As the elevator door opens to the 20th floor, it ushers one into a journey down memory lane. It is a journey into a people’s past, present, and how both will shape the future.
As you step further in, the charm from both sides of the wall decorated with batiks, floor styled in traditional African mat will hold your breath. You will hardly remember you are in the Cocoa House, the 24-storey building that changed the landscape of Ibadan city when it was opened in August 1965. Today, the “Ile Awon Agbe” (translated as the “House of Farmers”) is refreshing history of the Yoruba people of Nigeria with O’odua Museum and Hall of Fame.
While in this recently commissioned museum, one seems to be transported back to the pre-colonial era when life was lived peacefully at communal level. From the artefacts, drawings, tools, paintings, themed textile to wood works on display, visitors feel the true essence of the African heritage typified by the Yoruba culture.
Yet, you have the option of visiting either the museum or the hall of fame. You can also visit both. However, the excitement for many visitors is at the museum. Besides the local feel of the museum played up with local mats on the floor, red earthen walls, bamboo sticks, the artefacts present a myriad history of the era they were created, the creator and reasons for the works. The different pots and bronze carvings, the drums tell more stories whilst on display.
It opens opportunity to read the mind of yesteryears’ artists, what influenced their works, and their revered creative ingenuity. The museum through the works on display captures the Yoruba culture in retrospect. At the royal section, the beads, horse-tails, crowns, walking sticks, among others on display reveal the reason royalty is revered and not something to struggle for in Yoruba culture.
But on getting to the war section, you will marvel at the sophistication of weaponry of the old. Guns, swords, even charms are on display. The treaty that brought an end to the Yoruba wars of the 19th century titled “Proclamation of Peace at Kiriji-Mesin Battlefield” was boldly displayed.
Also, the Hall of Fame section offers detailed profiling of Yoruba personalities from all walks of life. From Obafemi Awolowo, S. L. Akintola, Hubert Ogunde, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Awojobi, Rashidi Yekini to many others, it is a sort of ‘who-is-who’ in the development of Yoruba culture and contribution to national development.
Living legends such as Olusegun Obasanjo, Wole Soyinka,etc, are well represented at the hall of fame. There is also a media viewing centre that can take about 20 persons where people can see video clips of some of the personalities on display in the hall of fame. The viewing centre brings the personalities, especially the late among them, alive to the visitors who would hear their voices, see them in action through these video clips and get challenged.
It would be recalled that while declaring the museum open, Wole Soyinka commended the management of O’odua Investment Limited, facilitators of the museum, thus: “The museum showcases the beginning of Yoruba technology and the ingenuity of our forbearers, but I want to say there is still more to do now that an appeal has been made to people to donate materials to enrich the arts, crafts and antiquities contents of the museum. Let me say that it is with a thought of nostalgia that I return to the Cocoa House and I must say I am very happy with what I have seen here.”
Babajide Famuyiwa, curator of the museum, noted that the museum was created to showcase the essence of the Yoruba people, what the Yoruba otherwise call ‘Omoluabi’. “The Yoruba people have played a major part in the economic development of the country. They have helped in the development of every sphere of endeavour in the country. So in that wise, it was decided that we should look at these and bring them in focus. That informed the creation of the O’odua Museum and Hall of Fame,” he said.
OBINNA EMELIKE
