Lagos plans seven-day cultural festival to celebrate Yoruba Heritage Week

The Lagos State Government has unveiled plans to inaugurate the maiden edition of Yoruba Heritage Week, a seven-day annual cultural festival aimed at celebrating the history, values, and global identity of the Yoruba people.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, disclosed this during a meeting in Alausa with the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Mr. Bolaji Robert; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Dr. Adekunle Olayinka; and representatives of the DAWN Commission.

Benson-Awoyinka noted that the initiative, backed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State House of Assembly, would institutionalise Yoruba culture and heritage. “This is not just a festival, but an opportunity for the Yoruba people to honour their past, preserve their heritage, and showcase their culture to the world,” she said.

She explained that the project would serve as a model for cultural preservation, promote unity, grow the creative economy, and boost tourism and socio-economic development across Lagos and beyond.

Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Mr. Bolaji Robert, stressed that the festival would help address conflicting versions of Yoruba history and preserve authentic narratives for posterity.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Dr. Adekunle Olayinka, described the initiative as timely, saying it aligns with the Omoluabi ethos. He pledged to mobilise expertise and resources across the Southwest to ensure its success.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Olanrewaju Bajulaiye, said the programme is in line with the Lagos Assembly’s resolution on Yoruba heritage and would evolve into a tradition engaging Yoruba people at home and in the diaspora.

DAWN Commission’s Head of Home Affairs, Mr. Segun Balogun, said the festival would unite Yoruba culture under one celebration with Lagos as its hub, strengthen global identity, attract international recognition, and correct misconceptions about Yoruba heritage.

The week-long programme will feature ancestral homage, heritage assembly, cultural economy summit, governors’ summit, diaspora conference, music festival, awards ceremony, and a grand cultural parade.