Otunba (Dr) Gani Adams. National Coordinator OPC. Convener OPU Worldwide. Chief Promoter Olokun festival Foundation.
Being Text of a Keynote delivered at the University of Lagos, Akoka – Lagos on Monday 28th September, 2015.
COMPLEMENTING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CULTURAL INVOLVEMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE.
INTRODUCTION:
Let me to begin this keynote by first thanking the young people on whose platform I am invited to talk today.
I am grateful for the honour of inviting me to give a Keynote despite the fact that I am not an academic.
I hope I would be able to do expected justice to this theme that I am set to address before this august gathering of scholars.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, ordinarily, I would have rescinded the decision to appear before you today to give this keynote. Several considerations would have inform this decision, however, because of my love for students, my interest in young people and my conviction on the need to continuously get the public informed and educated about the contributions and relevance of the Olokun Festival Foundation to the quest for national development through cultural activism particularly among young people, I have little choice than to honour this invitation. My interest in being here today to give this keynote is further spurred by the need to contribute to the growing national discourse on evolving and encouraging the development of alternative revenue source for our country, Nigeria, in the face of daunting reality that our reserves of petroleum resources are not only on geometric decrease but that this important national revenue earner, is experiencing monumental fall in prices at the world market. Consequently, the keynote is set to address our common consciousness to ways culture can be used to address and checkmate this trend through the involvement of our young people who constitute the most vibrant and energetic segment of our population that can be involved in the rescue efforts. Based on these needs, I am set to direct our attention to: “Complementing National Economic Development through Cultural Involvement of Young People”.
This theme is relevant in view of the challenges our country face, the crises of economic development and the prevalence of the involvement of young people in non-productive activities that often disrupts communal peace and harmony.
This keynote lecture will without doubt provide this gathering the rare opportunity of assisting our young people to identify their potentials and ways they can productively channel such for national development.
Therefore, this address will navigate through Defining Youthfulness, Defining Culture and Development, Locating Development within the Context of Culture.
The paper shall also look at the Economic Contributions of Cultural Tourism to Development, explore ways of getting the Youths involved, efforts of Olokun Festival Foundation to lead by example (by instituting beauty pageants, Arts Exhibitions, Cultural Performances, Festivals) and a Conclusion.
DEFINING YOUTHFULNESS
Perhaps one of the most difficult concepts to define or describe easily is Youth.
The elusiveness of this term is occasioned by the changing demographic composition and the readiness of various segments of human population to wear at their convenience the identity of a youth.
I hope I would be able to do expected justice to this theme that I am set to address before this august gathering of scholars.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, ordinarily, I would have rescinded the decision to appear before you today to give this keynote. Several considerations would have inform this decision, however, because of my love for students, my interest in young people and my conviction on the need to continuously get the public informed and educated about the contributions and relevance of the Olokun Festival Foundation to the quest for national development through cultural activism particularly among young people, I have little choice than to honour this invitation. My interest in being here today to give this keynote is further spurred by the need to contribute to the growing national discourse on evolving and encouraging the development of alternative revenue source for our country, Nigeria, in the face of daunting reality that our reserves of petroleum resources are not only on geometric decrease but that this important national revenue earner, is experiencing monumental fall in prices at the world market. Consequently, the keynote is set to address our common consciousness to ways culture can be used to address and checkmate this trend through the involvement of our young people who constitute the most vibrant and energetic segment of our population that can be involved in the rescue efforts. Based on these needs, I am set to direct our attention to: “Complementing National Economic Development through Cultural Involvement of Young People”.
This theme is relevant in view of the challenges our country face, the crises of economic development and the prevalence of the involvement of young people in non-productive activities that often disrupts communal peace and harmony.
This keynote lecture will without doubt provide this gathering the rare opportunity of assisting our young people to identify their potentials and ways they can productively channel such for national development.
Therefore, this address will navigate through Defining Youthfulness, Defining Culture and Development, Locating Development within the Context of Culture.
The paper shall also look at the Economic Contributions of Cultural Tourism to Development, explore ways of getting the Youths involved, efforts of Olokun Festival Foundation to lead by example (by instituting beauty pageants, Arts Exhibitions, Cultural Performances, Festivals) and a Conclusion.
DEFINING YOUTHFULNESS
Perhaps one of the most difficult concepts to define or describe easily is Youth.
