Ondo residents to leverage Ode Mare Festival for unity, cultural promotion

By Boye Oyeyemi –

Residents of the Idanre community in Ondo State have expressed hope that the newly introduced Ode Mare Festival will strengthen unity, promote peace, and showcase the town’s rich cultural heritage.

The annual festival, held recently in Idanre Local Government Area, is designed to celebrate the history of the Idanre people, particularly their ancestral roots before their migration from Oke Idanre.

The maiden edition featured colourful cultural performances by different quarters of the kingdom, including Isalu, Idale, Irowo, Alade, and Atoshin, drawing large crowds from within and outside the community.

Speaking at the event, the Aare Onakakanfo of Otoja in Idanre, Chief Lawrence Akinboni, described the festival as a platform for preserving traditional values, indigenous music, and dance, while also stimulating tourism and local economic activities.

Akinboni stressed that the celebration symbolised a shared identity and togetherness among Idanre sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora, expressing optimism that the festival would expand and attract wider participation in subsequent years.

Also speaking, a community leader, Engr. Olaleye Osunmakinwa, explained that the festival was aimed at reconnecting Idanre people globally, fostering unity, and creating alternative sources of income beyond cocoa farming.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Afolabi Adesoji, represented by the Director of Tourism, Dr Adeola Aderinola, assured that the state government would continue to support initiatives like the Ode Mare Festival to promote cultural heritage and drive tourism-led economic growth in Ondo State.