Afenifere urged to establish Yoruba historical research foundation

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has been urged to establish a Yoruba historical research foundation in an attempt to salvage the cultural heritage from extinction.

A professor of History and Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Olukoya Ogen, gave the advice during the 21st Inaugural Lecture of Osun State University, themed: “Reconstructing a silent past: Echoes of Revisionism and Counter Hegemonic History” held in Osogbo.

He said, “There is no gainsaying the fact that Yoruba are heirs to an ancient and cultured civilisation, a culture that is distinguished by its artistic triumphs, extraordinary oral literature and an urban lifestyle.

“Historical research remains a major pillar for cultural sustainability and societal development. Thus, this lecture hereby charges Afenifere to set the machinery in motion for the floating of a Yoruba Historical Research Foundation that will generally fund Yoruba history fellowships, research grants and prizes in our universities.”

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He stressed that the research foundation will empower scholars to foster more knowledge and spur the growth of both the socio-economic and political developments of Yorubaland.

“It appears several scholars still suffer from the illusion that Yoruba ethnic consciousness or identity is relatively recent and that its modern reference or general usage did not precede the nineteenth century.

“lndeed, it is obvious that the decolonisation of African historiography is a task that has not been fully accomplished especially when we consider the unequal structures of production and circulation of knowledge and their manifestations in this age of academic globalization,” he said.

The don further advocated for the production of alternative, non-statist, counter hegemonic history that can recover suppressed and historically marginalised voices.

“l wish to unequivocally affirm that clearly misguided are those modern African historians who would a priori construct the pre-colonial history of Africa with facts that are strictly derived from European chronicles and accounts without paying due attention to the wealth of historical information contained in African oral traditions,” he added.