The Oluwo of Iwo Kingdom, Oba Adewale Akanbi Telu I, has said that the Yoruba culture and tradition must be in conformity with the modern ways of doing things for it to be preserved and not go extinct.
The reverred Oba, stated this at a town hall meeting which took place in Iwo township on Sunday, noting that if culture is not in tandem with mordern day practice, it would be rejected by the young generation who are to preserve it.
“Our culture and tradition must corroborate with our current times, so as not to go into extinction. this is because any tradition that does not corroborate with the present time, our children would reject such culture and they will not practice the culture with us,” he said.
Citing an example of tribal mark inscription on any part of the body, the king said,” Such culture as tribal marks is no longer in tandem with the present time. For example in the case of tribal marks, it is the father that imposes tribal marks on the child, why not wait until the child is of age and we can let them know that there is a culture where we put knife in the fire to give tribal marks on the cheek, then we ask whether or not the child is interested in having trial mark.”
He remarked that culture and tradition cannot change or get erased, but can be modernized in consonnace with the current tide.
Making reference to the advantages inherent in culture in economic and financial stability, the Oba said the woven clothes popularly known as the Ofi is a source of revenue generation for the locals of a particular origin and the nation at large.
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“The way I wear my agbada is in synchronisation with modernisation. I wear a lot of the traditional woven regalia-ofi. When you talk of king’s that wears traditional regalia in Yoruba land.
“I seldomly wear the lace because it is not our traditional regalia. Lace can be sewn into agbada, but it is the outfit of the white people, and not ours. What is ours and can generate revenue for the indigenes is ofi. But if I say it is lace that I want to be wearing and not our traditional regalia, our money would be going to foreigners and our Yoruba people would be hungry. Adire, sanyan, alaari la fin n Mo gada Ko,” he said.
