Yoruba Union in Stockholm Celebrates 3rd Annual Yoruba Day

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 / Adeola / Leave a comment

The Yoruba Union in Stockholm, Sweden successfully hosted its third annual Yoruba Day celebration. The event took place on Saturday the 23rd of May 2015.

Directors of Ceremony, Abiola Amos and Lydia Akinwale

The Yoruba Day in Stockholm is a day set aside to celebrate Yoruba culture and heritage in Stockholm the capital of Sweden.

The president of the Union Adeola Aderounmu in his welcome address trace the history of the Yoruba Union in Stockholm to 2010 when a group of young people came together to form the association.

Adeola Aderounmu, Welcome Address

The Yoruba Union was registered in Sweden in the same year-2010.

Yoruba Union in Stockholm is a non-political and a non-profit making organisation. This uniqueness distinguishes the Union from other associations that have been formed for the purpose of making profits or for self-aggrandisement.

Mr. Aderounmu stated that the Yoruba Union provides a social platform for the Yoruba community in Stockholm and even in Sweden as a whole.

Some of the executive members of Yoruba Union, Stockholm

The union provides a genuine base where members feel a sense of belonging and togetherness that have continue to contribute to the growth and development of the union.

Under the platform of the Yoruba Union in Stockholm the Yoruba culture and tradition is being spread and made known in Sweden.

The Yoruba Union-Stockholm is now very popular in Sweden.

Yoruba Union members and special guests at Yoruba Day 2015

In April 2015 Adeola Aderounmu represented the Union in a national televised live program. The Swedish celebrity TV-presenter Doreen Månsson, who spent some part of her early life in Ibadan-Nigeria requested the presence of the Adeola during a program that was dedicated to Nigeria.

In recent years the Yoruba Union in Stockholm has also worked together with the Modern Museum in Stockholm during the display of ancient art work from Ile-Ife at the museum which spans a period of about 6 months between 2013 and 2014.

The Union continues to receive request to represent and show the Yoruba culture in various ways and forms. The Yoruba Union has given lectures /talks bordering on the Yoruba Ifa religion and ancient art work from Ile-Ife.

Yoruba Union at the 2015 Africa Day in Sweden

Yoruba Union at the 2015 Africa Day in Sweden

Five days after the celebration of the Yoruba Day in Stockholm, the Union represented West Africa at this years Africa Day celebration in Sweden. Yoruba dance and songs were presented to the rest of Africa.

Yoruba Union is growing from strength to strength.

Over the past 5 years the Yoruba Union in Stockholm has put YORUBA culture permanently on the cultural map of Sweden.

This year the city of Stockholm Council through the department of culture gave some financial support to the Yoruba Union. This sort of partnership will ensure more progress for the union in the forth coming years.

The Yoruba Union has a close working relationship with the Nigerian Embassy in Stockholm. The Union is also a prominent partner with the educational institution-SENSUS, based in Stockholm and Gotland.

A friend of Yoruba Union Stockholm

Mr. Kadiri and Dr. Adeniran

Mr. Aderounmu emphasized the positive roles played by the executive and the entire members of the Yoruba Union in Stockholm towards the sustenance of the ideals of the union and the continuous progress that the union continues to make.

He acknowledge their positive energies, innovations, determination and collection of life experiences that have been brought into play to mastermind the success of the annual Yoruba Day and other activities of the union round the year.

In her address the Head of Mission, Nigerian Embassy Sweden Mrs. Jane Ndem said that the Nigeria embassy in this era of citizen diplomacy strongly supported all Diaspora organisations and ethnic unions as their roles both abroad and back home cannot be overstated.

The Head of Mission at the Nigerian Embassy in Sweden Representing Nigerians in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, Mrs. Jane Ndem

She urged Nigerians to remain law abiding citizens and should feel free to contact the embassy whenever the need arises. Mrs. Ndem commended the efforts and enthusiasm of the Yoruba Union in ensuring that the Yoruba culture is projected effectively to African and the rest of the world through the formation of the cultural group.

The highlight of the 2015 Yoruba Day was the special lecture given by Dr. Adewale Olu Adeniran the Executive Director, Center for Black Cultural and International Understanding, Osogbo-Nigeria

The title of the lecture was: Will The Yoruba Language Survive Beyond The 21st Century?

Dr. Adewale Olu Adeniran, Executive Director Center for Black Cultural and International Understanding, Nigeria

Dr. Adeniran emphasized the importance of speaking Nigerian indigenous languages to children at home especially before the age of 11 when the ability to learn languages begins to deteriorate as the brain begins to change physiologically.

He also lamented the lack of implementation of policy on the preservation of Nigerian indigenous languages. He emphasised the importance of making use of Nigerian indigenous languages as the language of instructions in early age schools and up to the tertiary levels.

Dr. Olu Adeniran deplored the elevation of the colonial language (the English language) above the other Nigerian languages. Making students textbooks available in our indigenous languages will also be a way to revive and preserve Nigerian languages so that they do not go into extinction.

