SGOXXX10.1177/2158244015574640SAGE OpenFahm 574640research-article2015 Article SAGE Open January-March 2015: 1 –11 Ijebu Ode’s Ojude Oba Festival: Cultural © The Author(s) 2015 DOI: 10.1177/2158244015574640 and Spiritual Significance sgo.sagepub.com AbdulGafar Olawale Fahm1 Abstract Yoruba festivals are numerous and multifarious. For this reason, some are of the view that the Yorubas are deeply spiritual. In addition to the generally celebrated festivals among the Yorubas, each Yoruba tribe has its own festivals. A series of these festivals called the Ojude Oba festival is celebrated by the Ijebus who are renowned for both their enterprise and affluence. This article examines the cultural and spiritual significance of the Ojude Oba festival. It analyzes the early beginnings of the festival while providing insights into the epoch of the Ijebus. The festival constitutes a major commercial activity that brings about economic integration and development of the Ijebu community. This article argues that the Ojude Oba festival should not be seen simply for its entertainment value, but as a manifestation of Yoruba cultural, socio-economic, and spiritual values. Keywords Ijebu Ode, Ojude Oba, Africa, Nigeria, culture, religion Introduction bordered in the north by Ibadan, in the east by Ondo and Okitipupa, and the west by Egbaland (Sote, 2003). The Yoruba is the name given to represent the ethnic group and southern border is close to the sea with the coastlines of Epe, language of those living in South-West Nigeria. The Yorubas Ibeju-Lekki, and Ikorodu. Although the people have always have a very rich culture with a strong spiritual background. regarded themselves as one, modern Nigeria political divi- These cultural wealth and spiritual beliefs are exhibited dur- sion has placed three Ijebu-speaking local government coun- ing their festive periods. Although there are festivals cele- cil areas (Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, and Ikorodu) in Lagos State, brated in all the Yoruba communities, some are peculiar to whereas the larger part of Ijebuland is in Ogun State certain Yoruba communities. These festivals are often staged (Abimbola, 2011; Oladiti, 2009). on an annual basis. One of the most popular festivals peculiar There are legends that link the Ijebus to biblical Jebusites to the Ijebu-speaking community, a subgroup of the Yoruba and Noah (Ijebu Kingdom, 2012). For this reason, the Ijebus ethnic group, is the Ojude Oba (the frontage of the king) fes- call themselves “Omoluwabi”—omoti Noah bi—“the chil- tival, which is an annual event. The festival celebrates some dren of Noah,” but this is a claim quite difficult to prove. The of the unique features of the community such as their aes- term Omoluwabi is also said to have come from omo-olu- thetic taste in clothes, music, costumes, food, and so on. iwa-bi (“the child or children born of Olu-Iwa”). The refer- People of all cultures celebrate festivals unique to their ence to Olu-Iwa can be found in the document given to the culture and customs. Festivals serve as a means of commu- local British official in 1937 by Ijebu Ode community lead- nity assembly and unity. They are also a way of placing the ers. The document states that the king of Ile-Ife gave his people at the heart of their culture and social environment. daughter Gborowo as wife to Olu-Iwa. The marriage resulted Owusu-Frempong (2005) in one of his articles noted that in the birth of Ogborogan, which was the nickname (a dis- African festivals are “medium of cultural education and used term for addressing the king) of Obanta (the progenitor intergenerational communication and play an important role of Ijebu Kingdom; Oduwọbi, 2006).1 A British officer in in the preservation of our cultural heritage, transmitting 1906 quoted local sources who mentioned that the word knowledge and our experiences as a people to future genera- Ijebu was coined from the name of two of three brothers tions” (p. 730). The Ojude Oba serves all these functions, Ajebu and Olode (the third was Osi who became the first and in addition, it plays a religious role in the life of the peo- ple of the community. 