KEY POINTS
- Yemoja Festival to hold in Oyo State from October 10 to October 27, 2024.
- Cultural performances and preservation of heritage and traditional rites are event features.
- Festival will help boost the cultural tourism agenda of Omituntun 2.0.
Yemoja Festival 2024, A Festival of the Creative Arts and Yemoja, Mother of Water is set to be celebrated in Oyo State. Preparations for the annual Yemoja Festival are ongoing, and it will hold from October 10 to 27, 2024, at Popoyemoja, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Wasiu Olatubosun, State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, made this announcement. It was done at a press conference held at the Council’s office in Ibadan. Also this year’s celebration is based on Governor Seyi Makinde’s Omituntun 2.0 Agenda, aimed at improving cultural tourism in Oyo.
Olatubosun emphasized that Yemoja Festival is important because it projects cultural heritage and, moreover, boosts the economy through cultural tourism. ‘It’s not just about celebrating, but rather an opportunity to project our rich heritage,’ he said. ‘It also boosts our economy.’
Additionally, plans are in place to have Yoruba-speaking participants from both the region and the diaspora share cultural experiences.
Yoruba heritage and community unity celebration.
According to The Punch, Activities for the 17-day festival include traditional rites, cultural performances, and a community get-together.A major highlight will be the sale of Ogunieki’s Effigy, a statue of a mother breastfeeding a child. This symbolizes the potency of motherhood.
Oyo State aims to become a tourist and heritage preservation hub with the event. Additionally, residents and visitors are called upon by Commissioner Olatubosun to honour the spirit of Yemoja and her values.
Baale Omikunmi Egbelade stated that the festival boosts Oyo’s economy. He urged Yoruba people to uphold their cultural values. ‘We must protect the legacies of our ancestors,’ Egbelade said. Moreover a vibrant celebration of Yoruba heritage is promised with the Yemoja Festival.
The festival will bolster Oyo’s cultural leadership and open doors for all to participate in this cultural showcase.
