Ife Exhibition: A Celebration Of Rich Cultural Heritage

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Chika Okeke

— April 6, 2014

With the overwhelming emphasis on making tourism the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy apart from oil, there is a need for the federal government to pay adequate attention to the maintenance of heritage sites by providing enough financial resources and manpower to manage the sites. CHIKA OKEKE writes
It was a moment of reflection when the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) recently commissioned the National Museum, Ile-Ife exhibition. The exhibition titled, “Ife Archaeology and Material Culture in Retrospect,” was designed to replace the 1954 old exhibition targeted at showcasing the rich material culture of Ile-Ife through the archaeological discovery in four media of terracotta, Bronzes, Stones and beads.
It was also aimed at appreciating the great works of Ife artists like Olokun, Ooni Luwo, Obalufon Ogbogbodirin who were famous for originating the idea of bronze casting in the ancient city.
The exhibition also provided the opportunity to launch another comprehensive work titled, ‘The Sacred and Historical Landscapes of Ile-Ife” that were produced by museum professionals in heritage management and cultural managers from Obafemi Awolowo University who were commissioned by NCMM in 2010 to collate and document heritage as well as historical sites in Ile-Ife.
You may recall that NCMM Ile-Ife museum was opened in 1954 by the defunct department of antiquities in collaboration with the then Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Sir Adesoji Aderemi as a result of early discovery of four media in large quantity by a German Ethnologist, Leo Frobenius whose unscientific excavation at Olokun grove yielded the famous Ori-Olokun and other Ife master pieces. With this, the museum was established at Enuwa beside the Ooni palace.
Nigeria As Preferred Cultural Destination
In his address, the minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke, said the the policy trust of federal government was to place Nigeria as preferred cultural destination worldwide saying that culture must be seen as a vector of development.
“The policy thrust of the federal government is to place Nigeria as a preferred cultural destination not only in Africa, but also all over the world and to achieve these objectives, the transformation outlines that there should be effective community involvement as the basis of tourism and cultural growth even as culture will serve as a vector of development.
He further disclosed that henceforth, the annual Osun/ Oshogbo festival would receive federal government budgetary allocation for hosting the event saying that apart from oil and gas, culture and tourism were viable areas of diversification from Nigeria`s over-dependence on oil and gas.
“My director-general and I have worked closely to ensure that Osun/ Oshogbo festival will begin to receive federal government every year that is from 2014, it will be inculcated into the budget as Osun-Oshogbo festival.
He regretted that the level of immorality in the society is not unconnected to loss of family values which would be traceable to unchecked influx of foreign cultures maintaining that cultural values must be urgently restored.
International Best Practices
The deputy governor of Osun State, Otunba Titilayo Tomori called on the management of NCMM to work in accordance with international best practices and educate the residents on the importance of preserving their cultural heritage and monument sites.
She appreciated the efforts of the federal government for inculcating Osun/Oshogbo festival in the National budget as well as the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse for facilitating the promotion of Ife culture in London.
Tomori said, “Ife is a wonderful city created by God over 13,000 years and God has given us the privilege to be part of the Ife cultural heritage. The state government identifies with the giant stride taken by NCMM to project Ile-Ife as the cultural progenitor of Yoruba race.
…Open New Vista
Responding, the director-general of NCMM, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman said the exhibition would open new vista in the understanding of Ife as the source and one of the famous centres of world civilisation likewise to stimulate the interest of youths in understanding their cultural heritage.
He said, “The exhibition will open new vista in the understanding of Ife as the source and one of the famous centres of world civilisation likewise to stimulate the interest of youths in our cultural heritage through deeper understanding of her glorious past.
“Its also intended to bring to focus the journey of Ife clay, stone and bronze technology beginning from the abstract form of artwork which historians put at about 800 AD to the naturalistic masterpieces of 12th to 15th centuries.
Usman noted that the position of Ife as the cradle of Yoruba and one of the centres of world civilisation is never in doubt considering the quality, uniqueness and outstanding collections of Ife masterpieces of art objects within and around the world.
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