Group Seeks Tourism Promotion as Tool for National Devt

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Malaysia Chapter of the Oodua Progressives Union (OPU) yesterday stressed the need for the country to achieve its national development programme and reduce its dependence on foreign loans through cultural promotion and tourism.

The OPU also reaffirmed its commitment to the Yoruba cultural identity through promotion of culture and tourism.

Speaking at the 2022 edition of the OPU Malaysia day, with the theme: “Uniqueness of Yoruba Cultural Heritage for National Development,” Dr. Ayokunmi Khumalo, re-affirmed the strengths of Yoruba race as a people.

He insisted that Yoruba from time immemorial, remained a race of distinguished citizens with records of successes in education, health, sports, science and technology, politics as well as human growth and development.

Examining how the Yoruba rich cultural heritage could be used for national development, he noted that it was critical to provide concise, but succinct solutions to the challenges hindering the progress of the Yoruba race.

According to him, the challenge was that the developmental efforts had been hampered by the country’s extreme poverty and unequal distribution of resources.

“Since all development theories have failed to work for us and foreign loans have increased our debt, we should look inward for our development drives. Tourism through cultural heritage promotion can help our inward- looking development drive,” he added.

Proffering solutions, he stated that the best solution to address these issues would be for those in charge of the country’s affairs to embrace what is truly theirs and also desist from seeking solutions through loans and other forms of financial assistance from international communities.

“We can use both tourism and cultural promotion as tools to achieve development through tourism. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on income generation, job creation, and the improvement of people’s living standards.

“A high standard of living is a major indicator of development. The success of our development efforts is dependent on the promotion of our cultural heritage.

“What should we do, and where should we start? There are three types of actions we must take to achieve this admirable goal. These are cultural preservation, revitalization, and revolution in the face of globalisation; cultural renewal and investment; and cultural promotion for income generation, wealth acquisition, and long-term development,” he stated. 

Earlier in his opening speech, the head of the Yoruba socio-cultural group in Malaysia, Franklin Olakanye, said the reason for the event was to explore the possibility of building a formidable platform for OPU members across Asia.