Culture, unity and one identity were displayed last Saturday when the Ekiti people converged on Okemesi-Ekiti to celebrate the 133rd anniversary of Ekiti Parapo War and cultural heritage festival at Ita-Ode, Okemesi.
The commemorative ceremony, which was attended by the young and old, traditional rulers, students, political leaders and all, reminded the people of the unity of the Ekiti people during the Ekiti Parapo War of Liberation of 1877-1886.
In his speech, the Owa Ooye of Okemesiland, Oba Michael Gbadebo Obalolade Adedeji, said the Ekiti Parapo festival marked the unity of the Ekiti people, saying almost all the then Ekiti monarchs supplied men and materials and led their armies to the battle field.
Oba Adedeji said the festival gave the people economic emancipation, national identity and a necessary reminder, saying the cultural festival should be welcomed as the best cultural phenomenon to create love and unity among the Ekiti people.
The traditional ruler further stated that the festival should open all the people to brotherhood of kinship, interpersonal and inter-marital relationship.
He called on the Ekiti people to try to improve on the festival and not become obsessed with foreign culture, saying “it will be suicidal at this juncture of our emergence as a unique people to sacrifice our much-coveted heritage on the altar of cultural estrangement.
The chairman, Okemesi Cultural Heritage and Tourism Committee, Prince Kayode Oni, said the festival was not only to boost culture and tourism in Ekiti State, but also to rekindle the interest of Ekiti youths in the land’s rich cultural heritage and imbue in them the spirit of unity and bravery.
Prince Oni stated that the Ekiti Parapo festival was meant to celebrate the unity of the Ekiti people to honour their war hero, Fabunmi Oraralada Okemesi, and other warriors from other towns in Ekiti.
The Chairman, Ekiti Council of Obas, the Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi, also called on the Ekiti people to support culture and tourism and promote it.
The Director-General, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, assured the Ekiti peope that the Council would continue to partner with communities and organizations to develop programmes and festivals that could be harnessed for the economic transformation of Ekiti State.
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