The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has demanded incorporation of Nigerian arts and culture in schools curricula. The incorporation of arts in the curricula of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions he said, would go a long way in creating cultural reorientation for youngsters.

The Alaafin said since the major index of development is high living

standard of the people, cultural heritage promotion should be part of the country’s development efforts.

He stated this at a town hall meeting held with people in the ancient town.

Alaafin pointed out that there is a critical need to find solutions to problems of cultural destitution and destruction in the name of modernisation.

He added that what Nigerians must first do as a nation is to protect, cherish and nurture their cultural heritage through the pursuit of sustainable development policies that will marry culture and development.

This, he said, is because any development that destroys our culture is counter-productive, so also is any culture that does not allow for development.

According to Oba Adeyemi, “the graduation of the Asian Tigers, particularly China, from underdeveloped countries to developed countries was culture-driven. The root of Chinese development success was in the 1965-1968 cultural revolution that was meant to restore the cultural principles of the Chinese people and revolutionise political opinion and behaviour. Today, China is one of the strongest economies in the world courtesy of its development efforts driven by cultural rejuvenation and revolution. The foundation of our efforts at development must be the rejuvenation, protection and appreciation of our cultural heritage which will be the bedrock of selling it to outsiders. If we do not appreciate our own cultural values, there is no way we can harness it for our development.

He said: “We must strive to maximise economic opportunities of our cultural artefacts and festivals for our development. All these can be developed to meeting international tourist standard and thus yield enormous foreign earnings to our governments at various levels. In the first instance, there would be a stimulation of rural development since most of the tourist attraction areas are located in the rural areas. Second, it would also lead to drastic reduction in rural-urban migration and human congestion in the urban centres which is one of the major economic problems of the contemporary Nigerian state because of employment opportunities and income generation that will be opened up for rural dwellers.”

Alaafin cited the instance of the Yoruba which possessed famous traditions of art, precisely because they had productive economies and vibrant commercial systems, which allowed artists and craft workers freedom from scarcity and provided access to metals, woods and clay sculpture.

The Yoruba, Oba Adeyemi said, have also created sophisticated institutions of government.

“The Yoruba cultural impact is so great not only in Nigeria but also in modern Brazil, Cuba and the Americas where their religion and culture have remained pervasive. This remarkable cultural triumph makes the Yoruba experience one of the most fascinating subjects of historical study in the world. This rich history has placed a significant onus on the Yoruba people and their leaders in the contemporary society given particularly the developmental challenges confronting the Nigerian nation.”

He continued: “the Yoruba are heirs to an ancient, rich and cultured civilisation. This culture is known for its artistic triumphs,extraordinary oral literature, complex pantheon of gods and an urban lifestyle. Yoruba cultures are rooted in excellence, hard work, dedication, determination, sincerity, frankness, truthfulness, ingenuity, industry, and resourcefulness. This is the main reason why

“Yoruba people are the engine of growth of the development of this great country. They are at the fore front of the various sectors of

the national economy such as health, education, agriculture and so on”.

Oba Adeyemi also elaborated on Ifa divination, which he referred to an ancient Yoruba knowledge system that “reveals to us the coherence, logicality, precision and profundity of thoughts, philosophy, mathematics and computer science as known and practised by the Yoruba before the 11th century A.D.”

He described Ifa as the greatest unwritten Holy Book on earth, a perennial fountain of esoteric knowledge from which all prophets derive their inspiration.

To the Alaafin, “science, especially computer science is ‘Ifa compatible’. The computer like Ifa is based on the binary system.

Implicit in this development is the ease with which national unity could be forged if these unifying cultural strands are carefully studied and emphasised.