The elusiveness of this term is occasioned by the changing demographic composition and the readiness of various segments of human population to wear at their convenience the identity of a youth.
The pinning of youthfulness to a segment of the population is therefore more socially than biologically determined. Socially, certain behavior may be youthful but biologically those involved may have passed that categorization because of age and other physiological considerations.
According to the United Nations, “youth constitutes people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. Biologically and speaking generally, the period between childhood and adulthood is usually identified as the period of “Youthfulness”.
UNESCO aptly refers to it as “a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of a community” .
During this period a person prepares himself/herself to be an active and fully responsible member of the society.
It is also a period of transformation from dependent childhood to independent adulthood and integration into the society as a responsible citizen.
One other parameter for identification of youth is age . Defining youthfulness through age appears elastic.
Whereas some identify the youth with people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, others pinned it to the period between adolescence and early adulthood.
The age categories of fifteen and thirty years or more but not more than forty years feature prominently when describing the youth.
The Nigeria National Youth Policy and Plan of Action testify to this difficulty in describing a “youth” or identifying youthfulness. According to it, “The way in which a nation defines its youth is related to the objective conditions and realities that exist …” On its part and within the context of Nigeria, it identifies the youth as “persons of ages 18 to 35, who are citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
It describes them as the “most active, the most volatile, and yet the most vulnerable segment of the population socio--economically, emotionally, and in other respects” .
It describes them as the “most active, the most volatile, and yet the most vulnerable segment of the population socio--economically, emotionally, and in other respects” .
CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN PERSPECTIVE
Like the difficulty in allocating meaning to the word youth, various descriptions have been ascribed to the term ‘culture’ by different scholars.
One of the older definitions of culture given by the British anthropologist, E. B. Tylor, in his book Primitive Cultures (1871) defines culture “as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” .
Bronislaw Malinowski understands culture as “a well-organized unity divided into two fundamental aspects -- a body of artifacts and a system of customs.” Franz Boas believes culture embraces “all the manifestations of social habits of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the group in which he lives and the product of human activities as determined by these habits." To Margaret Mead culture refers to “the whole complex of traditional behavior which has been developed by the human race and is successively learned by each generation.” According to her, it is the learned behaviour of a society or a subgroup. In the words of R. M. Keesing and F.M Keesing, “culture is seen as the organised systems of knowledge and beliefs in which people structure their experiences and perceptions, formulate acts and make choices between different alternatives” UNESCO views culture as:
what has shaped societies’ and individuals’ ways of life; while certainly rooted in ancestral values, it is also a source of dialogue, exchange, innovation and creativity, and the foundation stone of endogenous systems of solidarity, forms of expression and ways of transmitting knowledge that are as valid for meeting the challenges of tomorrow as for preserving traditions. As such, culture is therefore, in today’s world, a means of achieving a more satisfactory intellectual, moral and spiritual existence, while having often unrecognized potential in terms of economic development and efforts to combat poverty.
Like the difficulty in allocating meaning to the word youth, various descriptions have been ascribed to the term ‘culture’ by different scholars.
One of the older definitions of culture given by the British anthropologist, E. B. Tylor, in his book Primitive Cultures (1871) defines culture “as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” .
Bronislaw Malinowski understands culture as “a well-organized unity divided into two fundamental aspects -- a body of artifacts and a system of customs.” Franz Boas believes culture embraces “all the manifestations of social habits of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the group in which he lives and the product of human activities as determined by these habits." To Margaret Mead culture refers to “the whole complex of traditional behavior which has been developed by the human race and is successively learned by each generation.” According to her, it is the learned behaviour of a society or a subgroup. In the words of R. M. Keesing and F.M Keesing, “culture is seen as the organised systems of knowledge and beliefs in which people structure their experiences and perceptions, formulate acts and make choices between different alternatives” UNESCO views culture as:
what has shaped societies’ and individuals’ ways of life; while certainly rooted in ancestral values, it is also a source of dialogue, exchange, innovation and creativity, and the foundation stone of endogenous systems of solidarity, forms of expression and ways of transmitting knowledge that are as valid for meeting the challenges of tomorrow as for preserving traditions. As such, culture is therefore, in today’s world, a means of achieving a more satisfactory intellectual, moral and spiritual existence, while having often unrecognized potential in terms of economic development and efforts to combat poverty.
