Saturday, June 9, 2018
RAMADAN MESSAGE
Keep your sermons within realm of moderation, modesty,
ALAAFIN admonishes religious leaders
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba [Dr.] Lamidi Olaywola Adeyemi III,
has advocated the need to reform the current curriculum on religious studies in
schools.
The current curriculum, he said, hitherto privileged the
exclusive teaching of dogmatic Christian and Islamic doctrines to a new praxis
that would build in comparative religious studies, and expose students and
pupils to basic principles of Christianity, Islam and traditional religion
necessary for religious harmony and moral instructions.
Alaafin, in the Ramadan message pointed out that
all religious communities must understand that there is no alternative to
inter-faith dialogue, as there can never be a universal religion or an
exclusive society for adherents of a particular religion.
Admonishing Nigerians not to perceive religious
diversity as a barrier to human relations and development, but rather a tool or
resource for national development, the royal father noted that religious
faithfuls in the country should, therefore, realize the fact that religious
tolerance and harmony are both legally sanctioned and socially inevitable, as
the world can never be composed of one religion or culture.
Accordingly, he stated that, whereas every
religious group has the right to uninhibited religious practice, this must be
done with commensurate or reciprocal respect for the rights of other faithfuls to
practise their own religious traditions; provided that such does not constitute
any derogation to the right of others to observe their own rituals.
‘’This desirable scenario of religious harmony can
be achieved in Nigeria only through the establishment and sustenance of a
neo-religious educational praxis that would generate a culture and orientation
of multi-religiosity in our children and youth, as well as a commensurate
programme of re-orientation of the adult population. Hitherto, the dominant
model of religious education in Nigeria has been faith-oriented and overwhelmed
by religious indoctrination and dogma.”
The monarch went further, “religious education is
used to get people to embrace Christianity or Islam, rather than as a process
or formation for religious tolerance and dialogue. Consequently, most children
and youths are educated within this framework and are thus inclined to adopting
a blind faith. This religious pedagogic gives little room for inter-faith
understanding and harmony; hence religious intolerance is rife even amongst
school children.”
While calling on Muslims in the country to see the
period of Ramadan as abstinence from sins and all acts inimical to peace and
development in the country, Oba Adeyemi counseled all religious communities to
educate their leaders or preachers on the need for religious harmony and the
toleration of other faiths.
“While also educating their leaders on the need to
keep their sermons within the realm of moderation and modesty, there is also
need to strengthen inter-faith dialogue at the national, state and local levels
in order to prevent future manifestations of religious violence,” Alaafin
asserted.
RAMADAN MESSAGE
Keep your sermons within realm of moderation, modesty,
ALAAFIN admonishes religious leaders
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba [Dr.] Lamidi Olaywola Adeyemi III,
has advocated the need to reform the current curriculum on religious studies in
schools.
The current curriculum, he said, hitherto privileged the
exclusive teaching of dogmatic Christian and Islamic doctrines to a new praxis
that would build in comparative religious studies, and expose students and
pupils to basic principles of Christianity, Islam and traditional religion
necessary for religious harmony and moral instructions.
Alaafin, in the Ramadan message pointed out that
all religious communities must understand that there is no alternative to
inter-faith dialogue, as there can never be a universal religion or an
exclusive society for adherents of a particular religion.
Admonishing Nigerians not to perceive religious
diversity as a barrier to human relations and development, but rather a tool or
resource for national development, the royal father noted that religious
faithfuls in the country should, therefore, realize the fact that religious
tolerance and harmony are both legally sanctioned and socially inevitable, as
the world can never be composed of one religion or culture.
Accordingly, he stated that, whereas every
religious group has the right to uninhibited religious practice, this must be
done with commensurate or reciprocal respect for the rights of other faithfuls to
practise their own religious traditions; provided that such does not constitute
any derogation to the right of others to observe their own rituals.
