Why Africans Need To Write Their Own History — Ooni Of Ife

Yusuf Oketola

THE Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has said it is me for Africans to begin to write the history of their race and people to correct some erroneous impressions created about them, as well as the distor on of historical facts by some foreign writers.

According the monarch, the step also become necessary to put an end to the ac vi es of persons who are deliberately turning the facts upside down as regard history of the black race.

Ooni spoke in Lagos on Tuesday at the launch of a book, “Ile-Ife: Cradle of the world,” wri en by Dr Maureen Tamuno, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Jamaica and Belize.

The monarch said: “The idea to write the book is not mine, it is that of Dr Maureen Tamuno and I only gave my blessing and support.

“Works like this one are necessary to correct many errors being peddled about the black race. For instance, some people who have only got one dynasty are claiming to be older than Ile-Ife, which has three dynas es and is thousands of years old.

“I am fulfilled and thankful to God for this project and book wri en by an Okrika princess who understands and values the importance of Ife to the black race and the world in general.

“She is dogged and a goal-ge er and went about to get a number of scholars and academics to commit to the project. Efforts like this one are to make our society be er.”

Speaking, the Jamaican High Commissioner to Nigeria, Esmond Reid, opined that only the black people are in the posi on to tell their stories be er.

“Black people, wherever they are, know that Africa is home. Nigeria and Jamaica have many things in common and efforts are being made to further connect the black people in the Diaspora with the Motherland.

“We should also rise up to stop those giving false narra ves about our history by wri ng our history ourselves,” he said.

On what prompted her to write the book, the author, Tamuno said: “Upon my appointment as an ambassador, I did some research and found some linkages between Ile-Ife and the Caribbean and black people in the Diaspora.

“I had to go to Ife to meet the Ooni and I was warmly welcomed. It was like I have been there before and as an Okrika princess, I am not a stranger to royalty.

“I resumed at my duty post at the peak of COVID19 pandemic and some Jamaicans came to me saying they wanted to learn the Yoruba Language.

“I couldn’t speak it myself but I was lucky to get a volunteer who taught them for about 180 days.

“I thought that was all un l I saw people trooping in from Dominican Republic, Hai and other places saying they have traced their roots and found out that they came from Yorubaland.

“I have had pleasant experiences from people from Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago affirming that Ife is the cradle of civiliza on.” who want a be er future for their children have also been withdrawing them from the school, you can ask the teachers.”

The reviewer, Prof. Siyan Oyeweso, said the book was the first coffee book on a city in the South-West of Nigeria and challenged others to write theirs too.

He stated that the importance of Ile-Ife to Yoruba culture cannot be overemphasised, adding that an interna onal conference on the ancient town has been scheduled for October this year.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, President of the Old Students Associaon of the school, Pastor Kola Odesanmi, said he was not happy with the condion of the school.

Odesanmi disclosed that efforts were ongoing by the graduates of the school to renovate some of the dilapidated classrooms and build new ones.

He said: “The present condi on of the school is disheartening. I was so confused when I got here to see the school I once a ended years back. Most of buildings are nearly collapsed.

“Of about 31 classrooms, only three are parally good. If you look at those three classrooms, the furniture there are not up to 50, while the students are over 250. How will they manage to learn?

“I could not con nue to see my daughter in a filthy environment. The school is no longer safe for her. There was no science teacher and she wants to be a medical doctor. We need to withdraw her to a private school”, said Adebayo.

Adebayo said other parents have also been withdrawing their children from the school, saying ‘I am not the only one, other parents

“They do not have good toilet facili es in this modern day. The Old Students Associa on has made efforts to renovate three classrooms. We assisted in the flooring and also bought mechanical grass cu er. Renova on of three classrooms is also ongoing.

“I also heard that there are no teachers for science subjects. We appeal to the state government to intervene by rebuilding the school and deploy more teachers. This is the future of our children. They should not jeopardize it”.