By ‘Wale Adeoye
It was historic at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo as the institution hosted the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba (Engr.) Abimbola Akeem Owoade, Elewuetu 1 at the pre-inauguration ceremony of the Alaafin Institute of Yoruba Studies, a baby project of the Professor Olanrewaju Olaniyan-led-administration. Kabiyesi lauded the university administration for the initiative and the lecture aimed at raising worthy future leaders needed in moving the nation and the global community forward.
In his brief address, Oba Abimbola Owoade, which was widely applauded by both the elated staff and students maintained that in today’s globalised village, the major dictate of the trans-national global market economic policy is self reliance adding that a greater number of the élites will never permit their children to study Yorùbá as a discipline because of lack of financial self reliance.
“To them, therefore, of what use is the language if it cannot meet the dictates of the global economy, as this assertion is again strongly responsible for the endangerment of the Yorùbá language. The people are slowly and steadily losing their language identity within a milieu of poverty. To survive the harsh economic condition, they acquire as much as they can of English”.
His Imperial Majesty submitted that since the Information Technology is mediating human interaction, it is becoming impossible to communicate in the Yorùbá language. “This is because the Global Information Capitalism makes it impossible for us to communicate in Yorùbá. Or when we browse on the Internet, do we read Yorùbá therein? This leads to endangerment. Since Internet facilities are communicated in English, the Yorùbá elites that are already hostile to the language, now find themselves a means of complete alienation”, Alaafin stressed.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Olaniyan stressed the importance attached to the establishment of the Alaafin Institute of Yoruba Studies. The initiative, as approved by the Governing Council under the Chairmanship of an Oyo-born Emeritus Professor Ayoade Olayiwola Ogunkunle, is aimed at creating a centre for the custody of Yoruba culture and language. “We cannot but do all in our capacity, to protect our language and culture. We therefore owe our generation the need to teach and train them as appropriate. We hereby seek the full support of His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade and all Yoruba sons and daughters in making this vision to come to fruition”, submitted the renowned economist.
Tracing the history of the Alaafin Institute of Yoruba Studies, the Dean, Faculty of Arts Education states, “the establishment of the Alaafin Institute of Yoruba Studies is a visionary project of the current University Administration, led by our dynamic Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Olaniyan. It is a project born out of a deep-seated conviction that a university, particularly one situated in the historic city of Oyo, the very seat of the old Oyo Empire, cannot afford to be a passive recipient of foreign epistemologies. It must also be a vigorous producer of knowledge rooted in its cultural ecosystem.” Speaking further, the Professor of Legal History added that the Mission of establishing the Centre is in threefold: first, to promote cutting-edge research that explores the depths of Yoruba indigenous knowledge systems; second, to provide a platform for the preservation and digitisation of Yoruba cultural artefacts, oral traditions, and manuscripts; and third, to facilitate the integration of Yoruba studies into mainstream academic and public discourse as a valid and vital body of knowledge for human development”.
The Guest Lecturer, Dr. Tunde Adegbola, Resident Scholar, Institute of Africa Studies, University of Ibadan later presented a pre-inauguration lecture titled, “Recovering the Intellectual Traditions Embedded in Yoruba Oral Literature” to the admiration of the audience.
The event drew eminent dignitaries including the Onifiditi of Fiditi, Oba Sakiru Oyewole Adekola Oyelere (Ajani-eedu II), Baale Kieseni of Oyo, Alagunpopo of Agunpopo, Ona Ikola of Oyo, Loogun of Oyo Agbaakin of Oyo (Oyomesi), Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, Personal Assistant to Kabiyesi, Rev. Dr. Oladele Kolade, top University Administration members, Staff and Students.