‘’This desirable scenario of religious harmony can
be achieved in Nigeria only through the establishment and sustenance of a
neo-religious educational praxis that would generate a culture and orientation
of multi-religiosity in our children and youth, as well as a commensurate
programme of re-orientation of the adult population. Hitherto, the dominant
model of religious education in Nigeria has been faith-oriented and overwhelmed
by religious indoctrination and dogma.”
The monarch went further, “religious education is
used to get people to embrace Christianity or Islam, rather than as a process
or formation for religious tolerance and dialogue. Consequently, most children
and youths are educated within this framework and are thus inclined to adopting
a blind faith. This religious pedagogic gives little room for inter-faith
understanding and harmony; hence religious intolerance is rife even amongst
school children.”
While calling on Muslims in the country to see the
period of Ramadan as abstinence from sins and all acts inimical to peace and
development in the country, Oba Adeyemi counseled all religious communities to
educate their leaders or preachers on the need for religious harmony and the
toleration of other faiths.
“While also educating their leaders on the need to
keep their sermons within the realm of moderation and modesty, there is also
need to strengthen inter-faith dialogue at the national, state and local levels
in order to prevent future manifestations of religious violence,” Alaafin
asserted.
THE DEATH OF ANY LANGUAGE IS THE DEATH OF AN INVALUABLE CULTURAL HERITAGE…. ALAAFIN
WORLD
CULTURE DAY
THE
DEATH OF ANY LANGUAGE IS THE DEATH OF AN INVALUABLE CULTURAL HERITAGE…. ALAAFIN
"We need to vigorously promote the study of our history, language and
culture. The tendency for educated Yoruba indigenes not being able to speak
their native languages should be urgently addressed. If we cannot speak our
languages, which embody our philosophies, wisdoms and proverbs, we have lost an
essential contribution of our nation to the collective pool of human
civilization’’
The population of Nigeria is put at about 180 million. It is, consequently, the
most populous country in Africa, close to twenty percent of Sub-Saharan Africa,
and is the sub-continent’s second largest economy. In the same vein, Nigeria is
one of the most culturally diverse nation in the world. It is thus, a
multi-cultural nation. There are about 500 ethnic groups in Nigeria with very
diverse socio-cultural system deeply rooted in ethnic segmentation. The
cultural variability in the country is represented through ethnic
categorization which collectively forms ethnic plurality, culture multiplicity
and ethno-linguistic groupings. However, in commemoration of the World Culture
Day, the Oyo State Government, through the Ministry of Information and Culture
conducted an interview for His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba [Dr.]
Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III. The crew that conducted the interview in the
ancient palace was led by the State Commissioner for Information and Culture,
Mr. Toye Arulogun.
Oba
Adeyemi observed that the time to begin to appreciate and re-appreciate the
cultural importance to Yoruba and national growth is critically now, as
experiences suggest that the pathways to development are strategically hidden
in the cultures and cultural-political determinations.
He said it is a truth today that Yoruba cultures are under threat, adding that
these cultures are in fact been pushed beyond their limits of tolerance in
manners that suggest danger, adding that some cultures are in fact already
surviving at the merging.
‘’The basic culture and civilization which the Yoruba have built still endured
and remained fulcrum of political, economic, religious and intellectual
development of the country till today. The Yorubas developed a highly
sophisticated system of government with effective checks and balances, which
was spiced with a high level of gender consciousness, adding that the Yoruba
traditional system of government is indeed one of the oldest forms of democracy
in the world’.
Alaafin who lamented that the elites’ attitudes towards the use of Yorùbá
language, said English is regarded as a symbol of our social structure. “The
age-long prohibition of ‘vernacular’ is still firmly operational in a large
percentage of Yorùbá elite homes. Their children must learn and always speak
English. Apparently, Yorùbá language still exists in Nigeria today because of
high-level of illiteracy. If we have a low percentage of literacy, the language
will be gone. Parents want their children to speak and learn English.
While the language gives us the ability to think differently and
retain the mentality, total abandonment of the Yorùbá language brings total
dislocation and loss of identity. Some basic aspects of the Yorùbá culture,
especially different forms of greetings, are now completely foreign to many
élite families.”
