HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, OONI ADEYEYE ENITAN BABATUNDE OGUNWUSI, NIGERIAN MONARCH OF THE YORUBA KINGDOM OF ILE-IFE MAKES SPECIAL VISIT TO U.S. Royal leader addresses the African Diaspora during a historic visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (excerpts)

It is indeed a great honor to be here. Today marks another red letter day for me. A day I will never forget because I have been personally following the construction of this museum and what this museum stands for. It is a great honor for you to have given us this opportunity and this grace to welcome us very formally and warmly.

This museum reflects what I stand for and my belief in this world. I seize every opportunity to express my belief that the greatest joy for anybody is the 'joy of origination'. If we don't invest in our past, so that we can know where we are from, the future will be very problematic; the future will be so bleak that we will not embrace one another in this world we love.

It is very important for us to know our history and to uphold our history. It is very important for our heritage to be kept intact, because man must be kind to one another. We have to show ourselves love and compassion from our heritage. Obviously, people will from time to time offend one another; it is very normal. But we all belong to one, single, big, happy family, irrespective of our colour.

I am very happy that this museum showcases the truth to the world, what happened in the past, the history of black people, how black people have suffered and sacrificed. It uplifts the spirit of our ancestors for the whole world to benefit from a civilization that has contributed to the betterment of the entire world. One race has made sacrifices for the world; it is time for everyone to come together and honor that race.

This museum is a very good platform for such honor. I am positive a lot of people will come here and they will be fulfilled. A lot of people will come into this museum and this will boost their self-esteem. They may also feel that sense of responsibility for their fellow human beings.

We are not suggesting that we all continue to cry over spilt milk. I believe we all have to apologize to one another for the ills of the past in order for us to move forward. We cannot continue to be depressed. We have to free our minds; we have to work towards having the can-do spirit of the black race. For almost 400 years of sacrifice – yes, sacrifice, because I am not going to call it slavery. The ancestors belong to the lineage of kings and queens, princes and princesses, not “slaves.”

I am very happy about the design of this museum. I view it as one of the crowns I inherited from my ancestors. The shape of this museum in three layers represents the trinity. We believe in that trinity. When you look at my staff, you will see that trinity. Trinity is a very strong indication of the crown from my ancestors and the staff I inherited.

The design of three layers calls to us to uphold our heritage. It speaks a lot of messages that will be passed across to the generations yet unborn. On this note, I want to appeal to all African Americans, the Diaspora Africans, not only African Americans, that it is about time for everyone to look back, because most of them are still very bitter and depressed because they feel the society hasn't been good to them.

They feel society has neglected them. It is because our creator knows that they have the capacity to sacrifice for others. I am apologizing for the ills of our past ancestors. But we all know the strength of a black man and black woman. Our skin is the strongest layer of skin of any race. It is for us to know that black is beautiful and our creator doesn't make mistakes. So it is about time we forgive one another. We should look back because the greatest joy is the 'joy of origination'.

I want to appeal to all developing nations that they shouldn't waste time investing in super powers and nuclear weapons. The greatest investment for mankind is to have a very good root, a family tree. Because we all belong to one family. Everybody should know their place in this world is better than any security. We need to invest in giving people awareness. Some people are doing some shocking things in the world, and they don't feel like it is wrong. This is because nobody will orient them to let them know where they belong in this family tree of the world.

On this note, I want to appeal to Diaspora Africans. I am happy I have Dr. Erieka Bennett with us here today. She has been a very great champion of anything that had to do with Diaspora initiatives. Please join me to give her a round of applause.

I am pleased to join her to let everybody know that the mother continent for all of us is the continent of Africa. The mother from where we all came from is that continent. Everyone should look back and truly realize that there were no “slaves,” even though people were enslaved. I don’t like to use the word “slaves.” The people were enslaved against their wishes and will. The lineage of kings and queens is still intact, and that's their roots – not a root of a “slave” mentality.

We are ready to walk with everybody to trace our roots appropriately. Look at what happened? A movie that came up in recent time has given a lot of boost to self-esteem to the black race. It was another way of showing us that our heritage is not of evil but of greatness from the beginning of time.