THE WAKEUP CALL

Dear Christian and Muslim Yorúbà parents and grand parents, tell your children that their traditions are not evil and are not archaic.

Teach them that to prostrate and to kneel when greeting the elderly is not old fashioned; teach them that to honor their age long ancestors in Egúngún festivals is not idol worshiping; teach them that they must take care of their Orí (destiny) and their Orísun (source); tell them that to participate in their community annual festivals is a thing of joy to be proud of and something which should be encouraged. Take them to their ancestral homes, initiate them into the community age group rites of passage, let them understand their roots and their uniqueness.

Don't make them run away from these things, because if they continue to run away from them, they will be seeking to be accepted among other people who will only see them as second-class citizens. Don't let them lose their originality all in the name of the foreign religion.

Your children are the hope of your original lineage and history being preserved, if they are lost, your essence is lost and your root is cut off - this is the intention of the colonizers who brought the two religions to you. Now that you have embraced their religions, I beg you, don't neglect your lineage, except if your lineage is a lineage that causes problem for the society, of which, your community records will show that your ancestors have been banned from the community. If the Church and Mosque now give you a second chance at life, you shouldn't go back to destroy the rest of your community, rather, you should go back and contribute positively to your community's culture and tradition.

Bring your children home for your community Egúngún festival and New yam festival. That's the way to strengthen your ancestry, sustain your family bond with your children's nephews and nieces and cousins as they meet to fellowship with themselves. It is also a way to improve the wellbeing of your community both socially, politically and economically.

Please, take this into consideration.

Egúngún festivals are one of our happiest moments; when you were young, you remembered how you enjoyed the Egúngún festivals, running behind Egúngún while the Egúngún makes prayers for the community.

Why do you want to deny your grandchildren such opportunity because some pastors and Imams are made to say that Egúngúns are evil? 

Deep down inside you, you know that there was nothing evil about the Egúngún that was done in your home town. Deep down in you, you know traditionalists in your community who stand on the path of truth.

So why do we allow the Pentecostal, Evangelical and Jihadist narratives to continue to fester? This misinformation is the knife that the colonizers have put to that which binds us together in holy communion as a community, this misinformation is the reason why our center can no longer hold, it is the reason why all things have fallen apart.

Can we begin from now, right from your homes to correct this misinformation? Will you take your child to the your community's next new yam festival? If you are able to, please do.

Save the next generation from being lost in search for meaning from another man's identity. Help African children to retain their own identity and culture, it is their uniqueness and they should be proud of it.

Ayobami Ogedengbe