By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is a custodian of culture despite being a Christian.
Obasanjo stressed that he is an avowed exponent of Ifa and doesn’t joke with Yoruba cultural heritage, his religious persuasion notwithstanding.
The former president spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Sunday while hosting a renowned female talking drummer, Olamuyiwa Aralola, popularly known as Ara, on her 50th Birthday at Green Legacy Hotel and Resort, within Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).
The elder statesman called for preservation of African cultural heritages, saying they must not go into extinction.
“We must not joke with our culture. We are being relegated to the background, our language is being relegated, our food, our dress and others. We must not allow it. They are things that are authentic. Yoruba is not vernacular.”
“I am a Christian, I had attended two churches today and that does not mean that I should forget my culture. Whoever says Ifa is nothing, I will say that person is a big fool.
“Before Christianity and Islam, we have Ifa Orunmila meaning Olorun lo mo eni to ma la “It is Heaven that knows who will be saved,” he said.
He particularly said the Yoruba culture must be guided because it’s “authentic.”The former president said hosting Ara for birthday celebration was a deliberate action, to appreciate her efforts in preserving the Yoruba cultural heritage with specialty in talking drum, believed to be exclusive to the male.
He said, “For whatever reason, we must preserve our culture, Ara is a woman of culture, she is our cultural ambassador, she has lifted our culture and had broken the taboo on what was formerly believed to be exclusively for male gender. She had not only excelled in this, but was already building young ones to preserve her legacy.
“When I was growing up, there are two things that you don’t imagine a woman should do. You cannot see a woman climbing a palm tree. Secondly, you cannot see a woman playing talking drum, Ara had broken the taboo and she had done it very well.”
He added: “Before now, parents don’t allow their son to play football but today, parents are now begging that their children should be allowed to play football.
“For me if you are dancer, dance well and if you invite me for celebration, I will come. If you are a footballer and you invite me for celebration, I will come. Whatever you find your hands in doing, do it well.”
Ara thanked Obasanjo, for the honour done to her.
Ara, who said she started playing talking drum at age 10 in her father’s palace in Ondo, said parents should do everything possible to preserve the culture.