While encouraging Nigerians in Diaspora to ensure that they make it a point of duty to ensure that they preserve their languages by speaking them to their children, he pointed out how Nigerian literary giants first mastered their indigenous languages before they became global names in the literary world. He gave the example of professor Wole Soyinka who won the nobel prize in Literature in 1986.

The full text of Dr. Adeniran-more than 20 pages-will be made available on the Yoruba Union website (www.yorubaunion.se)

During the celebration of the 2015 Yoruba Day, there were songs and dances in accordance to the Yoruba tradition and culture. There was fashion parade during which some of the popular Yoruba traditional attires and modern designs were on display.

Fashion parade of Yoruba attires.

There was also a session demonstrating how Yoruba women make and wear their headgears popularly called gele.

Kike Johansson with the gele demonstration

Guests, friends and members of the union danced to popular Yoruba music. They were also treated to exclusively Yoruba dishes.

Dr. Adeniran and Dele Momodu (in absentia) both received the Yoruba Union Lifetime Membership Award. They were also recognised for their contributions to the development of the Yoruba culture and Nigeria in general.

Yoruba Union Stockholm Lifetime membership award and recognition for Dr. Adeniran’s contribution to the sustenance of the Yoruba culture and heritage

The event was drawn to a close by a vote of thanks given by Debo Faseyi and Ibrahim Onifade.

They thanked all the special guests and sponsors of this year’s event. They even extended the greetings sent by Dele Momodu who had made plans to be at the event but had to return to Nigeria from London 2 days before the Yoruba Day.

Friends and Families of Members of Yoruba Union Stockholm

Friends and Families of Members of Yoruba Union Stockholm

Friends and Families of Members of Yoruba Union Stockholm

Among other dignitaries at this year’s event were:

Mrs Chika Nwachukwu, Counsellor and Head of Consular, Nigerian Embassy, Stockholm

Mr. Ali-Gombe Haruna, Head of Chancery, Nigerian Embassy Stockholm

Hajia Rafat Usman, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

The president of the Yoruba Union in Gothenburg Mr. Majekodunmi

Others are:

Mrs. Victoria Majekodunmi, Engineer Olatunde Aluko, Princess Adetoun Lasebikan, Mr. Salimonu Kadiri, Ify Onuoha, Gloria Viegurs and Mr. Tayo Adeyemi-the editor of African News, Sweden.

To follow the Yoruba Union Stockholm events, visit our group on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/yorubaunion

Our website:

www.yorubaunion.se

Our Channel on YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/user/YORUBAUNION

Mail us:

info@yorubaunion.se

The full official album of the Yoruba Day 2015 will be available on our website and Facebook group.

Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Dr. Adewale Olu Adeniran, The Nigerian Embassy, Sweden, SENSUS-Stockholm and The City of Stockholm, Sweden

Collective vote of thanks

No part of this story or images may be reproduced without prior authorization.

An Invitation To Ile-Ife

November 16, 2014November 16, 2014 / Adeola / Leave a comment

Those who ruined Nigeria will not find rest. They will not have peace of mind. Religion will not be their opium or succour.

An Invitation To Ile-Ife

Adeola Aderounmu

By Adeola Aderounmu

The rulers of Nigerians should be called to order. They have to stop visiting the Middle East for religion tourism. It is an act that promotes mental slavery.

How did a secular country turn out wasting (stolen) monies and tax payers’ monies on worship modes that do not benefit the citizens of Nigeria?

The regular (and frequent) trips to Saudi Arabia and Israel by goverment officials and individuals who are sponsored by public funds need to be condemned and brought to an end.

Even the churches and mosques built in and around government offices need to be demolished.

Government houses are places to serve the people and plan for a better society, not a place to hypocritically show off religion while looting the treasury and committing crimes against humanity at the same time.

Nigeria is facing both political and religious crises. The systematic removal of religion in public offices is a necessary recipe for stability.

Religion may have been playing a major role but it has not helped Nigeria. Therefore there is a need to play down religion.

What is the limit of hypocrisy?

No matter how long it has been a ”norm” at some point one needs to tell a mumu that there is a limit to stupidity. Ignorance is no longer tenable as an excuse in this Age.

While Nigerians are at it-fiddling with religion-at the expense of service to humanity, let me advertise Ile-Ife to Netanyahu and Bin-Abd-al-Aziz.

This is their invitation to one of Africa’s cradles of civilization-Ile-Ife.

I will like to tell them that Oduduwa created the solid parts of the earth for humans to walk upon. It will be my pleasure to inform Netanyahu and Bin-Abd that Obatala created humans and that makes one of my fore-fathers the first artist of all time.

It will be with great satisfaction for me to inform these leaders from the Middle East about Orunmila, the first test-runner of all time. He lived in the world for several years when the world was without form.

Orunmila returned to Olodumare and then came back to earth again after the creation of the solid places. With his vast experiences of the world without and with form he became the first educator.

