Yoruba Week: LASG Moves to Become Southwest’s Culture Focal Point

As part of measures to sustain cultural values across the southwest, the Lagos State Government has intensified preparation to organise the largest festival through the Yoruba Week celebration, slated for September 2024.

The festival, according to the government, has been structured to give a thorough narration of the Yoruba cultural heritage and inculcate the same in the next generation, to maintain socialisation.

The Yoruba culture would also be narrated through traditional music, dance, art exhibitions, and delectable culinary that would be available at venues earmarked for the celebration in the state.

The Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Idris Aregbe, made the remark through a statement made available to newsmen yesterday.

Aregbe added that the week’s event has been designed with a theme: “Embracing the Yoruba Heritage, Unity, and Pride by Preserving Our Past and Inspiring Our Future.”

According to him, this will be the biggest cultural event in the Yoruba calendar in years to come and we thoroughly mean this. We will ensure Nigerians see cultural exhibitions that have never been seen before.

He noted that the series of events that occurred lately within the region pointed towards an unforgettable 2024 Yoruba week celebration.

“One of them is the emergence of our Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the esteemed Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum.

“This is an indication that this year’s Yoruba Week is destined to be a majestic celebration of unity and culture”, Aregbe added.

Leveraging on that, the special adviser disclosed that he will be embarking on a series of courtesy visits to various stakeholders, Yoruba leaders, grassroots communities, and the younger generation.

He stressed that the visit aims to foster widespread participation and engagement of all stakeholders in this cultural festivity.

This came barely two months after the Lagos State House of Assembly approved the governor’s request to dedicate the last week of September every year as “Yoruba Week” to celebrate culture.

The lawmakers noted that the approval was to preserve and promote the rich Yoruba cultural heritage.

The decision was conveyed to the Lagos State House of Assembly through a letter from the executive arm, following a resolution passed by the lawmakers on September 19, 2023, calling for the activation of Yoruba cultural heritage and the assignment of a special day as Yoruba Day.