By Bayo Okunlola
Monday, 21st August 2023, has been declared a work-free day in the four of the six states of South Western Nigeria to commemorate Isese Day in Yoruba communities, although the Isese Day was slated for every August 20th.
‘Isese’ means tradition, which includes culture and religion, as culture and religion are interwoven, yet distinct.
The celebration is not limited to Nigerian Yorubas alone, it is also practised in Cuba, Brazil, Benin Republic, United States of America and of course other countries.
Just like the Christmas holiday for Christians and the Eid-Fitri for the Muslims, the South-West governors graciously granted the request for Isese Day, which is in line with the campaign promises of listening to the demands of the people. Kudos to these governors.
To achieve this, the Obas played a very significant role in the actualization. The traditionalists also played their good role in achieving this feat.
We should note that Christianity and Islam are alien religions.
Islam penetrated Yorubaland around 14th century, when the first mosque was built in Oyo-Ile in 1550 AD. Although there were no Yoruba Muslims in Oyo by then, the mosque was built to meet the spiritual needs of the foreign muslims living in Oyo.
Christianity on the other hand was introduced to Yorubaland in 1842, when T.B. Freeman, a Methodist missionary visited Abeokuta.
Asides Islam and Christianity, there are over 4,000 faith groups across the globe, practising in every cultural environment. Notable among these are Buddhism, Judaism, Baha’i, Shinto, Taoism and Hinduism. They meet their Gods and their prayers are answered. They are even living better than us.
We didn’t choose to be born in Yorubaland, our Yoruba being is not by choice but by nature. We could as well have been born in Medina or Jerusalem, where our people go every year to pray to God as it has been spiritually cajoled that that is where God lives (Ile-Oloun). This is pure ignorance because God is everywhere.
Not this alone, Arabic language is used to pray to God as if God doesn’t understand Yoruba, likewise Christians will say you should speak in tongues, when you pray so your prayer will be answered better.
Well, crossing to foreign religion may have been caused by some deficiencies in Yoruba culture, which is characterized by oppression, human sacrifices, dictatorship and wicked use of traditional medicine to deal with fellow human beings.
Not withstanding, our culture is our culture, only if we have to sanitize it.
Now that Isese is being recognized by the government, I see it as a commencement of Yoruba cultural emancipation. We should start a follow up from our own ends by making changes in our religious blindfolded lives. We should note that giving our children Arabic names or Israelite names is not taking them to heaven. John, Isaac (my papa gave me), David, Tajudeen, Nurudeen, Isiaka are not straight tickets to heaven. It rather denies you of your distinct identity.
Only few people know that Anthony Joshua, the World Boxing champion hails from Sagamu, Ogun State until his biography was read out.
The enthronement of Obas in Yorubaland should be guided as well. Obas are supposed to be the custodians of culture, unfortunately some of them are even the “killers” of culture. Majority of Yoruba cultural festivals are in oblivion. For example, the Irele cultural festival in my home town, Ikirun, has suffered this fate; likewise the Olooku of Okuku. This is so sad.
The government should not only give Isese holiday, they should allow traditionalists to pray along foreign religions at official programmes.
Finally, I want to implore us to value our culture, know who your God is and bail yourselves from religious bigotry.
Isese a gbe wa o.
•Chief Okunlola the Agbasaga of Ora-Ekiti kingdom, is also a lecturer of Arts and Culture at the Lagos State University of Education, Oto-Ijanikin, Lagos.