Orunmila taught our fathers to inform us about orin inu and iwapẹlẹ.

He gave us irúnmọlẹ̀ to take message between the physical and the uneseen worlds.

He taught us about Ajobi.

Orunmila knew that humans would always need divine help and interventions. So he left the Ifa oracle to deal with everything about life.

Orunmila founded Ifa on the principles of Odu Ifa. He gave human 256 pieces of Odu Ifa which give explanations to all the situations in life. He taught a few men the secrets and called them the custodians of the Ifa oracle.

Orunmila finally left Ile-Ile hoping that the humans will apply the oracle in solving all the problems of the world.

Dear Netanyahu and Bin-Abd it has taken several centuries and several manoeuvres to undermine the Odu Ifa. But it is now obvious that the binary codes (Odu Ifa) of Orunmila are the keys to many of the technological advancements of the human race, also evident in Israel and Saudi Arabia.

I want to invite you to the land of the people to whom the knowledge of the Ifa oracle was given.

Sadly, the people to whom the knowledge was given have gone astray. They lost the plot.

However, the truth behind the Ifa oracle will be constant. For all time, the Ifa oracle will continue to manifest and expand through the binary codes and give solutions to both scientific and technological problems.

In the Yoruba belief it may interest you to know about Esu the messenger and God of luck.

Esu brought luck to the Middle East using the denial and selfishness of the Nigerian rulers and the disoriented people as a leap. Esu is not the devil. Rather he is the wise God who makes one man’s meat to become another man’s poison.

I will not forget Sango the God of thunder. He continues to make the rain that keeps the Mediterranean fresh. You must thank him for that.

Among the other Gods, let me tell you about Yemoja, Oshun and Oya. The wives of Sango brought blessings and wellness to mankind. They make women beautiful around the world.

Let me reiterate our common belief that our supplications as humans are transformed through faith and not by location. Still l want you to come to the place where the Gods once lived with humans in Yorubaland.

The Yoruba faith taught about Olorun who is also called Olodumare. He created the physical world-Ayé– for us to have and to keep.

Netanyahu and Bin-Abd, you must be really shocked about the low cognitivity of the Nigerian rulers visiting your abodes like rats looking for food in the dark of the nights. This is partly because Ifa is one of the several ways known in Nigeria as means of communication and interaction with the unseen, spiritual world in order to seek solutions to problems.

Ifa is about divination. Ifa tells about the past, the present and the future. Come to Ile-Ife and see!

I want to tell you that it is pure wastage (perhaps a stupid act too) especially when Nigerian rulers continue to drain billions of dollars of tax payers monies and looted funds to pay homages and worship in your countries.

It can’t be your problem if they decided to enrich your lands through religion tourism. I know.

But they can do such things as private citizens because they have a right to buy the religion of their choices.

What is sad about their actions is that they are mostly criminals seeking refuge where there is none.

To ignore what you have in your domain and to seek similar things at the house of another man is self-pity and an almost incurable form of inferiority complex.

I am concerned about why Nigerian rulers are consulting oracles in Israel and Saudi Arabia when they can consult oracles in Ile-Ife.

Orunmila who is the assistant of Olodumare gave powers to the Ifa oracle and instructed his disciples to take care of the human race. He must be shaking his head now.

Who will save Nigerian rulers from their stupid annual visit to the Middle East?

Who will tell them again that iwapele and orin inu are some of the remedies to the nonsense they are parading as governance?

Who will tell them that Ajobi will never give them rest because of their betrayals and criminal activities?

Those who ruined Nigeria will not find rest. They will not have peace of mind. Religion will not be their opium or succour.

Indeed, all religions admit that we are surrounded by unseen forces. They may differ in how we come in contact with the messages from these forces that include Olodumare and other immortals including some of our forefathers.

Why did Nigerians in their respective regions and nations give away the beliefs that they got from their forefathers?

Who knows how evil rose and triumphed among them?

Why did Nigeria not end slave religions when slave trade ended? When will mental slavery of Nigerian rulers end?

If the Yorubas in South America continue to speak the yoruba language and practise the yoruba faith, what excuse do we have in Nigeria or the Yoruba country?

There are so many things we learnt from our parents and forefathers that are supposed to speak to us about how to lead or govern when we have the opportunities.

Dear Netanyahu and Bin-Abd, we have our beliefs in Nigeria and they are not inferior to what you believe in Israel and Saudi Arabia.

When you have learnt about the Ifa belief (including the binary codes of Odu Ifa) and understand how it directly and indirectly contributed to the development of your countries in construction, manufacturing and other areas of advancements, maybe you will have the moral consciousness to chase away Nigerian rulers and stop them from polluting your lands.

That moral consciousness will not be an obligation.

Afterall Esu appears to humans in different ways bringing diverse messages. It is our lack of understanding and misintepretation of his messages that ruined humanity.

aderounmu@gmail.com