Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has, since,
August 9, been abuzz as its biggest export, the
yearly Osun Osogbo festival begun with an
ambitious touch...
In the next two weeks, the Osun sacred grove
will see a milieu carnival-like activity. Colours,
crowd and verve will heighten the enthusiasm of
spectators. And the click of camera shots,
chants, energising drumbeats of surging crowd,
led by the Ataoja and a virgin maiden Arugba
from the royal clan trekking through sacred
paths that terminated in the Osun Grove, which
is now World Heritage Site (WHS) the centre-
piece of attraction and celebration, where the
Ataoja will sit on a stone stool to perform the
animal rituals to appease the ancestors will be
recreated. The cultural fiesta is organised by the
state government, with the support of National
Commission for Museum and Monument
(NCMM) and many private sector bodies.
The list of sponsors for this year’s event include:
MTN Nigeria, Nigeria Breweries (Goldsberg)
Seamans Royal, and Kasepreko (Alomo Bitters).
Participants from eleven countries have already
indicated their readiness to be in Osogbo to take
part in the two-week long cultural fiesta.
A release from the organisers is to the effect
that participants and tourists from Trinidad and
Tobago, Austria, the Philippines, Brazil, France,
Cuba, and Germany may have arrived Osogbo
on Sunday.
South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda are also
among the expected participants at the festival.
Already, organisers of the fiesta have released a
list of activities. Iwopopo (cleansing of road)
holds on August 10. FTAN’s forum is slated for
August 11, with Ataoja football tournament
final. Festival art exhibition and opening
ceremony holds on August 12. Also lined up in
the programme are lighting of Oloju-
Merindinlogun 642 year’s old lamp at the palace
on August 13. Educational quiz competition final
comes up on August 14, and Osun festival trade
fair holds on August 16.
Other events are Iboriade, Ataoja’s crowns
assemblage and FUMAN’s performance day,
Arugba’s berth and ANTP/TAMPAN’s
performance nite for August 18. Sussane
Wenger’s sacred colloquium is slated for August
19. Osun children cultural fiesta and Ayo olopon
contest (native ayo game contest) holds on
August 20, while the grand finale of the festival
will come up on August 21 at the Osun Grove,
where people offer sacrifices, in form of
money, goods, kola nuts and birds, as well as
vows to the river goddess by the worshippers at
the river bank, while other various traditional
groups and professionals like traditional chiefs,
royal families, traditional devotees, market
women forum, and cultural troupes pay homage
to the Atoja of Osogbo, the paramount ruler of
the town.
Also, according to the programmes of the event
rolled out, recently, in Lagos, by the festival
consultant, and the Managing Director of
INFOGEM, Mr. Ayo Olumoko, this year’s edition
of the 600 years old festival will be celebrated
with pomp.
Present at the festival programme unveiling
were the representative of His Royal Majesty,
Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, Larooye 11,
the Ataoja of Osogbo land, the Otun Eesa of
Osogbo land, Chief Moshood Adeyemi Aremu,
the Olori and chairperson women development
Ataoja Palace, Mrs Jelilat Oyetunji, the
President/Chairman of Council Institute of
Directors Nigeria (IoD), Mr Yemi Akeju, Senior
Brand Manager, Seaman, Mr Olayinka Amuwo
and Marketing Manager, KASAPREKO, Mr Peter
Adekho and the Corporate Communication
Manager, Mr. Patrick Olowokemi.
Last year’s Osun Osogbo festival was tempered
by the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease (EVD)
and short of suffering cancelation by the
government but the people still rolled out the
drums in what was a low key celebration to
observe the event. Dating back to 370 AD, the
festival is held yearly in honour of the founding
fathers of the town and a veneration of the
goddess of Osun, the kindred spirit of the town
to whom the people own their existence and
hold the strong belief that she is the goddess of
fertility, as well as the protector of the people.
For this, the sons and daughters of Osogbo both
at home and in diaspora come together yearly
to re-enact this ancient celebration and pay
homage to their forbearer, the goddess of the
Osun and the Ataoja amidst celebration and
feasting in a swarming procession of indigenes,
strangers and tourists, led by the Ataoja and a
virgin maiden Arugba. The crowd goes into a
frenzy of prayers and supplications with
devotees who rush to fetch Osun water into
jerry cans, after the Ataoja have completed the
ritual feeding of the Osun. The recharged water
of Osun is believed to heal diseases, promote
fertility in women and virility in men.
Interestingly, the festival has, in the recent
times, developed into a socio-cultural event not
only celebrated by the people of Osun, but, also,
by the people of the entire South West and
others event with attendance from across the
world. It has also grown to be a big leisure and
entertainment event with many entertainment
packages and sports built in to attract patronage
and followings
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