Culture is the totality of the way of life evolved by people through experience and reflection in an attempt to fashion a harmonious co-existence with our environment.
It is dynamic and gives order and meaning to the social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious practices of the people.
Culture also gives people distinct identity different from others. It manifests in peoples’ ideals and ideas, beliefs and values; folklore, environment, science and technology; and in the forms of their political, social and economic institutions.
It is also revealed in the aesthetic quality and humanistic dimension of literature, music, drama, architecture, carvings, paintings and other artistic forms.
UNESCO amplifies further its description:
Culture is a source of identity, innovation, and creativity; a set of distinctive spiritual and material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group; a complex web of meanings, relationships, beliefs, and values that frames people’s relationship to the world; acquired through the process of cultivation and improvement of the individual especially by means of education; an evolving dynamic force relevant to all societies, local or global; influenced by and in turn influences world-views and expressive forms; and located in a time and a place.
While culture in the abstract is a set of mental constructs, it is rooted in a place at a moment in history and is always local.
Culture is a renewable resource if it is carefully nurtured for it to grow and flower.
When neglected, it is easily lost or destroyed .
Interestingly, the various views expressed on culture share some semblances.
There is a common agreement that culture is a preserve of human beings alone.
Other creatures, though with their peculiar behavior, are incapable of exhibiting culture.
The aggregate of opinions expressed also show that culture is shared and learned by people.
Culture consists also of artifacts, customs and traditional behavior.
Consequently, culture is as important to man as his existence.
But for culture and its transfer, the contemporary world would not have been able to connect with its past and would have lost all vital knowledge that remain useful to the basic means of human survival.
Culture offers a ‘summation and distillation’ of the past that provides a sound basis for living in the present and marching into the future.
Culture therefore entails all those variables that are essential to the cause of human advancement for a better living and improved life chances.
By UNESCO’s submission, culture can be destroyed or lost when neglected. Culture is therefore the oil that keeps the society running.
The word “development” yields itself to different meanings and explanations. The term operates at denotative and connotative levels of interpretations. Denotatively, development derived from “develop” means “to grow or cause something or somebody to grow gradually” .
Development therefore implies “when someone or something grows or changes and becomes more advanced” .
Martin Odei Ajei admits that the term development yields itself to multiple meaning. According to him, development:
ultimately entails an attempt to “build a better” society: a society characterized by greater material prosperity and better life chances for the people; a society characterized by significant improvement in the people’s capacity to understand and to tap the resources of their environment for their own good and the good of humanity, a society which opens up new opportunities for personal upliftment and collective advancement; and a society in which creativity, productivity and popular participation are enhanced.
It is dynamic and gives order and meaning to the social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious practices of the people.
Culture also gives people distinct identity different from others. It manifests in peoples’ ideals and ideas, beliefs and values; folklore, environment, science and technology; and in the forms of their political, social and economic institutions.
It is also revealed in the aesthetic quality and humanistic dimension of literature, music, drama, architecture, carvings, paintings and other artistic forms.
UNESCO amplifies further its description:
Culture is a source of identity, innovation, and creativity; a set of distinctive spiritual and material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group; a complex web of meanings, relationships, beliefs, and values that frames people’s relationship to the world; acquired through the process of cultivation and improvement of the individual especially by means of education; an evolving dynamic force relevant to all societies, local or global; influenced by and in turn influences world-views and expressive forms; and located in a time and a place.
While culture in the abstract is a set of mental constructs, it is rooted in a place at a moment in history and is always local.
Culture is a renewable resource if it is carefully nurtured for it to grow and flower.
When neglected, it is easily lost or destroyed .
Interestingly, the various views expressed on culture share some semblances.
There is a common agreement that culture is a preserve of human beings alone.
Other creatures, though with their peculiar behavior, are incapable of exhibiting culture.
The aggregate of opinions expressed also show that culture is shared and learned by people.
Culture consists also of artifacts, customs and traditional behavior.
Consequently, culture is as important to man as his existence.
But for culture and its transfer, the contemporary world would not have been able to connect with its past and would have lost all vital knowledge that remain useful to the basic means of human survival.
Culture offers a ‘summation and distillation’ of the past that provides a sound basis for living in the present and marching into the future.
