Ooni Enitan is a Blessing to African Culture, says AFRICULRA PRESIDENT ADEYANJU

Toyin Adewale Adeyanju is a legal practitioner and a proud Yoruba man with a genuine flair for cultural promotion. He is known for the promotion of Yoruba cultural heritage both within and outside Nigeria. Adeyanju is the National President of African Culture Award, AFRICULRA. He has an encounter with SECURITY MONITOR’s Arts and Culture editor, Shola Akinyele in this exclusive interview where he reiterate his determination to continually showcase African culture to the world, especially to Africans in diaspora so as to regain our black men who have lost their heritage while seeking greener pasture in abroad.

AS A LAWYER WHY DID YOU VENTURE INTO CULTURAL PROMOTION AND ADVOCACY?

I am a lawyer paying my dues with legal practice and a member of Nigeria Bar Association. I’m also an activist. I have traveled to so many countries in the world, when I came back to Nigeria I choose to promote the heritage of African culture using my legal knowledge. I started with the immigration law, fighting for the birth rights of the immigrants and I saw that culture is something that is lacking. If I want to communicate with most of them concerning their cases, they find it difficult to speak Yoruba with me, which get angry. So this is the reason why we came together as a team to promote African culture in the Diaspora.

HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS THE NAME AFRICULRA?

AFRICULRA means African Culture Award; the word Africulra is a concept which was developed about four to five years ago. It intends to look towards African’s culture as something that needed to be fertilized; culture simply means a way of life that distinguishes you from other tribes. For instance, if you see an African Man who put on Africa attire called (Agbada) you will discover that he came from Africa, but when you see a man putting on suit you will realized that he’s of African tribe. So, culture is a unique identity. This is the reason why we have to know be identified with our culture. When we now discover that our culture is dying, especially in the life of our people living in abroad it will be a great concern to people like me. If you look at Nigeria today you will see that a lot of people leaving the soil of this country every day to abroad, most of them are going because they are suffering and they have choosing Europe, North America and Asia countries as their new place of residents for that reason they relocate. However when they are going they will leave with their culture and brain, but immediately they get there, they will start living the kind of life which they are are living over there and make them to forget where they came from. Accidentally when you are on the street in Europe, you will see many Nigerians with names like Adelani, Ogunsanwo, Adekambi etc. When you ask them to pronounce their name, you will just be hearing something funny because they will not even know the meaning of their names talk less of pronouncing it correctly. If a man could not pronounce his name correctly how could you expect him to put on traditional attire or to even speak his Mother language?

In the process of all these, we have lost a lot of talented people to the land of white man, because the life they are living over there have drained their brain, which lead them to forget where they came from, they forget their culture, That is the reason why I look into it and say enough is enough. If they failed to bring their children home to teach them our culture, we will not hesitate to take the culture to their door steps by promoting African culture in diaspora.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT ON CULTURAL PROMOTION IN NIGERIA?

Nigeria is a funny country; because we have many things in this country, our soil is the most blessed soil in the Africa. We supposed to be leading in all aspects especially culture. But why Nigeria is a funny country is because with all these resources. Government practically neglected all aspects that can fetch us money. They only focus on crude oil and look at what is happening in the world market today on crude oil. My advice to Nigerian government is that they should look at culture, tourism, agriculture, mining and technology. Because we have people who can develop their brain if they are supported by government but its unfortunate now that all what we have been doing so far is to use our personal funds.

WHAT CAN YOUR VIEW ABOUT EUROPE 2016, WHICH WILL BE LEADING BY HIS ROYAL MAJESTY OONI OF ILE-IFE?

Curitage promotion limited is the organizer of Africulra awards which we will be leading a delegation from distinguished Royal Executives, Important Dignitaries, Culture Artist and Ambassadors, Entertainers, Government agencies and private individuals to the Euro Tour with Ooni of Ile-Ife= Oba Enitan Babatunde Adeyeye Ogunwusi (ojaja II) at Germany, Holland, Austria and Hungary, on 21 October,2016.

Ooni of Ile-Ife His Royal Majesty Oba Enitan Babatunde Adeyeye Ogunwusi is a King that God deliberately gave to us in Yoruba Land and Africa as gift to promote our culture in the universe. His thinking and vision is to promote all Africa culture and make us united. Kabiesi is a bless king to us in Yoruba Land; we have been having kings in the whole Africa. Oba Ogunwusi is very different among the kings, because he’s passion for unity and Peace is never seconded among the traditional rulers we ever had. He has displayed the attributes of a good leader, which he shown to us that democracy belongs to the traditional rulers in the olden days. Before colonialism, traditional rulers are using their throne to govern their people then and there were peace, progress and stability. With the influence of political manipulation now in this country some traditional rulers don’t even no their power anymore. Ooni of Ile-Ife has come to demonstrate to us that this power is still there and not only that but he will use the power that God gave him to promote African culture in the world by preaching crusade of love, peace and unity to the universe. Oba Ogunwusi also breaks the yoke of hostility between the Alaafin of Oyo Empire and Ooni Ile-Ife throne in their history. So we are praying that God should give him long life, more wisdom, strength, power to be able to do more. He has supported us morally and even beyond what we expected from him.