Festivals

Abba Kabir Yusuf Orders Revival of Durbar Festival

Published

12 months ago

October 31, 2025

Abba Kabir Yusuf Durbar directive urges Kano emirs to revive and preserve the historic festival, pledging full state backing for cultural heritage

Abba Kabir Yusuf Durbar directive has reaffirmed the Kano State Government’s commitment to preserving the state’s cultural heritage, as the governor directed all emirs to uphold the annual Durbar festival.

Also read: Kano State Government Strengthens Guinea-Bissau Ties

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, over the weekend, emphasised that the Durbar festival, a centuries-old tradition of horsemanship and pageantry, remains an integral part of Kano’s cultural identity.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the governor gave the directive during the opening of Kanfest (Kalankuwa) 2025, an event designed to celebrate Kano’s cultural diversity, empower creativity, and promote youth and women’s participation in the arts.

Yusuf pledged the full support of his administration to the emirates, noting that the government would continue to invest in arts, culture, and tourism as essential tools for social cohesion, youth engagement, and economic diversification.

“We are determined to preserve, strengthen, and showcase our cultural heritage to the world,” the governor said, describing the Durbar as a source of pride and unity for the Kano people.

In his remarks, the Emir of Kano and Chairman of the State Council of Emirates, Dr Muhammadu Sanusi II, commended the state government’s renewed effort to restore the revered traditions of the Kano people, praising Governor Yusuf’s vision for cultural revival.

Also read: Kano Arts, Culture Festival 2025 Celebrates Heritage

The Abba Kabir Yusuf Durbar directive marks a significant step in promoting Kano’s heritage and reinforcing the state’s position as a leading centre of culture and tradition in Nigeria.

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OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

2 weeks ago

October 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Halima Adaba,

It was a featubal if the people. It was for the anciebt town of Ile Ife, which the Yoruba race refards as the Source.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

And ut was a festivsl for the King, Arole Oduduwa, Oonirisa, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

And so between September 24 and 28th 2026, the annual featuval dazzjed in all its white glory.

Tge Monarch paid the traditional ancestral homage and offered propitiation as part of the sacred rites of the Olojo Festival.
It was a powerful expression of Yoruba heritage, spirituality, and enduring tradition.

Call it a collection of beautiful moments, faces, colours and cultural expressions.

Every frame tells a story.

Every face carries the energy.

Every moment keeps the heritage alive.

Undoubtedly one of the most sacred cultural celebrations in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It marked a day associated with creation, thanksgiving, ancestral heritage, and the sacred appearance of the Ooni of Ife wearing the revered Aàrẹ crown.

There were also the devotees of the famed god of thunder – Sàngó who were hardly conspicuous at the festival.

Many other traditional groups came out with candor, showing a powerful expression of Yoruba cultural identity, spiritual devotion, and respect for the ancient traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀.

Devotees of Sàngó bekieved the ‘appearance’ of the god of thunder on Seotember 26th could be understood as a symbolic meeting of ancestral heritage, spiritual devotion, and the celebration of creation.

It was a moment when the sounds of drums, chants, and traditional praise poetry brought the history of the Yoruba people to life.

Although Olojo is closely associated with Ogun, the god of iron, and the sacred traditions of Ile-Ife, the presence of Sàngó devotees reflected the rich diversity of Yoruba spiritual heritage.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

As a participant enthused at the festival, “To witness Sàngó Olúkòso emerge on Olojo Festival day is to witness a living expression of history, identity, and ancestral pride.”