At an event held at Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo, a professor of history, Siyan Oyeweso, has highlighted the need for State Governments to prioritize the development of cultural heritage within their regions.
The event, titled “Osun-Osogbo Festival: The Past in the Living Present,” which was aimed at sheding light on the untapped potential of cultural heritage for economic growth and tourism.
Professor Oyeweso emphasized the unexplored economic opportunities of the Osun-Osogbo festival and its potential to boost tourism and local economies.
He stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to benefiting from cultural heritage, advocating for a cultural summit in Osun State.
According to him, such an event would bring together experts, practitioners, stakeholders, and academics to devise strategies to harness the economic potential associated with the Osun-Osogbo Festival, the river, and the goddess.
The Professor of International Relations expressed concern that Africa has often pursued avenues such as technology and ICT where it lacks comparative advantage, while overlooking the untapped financial potential of cultural heritage.
He urged governments to recognize that cultural heritage, rather than technology, holds the key to the continent’s economic development and growth.
Oyeweso also said the two religions of Islam and Christianity are hindering the development of culture in Nigeria.
He added that describing the festival as “Festish” by clerics of both religion reduces acceptability among local tourists and thereby raising the debates over government commitment to investing and maximising its potential as a major tourist destination.
“The Festival, annually, unlike any other is already attracting tourists from across the world and with proper policy in place it can become a major tool to revamp the tourism potential of the country.
“Although, the Abrahamic faiths have also been a major obstacle to Osun-Osogbo achieving its full potential in terms of revenue generation for the nation’s economy, but if government have the right policies in place, it can a major tool to revamp Nigeria’s tourism sector”.
Dr. Saheed Amusa, the Head of the History Department at Obafemi Awolowo University, emphasized the significance of the UNESCO-recognized sacred groove at Osun-Osogbo.
He highlighted the groove’s status as a valuable asset for both the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Dr. Amusa advocated for preservation of the sacred grove as a major tourist attraction that could generate revenue and attract visitors interested in the spiritual and historical aspects of the festival from across the globe.
The event witnessed the presence of royal figures, cultural dance troupes, stakeholders and historians, who collectively expressed their support for the preservation and development of cultural heritage as a way of boosting the local economy and promote tourism in the region.