Culture therefore entails all those variables that are essential to the cause of human advancement for a better living and improved life chances.
By UNESCO’s submission, culture can be destroyed or lost when neglected. Culture is therefore the oil that keeps the society running.
The word “development” yields itself to different meanings and explanations. The term operates at denotative and connotative levels of interpretations. Denotatively, development derived from “develop” means “to grow or cause something or somebody to grow gradually” .
Development therefore implies “when someone or something grows or changes and becomes more advanced” .
Martin Odei Ajei admits that the term development yields itself to multiple meaning. According to him, development:
ultimately entails an attempt to “build a better” society: a society characterized by greater material prosperity and better life chances for the people; a society characterized by significant improvement in the people’s capacity to understand and to tap the resources of their environment for their own good and the good of humanity, a society which opens up new opportunities for personal upliftment and collective advancement; and a society in which creativity, productivity and popular participation are enhanced.
Development must therefore be seen as a situation in which there is considerable advancement in the material conditions of the people which enables them to achieve more effectively their hopes and aspirations. Development must involve two basic processes. The first has to do with improving and refining that which is already in existence and adapting it to contemporary requirements. The second process involves finding solutions to new problems or new forms of solutions to old problems.
Both imply creative responses to social, political and economic affairs.
Since culture is the human community’s lubricant for progress and growth. Any human society that fails to acknowledge the role it can play; willfully delay the realization of growth and development for their society. Consequently,
Development interventions that are responsive to the cultural context and the particularities of a place and community, and advance a human-centered approach to development, are most effective, and likely to yield sustainable, inclusive and equitable outcomes.
Likewise,
Acknowledging and promoting respect for cultural diversity within a human right based approach, moreover, can facilitate intercultural dialogue, prevent conflicts and protect the rights of marginalized groups, within and between nations, thus creating optimal conditions for achieving development goals. Culture, understood this way, makes development more sustainable.
The UN System Task Team on the Post 2015 UN Development Agenda attests to this possibility. According to it:
Throughout the past decade, statistics, indicators and data on the cultural sector, as well as operational activities have underscored that culture can be a powerful driver for development, with community-wide social, economic and environmental impacts.2 of particular relevance is the cultural sector’s contribution to the economy and poverty alleviation.
Cultural heritage, cultural and creative industries, sustainable cultural tourism, and cultural infrastructure can serve as strategic tools for revenue generation, particularly in developing countries given their often-rich cultural heritage and substantial labour force.
Cultural and creative industries represent one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the global economy with a growth rate of 17.6 % in the Middle East, 13.9 % in Africa, 11.9 % in South America, 9.7 % in Asia, 6.9 % in Oceania, and 4.3 % in North and Central America.3 Promoting this sector requires limited capital investment, involves low entry barriers and can have a direct impact on vulnerable populations, including women.
It further suggests ways culture can contribute to development efforts. These can be achieved by:
I. Integrating Culture into Governance
• Integrating culture in the conception, measurement, and practice of development with a view to advancing inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development.
II. Capitalizing on the Cultural Sector’s Contribution to Economic Development and Poverty Reduction
• Supporting sustainable cultural tourism, cultural and creative industries, cultural
Institutions and culture-based urban revitalization as powerful economic subsectors
It further suggests ways culture can contribute to development efforts. These can be achieved by:
I. Integrating Culture into Governance
• Integrating culture in the conception, measurement, and practice of development with a view to advancing inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development.
II. Capitalizing on the Cultural Sector’s Contribution to Economic Development and Poverty Reduction
• Supporting sustainable cultural tourism, cultural and creative industries, cultural
Institutions and culture-based urban revitalization as powerful economic subsectors
That generate decent employment, stimulate local development, and foster entrepreneurship.
•
Culture-led economic development should take into account the protection of
Cultural assets that are often fragile and constitute a unique and non-renewable
capital.
III. Capitalizing on Traditional Knowledge to foster Environmental sustainability
• Integrating traditional knowledge and practices in sustainable environment schemes and seeking synergies between traditional environmental practices and high technologies.
IV. Building on Culture to Promote Social cohesion
• Promoting intercultural dialogue to harness social cohesion thereby, creating an environment conducive to development.
•
Capitalizing on the potential of the arts to promote social cohesion and develop entrepreneurship, especially among youth, and in post-conflict and post-disaster situations.
