Alabi, Akure
Ondo State government has urged all Yoruba youths to embrace their culture and tradition in order to save them from extinction, describing them as the richest of all.cultures.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr Sule Adeyemi who made the call at the Grand Carnival of USE Festival Celebrations by Ogosi, Afa Okeagbe Akoko in Akoko North West local government area of Ondo state said there is noting dignifying than embracing and promoting one’s culture heritage and traditions.
Adeyemi who was represented by the Director of Culture, Mrs Becky Alonge commended the people of Ogosi, Afa Okeagbe for promoting USE festival and urged them not to relent in doing more of these.
Speaking on USE festival, the Ologotun Igase, High Chief Stephen Ojo Adewumi, noted that the festival ushered in other annual festivals in the community.
According to him, the nine-day USE festival is being celebrated every February saying that this year’s event was not devoid of the usual funfare, with more active involvement of sons and daughters of the community from within and outside the country
The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Bashorun Akinwumi Bada who spoke on the essence of the festival said the theme of 2024 edition of USE Festival Grand Carnival is Economic Empowerment and Education Support Initiative.
According to him, having created, nurtured and sustained enough awareness on USE, our community has been galvanized to believe in the potency of communal efforts, the imperativeness of looking within. We are thus emboldened to utilize USE as a pedestal to leapfrog onto the next steps.
‘”At this juncture, let me remind all of us that one of our promises in the course of last year’s USE edition is to get registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. This we were able to achieve. We will therefore henceforth utilize this corporate existence to prosecute and implement Ogosi Communal Initiatives, starting from the establishment of an Economic Empowerment Support Fund and an Education Support Programme
“A committee will be unveiled in due course to work out modalities and implementation strategies.This is the major reason why a renaissance and rebirth of the Festival was embarked upon some years ago”, he said
Earlier, the Eyemofin of Afa Okeagbe, Chief Mrs Tawakalitu Adetiba who spoke at the event urged parents to encourage their children to always use their local dialect to preserved culture and tradition for generations yet unborn.
Also, Chief Funso Bada, the Sarede of Iloro, Afa Okeagbe Community said USE festival no doubt is a unifying factor for the entire people of Ogosi Afa Okeagbe, defining our greatest culture in the most eloquent manner.
”This year’s USE festival presents a unique opportunity to display our hospitality and enviable tradition to a national audience and the global community”‘ he added
However, there were cultural displays by the old and the young and also the Award winning Ondo state Cultural Troupe who added glitz and glamour to the event.
