‘Ojude’ Brandon celebrates culture and heritage

Members of the Yoruba Heritage Association of Brandon, an ethnic group from southwestern Nigeria, showcased their culture at the Riverbank Discovery Centre during their inaugural ‘Ojude’ Brandon festival.

The festival was designed to showcase the history, traditions and cultural identity of the Yoruba people.

Held as a replica of ‘Ojude Oba,’ a traditional Yoruba festival celebrated annually in southwestern Nigeria, at the Riverbank Discovery Centre, the Brandon event brought together hundreds of people for a day of cultural displays, music, food, traditional attire and community celebration.

The Yoruba are one of Africa’s largest ethnic groups, with their traditional homeland centred largely in south-western Nigeria and extending into neighbouring parts of Benin and Togo. Yoruba communities and people of Yoruba descent are also found in countries around the world, including Brazil and other parts of the African diaspora.

Group’s president Moses Gbenga Owolewa said the event is intended to provide an opportunity to preserve that heritage while introducing younger generations and the wider community to Yoruba traditions.

“The Yoruba community represented at the celebration reflects the broad geographical reach of Yoruba people,” he told the Sun.

“We actually planned for about 200 people, but we are about 300,” he said. “That’s really beyond the expectation.”

The association plans to make Ojude Brandon an annual event, Owolewa said, the inaugural celebration marks the beginning of a long-term tradition in the city.

“That’s why we call it Ojude Brandon,” he said. “Every year we’re going to be having Ojude Brandon. We look forward to having this every year.”

Organizing the event, however, came with financial challenges.

“Finance is the real thing,” he said. “We thought maybe we were getting sponsorship from different organizations, but we couldn’t get that. But within ourselves, we’re able to raise what we used to do this.”

Among those attending was Nigerian filmmaker and actor Femi Adebayo, who was visiting Canada for the first time and made Brandon his first stop.

Adebayo said he was pleased to see the Yoruba community maintaining its cultural identity so far from Nigeria.

“It’s been fun being in Brandon for the last three days,” he said. “I realized that it’s a small community, but it’s extremely peaceful. And I’m happy that the people there are so united, and for the fact that so many people also continue to promote the culture in which they belong to.”

Adebayo said he would be willing to return to Brandon for future editions of the celebration.

“I’m a promoter of culture, and my movie resonates (with) promoting the culture of Nigeria. So anywhere, anytime I have the opportunity of celebrating and putting my voice in to promote Nigerian culture, I’m always excited to be there,” he said.

African and Nigerian parents living abroad should make cultural education part of their children’s upbringing, he said.

“I will just implore all Africans, especially Nigerians in the diaspora, to continue to ensure they instill culture vibes, culture values in their children so that the upcoming generations can know about our culture,” Adebayo said.

“Whether or not they are far from home, they should continue to teach and tutor their children about their cultures so that the culture will continue to exist and does not go into extinction.”

Adebayo said he was impressed by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, particularly given Brandon’s relatively small population.

“It’s quite impressive,” he said. “We had the dinner … and I was really, really impressed with the turnout for the dinner, and coming to see this again the next day, this is extremely impressive and motivating.”

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett, who attended the celebration, said the event demonstrated the importance of cultural celebrations in building an inclusive community.

“Well, it’s fantastic,” Fawcett said. “You know, we’ve got a pile of Brandonites here. We’ve got all these young people, grandparents, parents, but mostly it’s about the young people.”

Fawcett said many of the children attending were born in Brandon and are part of the city’s next generation.

Fawcett also embraced the cultural traditions of the event, attending in traditional Yoruba attire and receiving the Yoruba name “Aremu.”

He said being invited to participate in cultural celebrations is a privilege and an opportunity to connect with different communities in Brandon.

“I spend a lot of time with a lot of different groups, and I’m very fortunate that they include me,” Fawcett said.

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