Olojo festival: Nobody will solve our problems for us, South African monarch tells Africans
People from far and near at the weekend gathered together in Ile-Ife, to celebrate the annual Olojo festival which is the celebration of the first dawn, the first afternoon and the first night in creation in the cradle of Yorubas.
Speaking at the grand finale of the 2023 edition of the annual Olojo Festival, His Majesty, Raba Gaye Konjwa of the Ndebele Nation, South Africa, called on Africans to unite to solve the problems in the continent.
Konjwa noted that it is only when Africans are united that the problem confronting the continent can be solved.
He said, “Wherever you are as Africans, let’s come back to our homes. You don’t need to run away from your home. Our problem is our problem that we need to solve. Nobody else will solve our problems unless African brothers and sisters.
“We shall solve our problems on our own by uniting. Let’s stop this thing from being selfish.
“We’ve been so concerned about the issue in the whole entire Africa that us Africans, we are so divided and we were wondering the whole problem about us as South Africans why us Africans do not unite so it is a time now that everybody needs to run, we have the organization called Sovereign Congress of Africa that organization we made it so that we can unite in the whole entire of Africa mind you, together we stand, divided we fall.
“As Africans will need to unite and protect our indigenous, protect our culture because we are rich in culture, in everywhere else stop this thing of fighting your brother it’s either maybe a Nigerian, a South African, a Ugandan, it’s a Congolese among others, we are one.
“Fighting each other was a man-made for us to unite they are scared of us the enemy is behind and is busy exploiting us and then killing one another it’s because of their thinking that we cannot stand on our own, now we need to go back into our traditional leaders when we are within our traditional leaders then we will be able to conquer the world and our Africa and with all our riches and in our culture we are very rich so let’s unite as Africans wherever you are Sovereign Congress, traditional leaders of Africa.
“I’m here with His Majesty my Colleague in the Sovereign Congress of frican leaders in the whole entire Africa let’s unite, let’s go back and respect African elders. We need to stand and love one another protect one another stop these things of xenophobic South Africa is also your home Nigeria is also my home Uganda is also my home Congo is also my home everybody we unite we are one so let’s stand Africans brothers and sisters this message let it find everybody wherever you are it is our time now as Africans that we stand.”
Also, a Mexican and traditional worshipper, Ifamosun Saorigameh expressed his excitement seeing that Yoruba tradition is alive.
The Yoruba-speaking Mexican, who traveled from Mexico to witness the 2023 Olojo festival said, “I feel so happy because our Yoruba culture is alive and I’m very happy to see that.
“People outside really love local fabrics and any kind of Yoruba clothes and if we can take this to all the places it will be good for fashion around the world.”
The Osun State Commissioner for Political Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr Biyi Odunlade, tasked Yorubas on the to value their traditional culture and heritage.
According to Odunlade, “We must all come together and showcase the different aspects of the Yoruba culture or the black culture, starting from dancing, exhibition of various robes and other items of culture. We must promote our culture, civilisation and the interest of our people all over the world.”
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja11 later prayed for the peaceful coexistence of the country on his way to Okemogun after he had been adorned with the sacred Are crown. The Are crown was said to weigh 50kg.