1University of Ilorin, Nigeria The Ijebu Kingdom Corresponding Author: AbdulGafar Olawale Fahm, Department of Religions, University of Ilorin, The Ijebus are located in the south-central part of Ilorin, Nigeria. Southwestern Nigeria, regarded as Yorubaland. Ijebuland is Email: [email protected] Creative Commons CC BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (http://www.uk.sagepub.com/aboutus/openaccess.htm). Downloaded from by guest on June 4, 2016 2 SAGE Open Figure 2. A Yoruba Art head depicting the tribal mark of the Ijebu people. Source.http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/nieuwenhuysen/african-art/images/ sothebys2008yoruba.JPG Figure 1. The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode The Ijebus are known for their business acumen and Adetona, the present king of the Ijebus. apprenticeship that can be connected to their long-time rela- tion with the European world since the early 19th century (see also Abayomi & Dedeke, 2006; Mabogunje & Kates, king of Ijebu, but he later abdicated for Obanta—eldest son 2004). By 1900, Ijebu Ode had become the capital of of the king of Ife—on his arrival). The three brothers were Ijebuland with a population of about 20,000, 10% of the reported to have come from Ile-Ife (National Archives, entire Ijebuland population (Ayandele, 1992). Ijebu Ode is 1906). located on latitude 60 49′ N and longitude 30 55′ E, more or Another legendary story of the Ijebu claims that they less in the center of the most densely settled districts of the migrated to their present place from a province in Sudan Ijebu province, which occupy south-central Western Nigeria. called “Owodaiye,” corrupted to “Wadai.” This opinion is It is the headquarters of the Ijebu and is surrounded by a ring supported by the present king Oba Sikiru Adetona and pre- of smaller towns having between 2,000 and 5,000 residents ferred by the traditional historians (Hashimi, 2005-2006). each (Abdul, 1967). Some evidences given in support of the claim that the Ijebus The Ijebus have their own dialect, and cultural and insti- migrated to Nigeria from Sudan are as follows: the Sudanese tutional identity. The Agemo3 and Osugbo4 play important tribal marks that are similar to the Ijebus three tribal vertical political and judicial roles. The most prominent institution is marks to show a true indigene of the region; the closeness of the Awujaleship. The Awujale is the office of the king of the original Arabic dialect spoken in the border of South Ijebuland. The Awujale’s role is to provide spiritual lordship Sudan and Ethiopia to the Ijebu dialect; names such as Esiwu, in its relationship with various districts. The main city or the Saba, and Meleki (Menelik) found among the Ijebus and the capital of Ijebuland is Ijebu Ode. The people of Ijebu Ode Southern Sudanese people; and the musical flute that was sometimes regard themselves as the “super Ijebus” and see used in the previous coronation of the Awujales, which is still other areas as rural inhabitants. It is in Ijebu Ode that the in vogue among the Ethiopian and Southern Sudanese peo- Ojude Oba (the frontage of the king) festival is held. ple (see Figures 1 and 2; Ijebu Kingdom, 2012).2 In the 18th and 19th centuries, Yorubaland witnessed sev- eral political power struggles in the form of the Owu war Islam in Ijebuland (1821), the Gbedeke war (1831), the Apomu war (1879), the Islam came to Ijebuland around 1879 during the reign of Kiriji war (1879), and the Ekiti Parapo war (1894). One of Awujale Afidipote (d. 1885), through an Ilorin slave servant the reasons for these wars was that most towns wanted to get of Tubogun, a merchant from the Porogun ward of Ijebu slaves to sell to the British. The war also caused people from Ode. The slave servant’s name was ’Ali. Tubogun gave ’Ali different cultural backgrounds to leave their homes and settle the freedom to worship in any manner his religion dictated to in new places. What is interesting is that the Ijebu kingdom him. He later took his master’s name and became ’Ali was the only kingdom that survived the political chaos and Tubogun (Botu, 1937). According to another account, Islam anarchy that devastated most towns and villages in the region entered Ijebuland through Epe. This was as a result of Epe’s (Hashimi, 2005-2006). contact with Islam during the 1851 exile of Oba Kosoko and Downloaded from by guest on June 4, 2016 Fahm 3 his staunch supporter, Salu, who was then Imam of the Lagos Historical Background of Ojude Oba Muslims. While in Epe, Salu and his followers continued the proselytization of their faith, which later reached the Ijebu Ojude Oba which means, “the king’s fore-court or frontage,” Epe areas, a hitherto secluded coastal town with link to could also be translated as “majestic outing.” The Ojude Oba Ijebuland (Abdul, 1967).5 festival in Ijebu Ode is known to the Ijebus as a major festi- In another historical account, a trader from Gbogunja in val that brings them together. The native age groups (reg- Isale Iwade, with the name ’Ali Akayinode came in contact beregbe), indigenes, their friends, and associates from far with some Ilorin Muslims during his many travels outside and near throng the palace of the Awujale of Ijebuland for the Ijebu Ode.