Unity and Cultural Heritage of Edo People.
When we loose our history, we loose our In the time past, our elders worked in unity. They identity, and when we loose our identity we loose supported each other during the bush clearing, the claim of being truly human. It is in holding on the bush gathering, the burning, the subsequent to our identity to keep us being humans that we are land clearing, the planting, the staking and finally here more than 6000 miles from Edo Kingdom and harvesting and putting the yams in the barn. They keeping our humanity alive. The foremost cultural helped each other. Why can we not do the same? identity is language; where there is no longer a They supported each other in building their own unique means of communication of a people; the homes, in marriage, in burial ceremonies, child community can correctly be described as extinct. naming and other community celebrations. They all In view of sustainability of worked together because our unique way of life as Edo that is the traditional way of people, we have a great task life. Every child belonged to in our hand as Pidgin English every member of the village has permeated the language of and clan and thus protected the youths in our homestead. from all harm. When there We have to fight back and we were wars they fought are fighting back to regain our together with no one shying cultural heritage. away from the heat of battle. Wa gia gha z’ Edo. Ama ze Can we ever go back to our evbuomwan awiri. roots and develop the way An army general cannot wage of our fore fathers that kept a war with ‘cripples’ How much us together? can we achieve when the There were age groupings, brainiest, the brightest and the the juniors respected the best have left Edo shores for elders of the clan, and the greener pastures in Europe younger age group obeyed and America. We are here to their elders and carried introduce or strengthen our out their duties according link with our home state of Edo to their age group. The and through that umbilical link, elders also respected the we can render services that juniors without allowing will improve our state socio- Dr. SEO Ogbonmwan, President Edo Global insubordination. The clan economically, infrastructural and empowerment of followed the leadership of the Odionwere who in our youths and reduction of crimes. turn followed the leadership of the chiefs or Enogie Wa gia ya dolor Edo yi; Oya, aghaya simwin who in turn followed the leadership of the Oba. The system was foolproof. What is happening today is evbuomwan. Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those a far cry from what is our culture. The juniors want who could have acted, the indifference of those who to eliminate the elders by all means possible so should have known better, the silence of the voice that they can take their place. The patience of our of justice when it mattered most that has made fathers is lost on the youth. The youth wishes to it possible for evil to triumph. Edo People need to drive a Bentley without working for it. According to speak out always when they observe something Osayomore the musician, ‘You should also,try and going wrong. Edo Global is doing that presently, go through the path of the car owner and decide for but we need more hands and voices to drown the yourself; if it is sweet or bitter.’ You all know the path proponents of the status quo and introduce a new you followed to get here. No two individuals here order that will facilitate the progress of our people. have the same story. Our stories are varied as the Many hands they say make a light work. We have number of our people here. to support the present Edo State government as it Meetings were held in the village square with the is striving to remove the decay in the system in Edo Odionwere presiding; all that may have changed as well. To keep our culture alive, we must keep all the State. As Edo in the Diaspora, we have seen, we have aspects of our culture that enhances socio-economic experienced, we have felt the depth and the height growth, peace, helping each other, supporting one of human ingenuity we can now say collectively ‘this another and being each other’s keeper either at is the way Edo People and Edo State should go’ That home or in the Diaspora. is; the way of justice, the way of transparency, the We must maintain the family unit of father, mother, way of collective responsibility, the way of fairness, and children, single mother or single father is unthe way of honour and dignity in labour, the way of African. Those who are not married, they should be good leadership and accountability and the way that encouraged to marry and settle down as that is our will reduce youth crimes and stop human trafficking culture. We should enhance the extended family and prostitution by our female youths. system and continue our morning salutations. On my mother’s side, we greet La’tose and on my fathers
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