These are clear testimonies on ways culture can help accelerate our quests for development.
•
Culture-led economic development should take into account the protection of
Cultural assets that are often fragile and constitute a unique and non-renewable
capital.
III. Capitalizing on Traditional Knowledge to foster Environmental sustainability
• Integrating traditional knowledge and practices in sustainable environment schemes and seeking synergies between traditional environmental practices and high technologies.
IV. Building on Culture to Promote Social cohesion
• Promoting intercultural dialogue to harness social cohesion thereby, creating an environment conducive to development.
•
Capitalizing on the potential of the arts to promote social cohesion and develop entrepreneurship, especially among youth, and in post-conflict and post-disaster situations.
These are clear testimonies on ways culture can help accelerate our quests for development.
USING CULTURE TO ASSIST DEVELOPMENT BY ENGAGING THE YOUTH
Nigeria’s history is replete with in the involvement of young people in development. From the period before political independence till now, Nigeria youths have in one way or another been engaged in national development.
Nationalist organizations like the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), West African Students Union, (WASU) and so on were led by youths who spearheaded the struggle for Nigeria’s independence from British colonialism.
Foremost Nigerian nationalists like late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Late Ahmadu Bello and of course the late Anthony Enahoro made their respective marks in Nigeria’s political history as young men.
Anthony Enahoro was the editor of a national newspaper at twenty, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe became NCNC’s leader in his thirties, Chief Obafemi Awolowo formed the Egbo Omo Oduduwa which later metamorphosed into Action Group before he was forty.
Their individual and collective contributions led to Nigerian independence in 1960.
Today Nigerian youths are making great impacts in sports, the arts, literature, music and numerous other endeavors.
Despite these lofty strides and achievements, the potentials of the Nigerian youths have not been maximized because of the systemic decay that has afflicted the Nigerian state and the catastrophic consequences of this for the youth population.
Since young people constitute 18% of world population with great potential for surge by 2025.
Youths constitute a greater percentage of Nigeria’s population. As adapted from the UN Youth Fact Sheet, most young people in Nigeria to:
• Can contribute to local development and prosperity.
• Can be a bridge between cultures and between tradition and modernity.
• Have the interest, energy and passion to address issues and concerns, such as heritage management, sustainable tourism, local development and community involvement.
• Have affinity for information and communication technologies to network and transcend geographical boundaries.
• Are in the position to act as potent agents of positive social change that will yield greater economic and social well-being in the perspective of sustainable development for generations to come
Youth can act as a bridge between cultures. They can also serve as key agents in promoting peace and intercultural understanding. As a path for youth development and civic engagement, culture plays an essential role in promoting sustainable social and economic development for future generations. Culture has the power to transform entire societies, strengthen local communities and forge a sense of identity and belonging for people of all ages.
Youths can complement national economic development when opportunities are open for them to partake in Investment in tangible and intangible cultural resources that abound in the country.
They can also be involved by inculcating traditional knowledge and skills in areas such as music, dance, theatre and festivals.
The use of these knowledge and skills can facilitate the development of sustainable creative economies and help strengthen identity and social cohesion.
Consequently promoting creativity and harnessing young people’s creative potential and energy should be made priority in finding solutions to challenges of development.
Young people should be made to realise that their involvement in heritage protection and promotion is part of their identity. Therefore, transmitting heritage values to young people will promote intercultural understanding, respect for cultural diversity and helps create an environment favourable to culture of peace.
Nigeria’s history is replete with in the involvement of young people in development. From the period before political independence till now, Nigeria youths have in one way or another been engaged in national development.
Nationalist organizations like the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), West African Students Union, (WASU) and so on were led by youths who spearheaded the struggle for Nigeria’s independence from British colonialism.
Foremost Nigerian nationalists like late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Late Ahmadu Bello and of course the late Anthony Enahoro made their respective marks in Nigeria’s political history as young men.
Anthony Enahoro was the editor of a national newspaper at twenty, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe became NCNC’s leader in his thirties, Chief Obafemi Awolowo formed the Egbo Omo Oduduwa which later metamorphosed into Action Group before he was forty.
Their individual and collective contributions led to Nigerian independence in 1960.
Today Nigerian youths are making great impacts in sports, the arts, literature, music and numerous other endeavors.
