Culture remain while Tradition Metermorphosize– Fatomilola
By Olusegun Adeyemi HOSEA, September,17,2022.
The guest lecturer Fatomilola Abiodun spoke on a theme ” Culture, tradition and the promotion of Yoruba language. He said this during the launch of Iwe Iroyin Dingi Oodua ( Yoruba Magazine) published by Mr Sunday Agbaje which was held at Adesupa Hotel in Akure. He talked about our culture that have gone into exstinction due to the promotion of the modern civilisation. In his words, Language is the piller of all our preservation be it culture, poetry and normal spoken language”.
He talked about the orthography of Yoruba language that some of the Yoruba people are written in a wrong manner due to lack of knowledge of the subject. He said that Culture would not go into exstinction but the tradition can fade away. He called for preservation of the Language among the experts and other stakeholders in the society for a prosterity sake. Abiodun who contested the governorship race in Ekiti State under the New Nigeria People’s Party–NNPP, said that culture is very important among the people globally and that the concepts was not perculia to the Yoruba people alone. While defining culture as the whole behaviour of the people which encompasses their entire ways of life within the society. He believed that Culture relate to our Religion , our thoughts and the entire ways of life of human being.He liking the Culture to be like a house that mentain it’s structure while tradition is the way and manner of living in the house which changes frequently. He advised the people to learn how to speak and write Yoruba language first and by this it would be easy for them to teach others and promote the Culture very well..
Biodun Ilori , holding Microphone.
In another development, Biodun Ilori,, a specialist in Yoruba NewsPaper Presenter on Radio Station was one of the awardee during the programme. He said that he was very happy to be part of the event and that the awards was a special one to him because it was a purely indigenous award he and his friends had ever received among the two hundred and seventy three (273 awards) he had received. Abiodun, who promised to be using the jingle of the “Dingi Oodua Magazine ” on the porpular Radio programme’ called “Biodun Kayode” said that they would henceforth be reviewing the stories published by the newspaper in the course of their Programme as well. He also said that among the awards he had received from the local , State and Federal levels, the Dingi Oodua award was special and desirous to him because it reflected Yoruba language in it’s entirety being a language that they are using while reviewing newspaper on radio.
Another awardee, Pastor Oluwagbemiga Ayokunle said the awards was a surprise to him because he didn’t know that people are watching them as they carried out their activities in the society. He said the award would inspire him and infigurate him to do more in the society as he stood for the truth and nothing but the truth in the society being a Minister of God. He thanked God and the organizer for giving him the awards and prayed that Almighty God would continued to be blessing them and promote their works.
Chief Rotimi Fasehun , (the Asamo of Akure), who was a recipient of the award advised the organizer to continued in what he is doing. He called for help for the promotion of the Yoruba language and asked people to support the Publisher financially so that he could do more in preserving our culture.
Also, “GT” Samuel Aaanu, one of the awardees and CEO Ever Shine Firlms and Travel Nig LTD, Akure, said that he thanked God for counting him worthy to be among the beneficiaries of the awards for this year as the honour bestowed upon him happened to be the eight of its kind he had received for this year alone. He eulogized the Dingi Oodua Magazine and said that he normally assisted him any time he calls. He prayed that God would continued to let the organization to be progressing and those people that would support him financially would come to his aid . He advised the Oodua descendants to continued promoting our culture and tradition as these two concepts belonge to us and we should not let it go into exstinction.
Dr. Mercy Ayo Fesehun, who represented the Provost Adeyemi College of Education, Dr S.A. Akintunde, also spoke on the promotion of Yoruba language, Culture and Tradition in our society. She harp on the fact that not all the Culture had gone into oblivious. She believes that though tradition might have changed while culture remains but not all the Culture had gone into exstinction as we still have few of them that we could still be proud off in our Communities. She said that the development of the society, Religions and education are some of the reasons advanced that had brought setback to our culture and tradition. She believes that although some Culture still need transformation while some had died .She advised that those that need correction are the one we should be promoting and that if we don’t want the Culture and tradition to go into exstinction then we need to made a policy that would make the development of the society, religion and the education to go hand in hand with our culture and tradition if only that we want the concept to remain.and be acceptable for the generation of this age because there is no way the trio .(Society, religion and education) could go backwards again.
Although, Dr. Mercy didn’t totally agreed with the guests lecturer on the loss of virginity among our damsels. She believes that virginity still exist among few of our young ladies. She said true and proper marriage still exist in Yoruba land where the groom would pay a bride price of his Bride. She didn’t not dispute the fact that people still married on the Social media that true marriage still exist in our society. Therefore, those few that are existing has to be promoted via the publication like that of the Dingi Oodua Magazine and on the TV and Radio and by so doing those of our culture that want to go into exstinction would come back to life..
Others scholar like Segun Babs the GM of Fresh Radio ,Akure, also advised the Yoruba’s not to allow the foreigners to take away our culture as they believed that those things that we value are the things they would like to take away from us and we should guide against them jelousely . He advised the people to stop calling the Yoruba language Vernacular and urged the teachers and the parents to be teaching their children the Yoruba language at home and in the school very well.
In the world of Oloye, Aare Ganiyu Afolabi (The Arole Agbasaga of Ilaorangun) said he was very happy that his daughter became the ” Omidan Dingi Oodua” ( Miss Dingi Oodua) today because she followed his principle of morality and Cultural prospensity of teaching.He said what happened was a lesson to all as he believes that whatever good thing one is doing in life should be transferred to ones children for prosterity sake.He said his daughter had excelled in her niches in various events particularly when she rendered the eulogy of the traditional king of their village (Oba Ila Orangun) and this fetched her a lot of money then.Aare Afolabi who believed that Children could learn English Language while in school successfully and that when they come back home, parents should endeavour to be speaking and teaching them their mother tongue.He said that whosoever that loss his language had loss his identity.
Highlight of the event inlude awards, Cultural dance and presentation of the portrait of the Dingi Oodua publisher Sunday Agbaje and other presentation from different radio stations and groups.
