The Olojudo of Ido-Osun, Oba Olayinka Jokotola, has pledged to elevate the Obalufon and Osun festivals to global recognition within the next five years.
The Monarch stated this at the palace on Saturday during the grand finale and celebration of Osun Festival.
Oba Jokotola, who was enthroned on November 29, 2024, explained that the initiative was part of his mission to sustain and expand the reach of Yoruba culture.
“I was enthroned on the 29th of November, 2024 and ever since then my aim for our tradition and cultures, we have a very rich culture in Ido Osun. Ido Osun is an ancient town from Ile-Ife, we have many festivals that we are celebrating in Ido-Osunt, like Obalufon Festival, where we remember our forebears.
“Obalufon was the fourth Ooni of Ife, and his our progenitor in Ido-Osun. He established so many towns in Yoruba land and as such I have it in mind by this time next year, this one we are doing today, the, the Osun we are celebrating today, it is my personal initiative”, he explained.
He expressed optimism that next year’s edition would attract sponsors and investors who share the vision of promoting indigenous traditions.
“By next year, I am hopeful we will have people motivated to come around, sponsor, and invest in our cultural heritage. My mission is that in the next five years, both the Obalufon Festival and the Osun Festival will not only be celebrated here but across the globe,” the monarch said.
Oba Jokotola further urged his fellow traditional rulers to actively promote Yoruba culture, “My advice to the traditional rulers is that we should promote our culture and traditions. Our culture is very rich, to the extent that foreigners are now learning about our culture”, he advised.
He also appealed to government authorities to support traditional monarchs in their efforts to preserve and promote cultural values and heritage across the region.
The Iya Osun of Ido-Osun, Osunpidan giving her insights about how Baba Osun assisted the Arugba with her calabash at the 2025 Osun Osogbo Festival, explained that the assistance given to the Arugba by the Baba Osun was not unusual, noting that such instances occurred during her own time as Arugba.
“Men can also collect the calabash from the Arugba in Osogbo. When I used to carry the calabash, I carried 63 in total, starting when I was 12 years old. On the very first day I carried the calabash as the Arugba of Osun, I couldn’t carry it on my own.
“They used it to touch my head, and it was a Baba Oyo who had made a pledge to always collect the calabash from the Arugba that helped me. He was the first to collect it from me. However, if there are no such individuals present, then it must be the Aworo who collects the calabash from the Arugba if she is unable to carry it on her own” , she explained.
The Festival was in attendance of Monarchs, traditional Chiefs, sons and daughters of Ido-Osun, as the Arugba danced to the Osun River, where Olojudo of Ido-Osun led prayers for the community, State and Nation and the IYa Osun also prayed for the community.
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