Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the preservation of African cultural heritage, describing it as authentic and vital to the continent’s identity.
Obasanjo stated this on Sunday during a luncheon he hosted to celebrate the 50th birthday of renowned female drummer Aralola Olamuyiwa at the Green Legacy Resort within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
Obasanjo lamented the unfortunate relegation of rich African cultures in favour of embracing Western culture.
“Culture is the totality of who we are. Unfortunately, we have relegated some aspects of our culture to the background—our food, our language, our dress, and so on.
“They even say Yoruba is vernacular. That is not right. Yoruba is Yoruba; it is authentic, and we must learn to celebrate what belongs to us because that is the authentic.
“I am a Christian. I have been to two churches today, but whoever says Ifa Orunmila is nothing must be a bloody fool because Orunmila has been with us before the advent of Christianity or Islam,” he said.
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