Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has renewed calls for the preservation of Africa’s rich cultural heritage, describing it as authentic and worthy of being guarded jealously to prevent the erosion of the continent’s identity.
Obasanjo made this assertion during a luncheon organised to celebrate the 50th birthday of renowned female drummer, Aralola Olamuyiwa. The event took place at the Green Legacy section of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.
The former President expressed concern over the decline of African cultural values, attributing it to the increasing adoption of western culture.
He remarked, “Culture is the totality of who we are. Unfortunately, we have relegated some 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 the authentic, and we must learn to celebrate what belongs to us because that’s 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.”
Commending Ara’s contributions to cultural preservation, Obasanjo added:
“We now have a woman who can beat the drum better than the men. She is helping a lot to sustain our cultural heritage, and that is why I have decided to celebrate her to further encourage her to keep up the good job.”
In response, Ara expressed profound gratitude to the former President for the recognition, describing it as an honour she would cherish for the rest of her life and career. She revealed that the milestone was particularly significant as she had battled a life-threatening ailment the previous year.
The Ondo State-born drummer explained that the celebration was her way of giving thanks to God for preserving her life and enabling her to thrive on the global stage despite numerous challenges.