The Yoruba community in Ottawa, Canada, is set to celebrate its rich cultural heritage this weekend with a vibrant festival aimed at promoting African traditions and strengthening unity among members of the diaspora.
The event, tagged Asa (Heritage) Day, will take place at the Open Grounds on Prestone Drive, Orleans, and is expected to bring together members of the Yoruba and wider Black community for a showcase of culture, history and the arts.
Organisers said the festival marks the first edition of what is planned to become an annual celebration by Isokan Yoruba Ottawa, the umbrella body of Yoruba residents in the Canadian capital, with the goal of preserving Yoruba identity and fostering cultural integration within Canada’s multicultural society.
According to the President of the association, Pastor (Dr.) Nike Oyetoran, and the Chairperson of the planning committee, Pastor Idowu Ladeinde, the celebration will feature a colourful cultural parade, poetry recitations, storytelling sessions, traditional drumming, dance performances, drama presentations, exhibitions of Yoruba cuisine and other cultural displays.
The organisers added that guests would also be entertained by music bands, cultural troupes and performing artistes.
Activities for the festival will begin on Friday with a colloquium at Trinity Hall, Prestone Drive, Orleans, where scholars, traditional rulers, business leaders, media professionals and cultural advocates will examine the theme, “Yoruba History, Evolution and Culture.”
Among the panellists expected at the event are the Alagba of Agba, Oka, Oba Jemiyo Owagbemi; Professor Ojo Oloruntoba of Carleton University and founder of the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network; entrepreneur and community leader, Aremo Kehinde Idowu; veteran journalist, Oyeyinka Fabowale; and theatre and communication scholar, Dr. Oluwakayode Sodunke. The session will be moderated by Dr. Adewale Shoba.
Other attractions lined up for the event include a quiz competition, exhibitions of traditional artefacts and handcrafted products, spoken word performances and literary presentations.
Ladeinde disclosed that the festival is expected to attract prominent guests, including traditional rulers from Nigeria, among them Oba Jemiyo Owagbemi and Oba Adeagbo Ilufemiloye of Ekiti State, accompanied by Olori Bidemi.
The Mayor of Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe, alongside academics, artists, community leaders and members of the diplomatic community, is also expected to attend.
Representatives of Igbo associations and other African and Caribbean organisations from countries including Ghana, Togo, the Republic of Benin, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago are equally expected to participate in the celebration, underscoring its growing international and multicultural appeal.