Despite these lofty strides and achievements, the potentials of the Nigerian youths have not been maximized because of the systemic decay that has afflicted the Nigerian state and the catastrophic consequences of this for the youth population.
Since young people constitute 18% of world population with great potential for surge by 2025.
Youths constitute a greater percentage of Nigeria’s population. As adapted from the UN Youth Fact Sheet, most young people in Nigeria to:
• Can contribute to local development and prosperity.
• Can be a bridge between cultures and between tradition and modernity.
• Have the interest, energy and passion to address issues and concerns, such as heritage management, sustainable tourism, local development and community involvement.
• Have affinity for information and communication technologies to network and transcend geographical boundaries.
• Are in the position to act as potent agents of positive social change that will yield greater economic and social well-being in the perspective of sustainable development for generations to come
Youth can act as a bridge between cultures. They can also serve as key agents in promoting peace and intercultural understanding. As a path for youth development and civic engagement, culture plays an essential role in promoting sustainable social and economic development for future generations. Culture has the power to transform entire societies, strengthen local communities and forge a sense of identity and belonging for people of all ages.
Youths can complement national economic development when opportunities are open for them to partake in Investment in tangible and intangible cultural resources that abound in the country.
They can also be involved by inculcating traditional knowledge and skills in areas such as music, dance, theatre and festivals.
The use of these knowledge and skills can facilitate the development of sustainable creative economies and help strengthen identity and social cohesion.
Consequently promoting creativity and harnessing young people’s creative potential and energy should be made priority in finding solutions to challenges of development.
Young people should be made to realise that their involvement in heritage protection and promotion is part of their identity. Therefore, transmitting heritage values to young people will promote intercultural understanding, respect for cultural diversity and helps create an environment favourable to culture of peace.
THE OLOKUN FESTIVAL FOUNDATION INITIATIVE
The Olokun Festival Foundation has been at the forefront of promoting and propagation not only Yoruba culture but Africa culture generally.
The Foundation has always viewed the promotion of African culture as important to the quest for African and Yoruba cultural renaissance.
The Foundation believes in the use of Africa’s indigenous culture as a platform for promoting socio-economic development and fostering national unity.
Therefore, the Olokun Festival Foundation has always sponsored and promote across south western states.
The Foundation use its programmes to create fora where intellectuals, scholars, local and foreign tourists and cultural enthusiasts can engage in reflective thinking, exchange ideas and appraise cultural programmes for national development.
The Olokun Festival Foundation has used its programmes to create awareness on the economic potentials in the development of tourism as a renewable and deplete less alternative revenue spinner for all.
The Olokun Festival Foundation has been at the forefront of promoting and propagation not only Yoruba culture but Africa culture generally.
The Foundation has always viewed the promotion of African culture as important to the quest for African and Yoruba cultural renaissance.
The Foundation believes in the use of Africa’s indigenous culture as a platform for promoting socio-economic development and fostering national unity.
Therefore, the Olokun Festival Foundation has always sponsored and promote across south western states.
The Foundation use its programmes to create fora where intellectuals, scholars, local and foreign tourists and cultural enthusiasts can engage in reflective thinking, exchange ideas and appraise cultural programmes for national development.
The Olokun Festival Foundation has used its programmes to create awareness on the economic potentials in the development of tourism as a renewable and deplete less alternative revenue spinner for all.
The Foundation organizes indigenous festival celebration to advocate a break from Nigeria’s monolithic reliance on fossil fuel in view of continuous slide in the prices of petroleum resources at the global market.
As a mark of the Foundations commitment to culture, our year round festival celebrations were designed to feature valuable aspects of our culture like traditional dances, traditional musical performance, fashion parade, beauty pageants, Arts Exhibitions, Cultural Performances, Africa’s cuisine and cultural interaction.
In the coming years, the Olokun Festival Foundation hopes to increase cultural activities that form part of its annual programmes.
In the coming years, the Olokun Festival Foundation hopes to increase cultural activities that form part of its annual programmes.
Otunba (Dr) Gani Adams
National Coordinator Oodu Oodua People's Congress Opc
Chief Promoter Olokun festival Foundation
Convener Oodua Progressive Union.
God bless OPU, God bless Otunba Dr. Gani Adams, the Convener of Oodua Progressive Union OPU Worldwide. National Coordinator Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) .
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