The paramount ruler explained that some élites find all greetings forms in
Yoruba language unnecessary and time wasting, but adopt a simple greeting
pattern such as Hi or Hello, which to them is preferable.
“The children too imbibe their parents’ attitude, their personalities and then
become not only divided, but also totally shattered. They become localised
foreigners. The negative negligence and negligible use of Yorùbá by the élites,
has spilling over effects on Yorùbá as a discipline.”
According to the Alaafin, ‘’Yoruba culture is not static. At the same time,
every generation tries to preserve aspects of the indigenous tradition. This
effort is counterbalanced by the pragmatic desire of the Yoruba to appropriate change
in the garb of tradition.”
Alaafin further called for inculcation in the children at all levels of
education, and awareness of his or her history, folklores, believes, and
thought-system, so as to enable him or her gain knowledge of the physical, as
well as the spiritual properties of the society in which he or she lives.
He also warned that if oral history and verbal art of Yoruba culture are not to
be lost in time, the languages in which they are expressed must be jealously
safeguarded.
Explaining areas of activities that should form the focus of implementation of
the National Cultural Policy, especially in education, the Titan of Yoruba
Empire urged both the Federal and State Governments to ensure at all levels of
education, a curriculum featuring aspects of education which will enhance the
common heritage of Nigerians as brothers and fellow citizens with a common
destiny.
According to him, "the traditional attitude to oral tradition was one of
respect and cultural pride, but with the advent of western education,
traditional religion came to be associated with paganism. Added to this is the
fact that western education and the colonial style of administration were both
based on a written tradition. As a result, an unlettered person gifted for his
or her oratory and steeped in traditional culture, came to be seen merely as a
simple illiterate and an idol worshipper".
Alaafin pointed out that Yoruba forefathers paid special attention to names of
their offsprings, adding that this is one of the reasons why young couples in
the past send messages to their villages asking their parents to send names
when their wives give birth to babies.
“Today, they use foreign language, English, has always been an important aspect
of official language in Nigeria. Though there is high rate of illiteracy in the
rural population, the use of our local languages has its limitations. Many
elite families would like their children to learn English language better than
their local language. Nigerians use and read books written in foreign language
faster and more fluently than those written in local languages. In Nigeria,
cultural globalization has impacted on the number of Movies produced by Nigeria
Nollywood. Movies produced in English are much more than those performed and
produced in Igbo and other Nigerian languages’’.
"With this development, the name of every Nigerian child has a historical
meaning. But unfortunately all that has vanished thereby eroding and debasing
our culture as well as being held in ridicule".
He warned that an essential aspect of Yoruba culture is the preservation of its
verbal art and oral traditions, which implies preserving the vitality of our
languages, in which they are enshrined.
‘’It is a known fact that several languages of the world are endangered and
threatened with extinction. The death of any language is the death of an
invaluable cultural heritage".
Advocating that books and teaching aids used in our educational system and
products of society with most of their messages drawn from the Nigerian
experiences, the Custodian of Yoruba culture and traditions submitted that
mother tongue should be the basis of cultural education, while the development
of Nigerian languages should be vehicles of expressing modern ideas and thought-processes.
"We need to vigorously promote the study of our history, languages and
cultures. The tendency for educated Yoruba indigenes not being able to speak
their native languages should be urgently addressed. If we cannot speak our
languages, which embody our philosophies, wisdom and proverbs, we lost an
essential contribution of our nation to the collective pool of human
civilization.
Alaafin however noted that whatever human intellectual pursuit we have, it must
have a past which forms with the departure point for present and future
endeavours, adding that is why all knowledge is historical.
"So, to develop the human person, we must have a reference point and time
perspective, and history provides the milestone against which we can measure
how much distance we have covered".
‘
EMBRACE YOUR CULTURE
ALAAFIN calls for radical revival of indigenous languages, strong metaphorical uses of proverbs, idioms incantations, panegyrics
‘’It is a truism that an average Yoruba man or woman throws his or her weight into the enforcement of traditional codes expressed and encoded in proverbial wisdom, and anybody that flout the social norm faces the social correction and sanction’’.
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