Events

Osun Osogbo 2023: Culture, Celebration As Adeleke Promises More Arty Promotions

Published

3 years ago

August 14, 2023

With the whole city of Osogbo agog, this year’s Osun Osogbo festival lived up to its billing at the Osun State capital as one of West Africa’s most outstanding festivals.

The festival takes place every year in Osogbo, Nigeria, celebrating the goddess of fertility, Osun.

It renews the contract between humans and the divine, when the people expect the goddess of Osun to offer grace to the community.

From the departure of the Votary Maid to the main arena of Osun Sacred Groov, the city of Osogbo felt the pulsating spirit of the festival.

In his address at the grand finale on Friday, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke said, from time immemorial, Osun Osogbo has gained global recognition.

In felicitating with Kabiyesi, the Ataoja- in -Council, all traditional leaders and all pillars of cultural society, Governor Adeleke said the occasion was to witness “a rebranded festival which celebrates our traditionalism. As our culture is our bloodline, we all recognize where we are coming from and who we are as a people.

“Our culture and tradition are therefore the foundation of our strength as a people. We are therefore obliged to deploy culture as a tool for state and national development. This is the practice in Asia. That is the secret of the successes of South Korea, Japan and many of the Asian tigers.

“This year’s celebration therefore provides the greatest opportunity ever for our people to have a new look at our culture and tradition. We are challenged to capitalise on our rich culture to build an economically sound and virile nation.

“As a government, our administration has a tourism and cultural industry agenda. During the campaign and within the transition committee , we devised far-reaching programmes and policies for the arts, culture and tourism industry. We indeed created a new holistic approach by adding the creative industry as a whole.

“Our agenda targets the genuine globalization of our cultural heritage as a major building blocks of our economy. We expand beyond mere celebration of Osun Osogbo festival and other assets to making them the cornerstone of a truly cultural and tourism industry. We are creating a series of global cultural events that will attract millions of tourists all over the world. We are integrating our local economy into a global creative and cultural industry.

“Hence our rich cultural heritage will become a cherished product of value at home and abroad. Our agenda is to create a Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem out of Osun State as the cradle of the Yoruba race.”

As a starting point Adeleke said his administration had facelifted the Osun groove promising that the state would witness other world-class programmes in the areas of arts, culture and entertainment.

Source: TCN

Events

Rechael Okonkwo’s Carnival Brings Free Healthcare to 5,000 Residents

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2026

Mariam Balogun

Rechael Okonkwo’s carnival provided free healthcare to over 5,000 Nsukka residents, alongside support for widows and children (more…)

Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”