Ogun by Kind Sunny Ade & Andrew Opare Functional Analysis of Ogun Festival in Ondo, Nigeria
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Andrew Opare Functional Analysis of Ogun Festival in Ondo, Nigeria.
"In recent times festivals are generally considered in Nigeria as one of the important element
that contributes significantly to the cultural and economic development wealth of the coun-
try. Furthermore, there is no doubt that festivals have major impact on the development of
cultural tourism in local communities (Ezeani 2003).
Despite the fact that most popular festivals are gradually being eroded as a result of mod-
ernization, Ogun festival is one of the popular festivals still celebrated in Yoruba land. The
cult of Ogun is one of the most prominent ones among the cults of the divinities in Yoruba
land. It receives special veneration among the people and it has its elaborate cult where
worshippers assemble annually and occasionally to worship and consult him when neces-
sary (George 1980). Idowu (1962) in his book "Olodumare God of Yoruba belief" opined that in pranks and
mischief making, Ogun is next to Esu, but that Justice, fair play and rectitude rather than
evil are associated with the name of Ogun. According to him, Ogun is a god who is directly
involved in the people's lives.
Ogun is easily the most popular and revered deity among the Yoruba generally and the
Ondo in particular. He is universally acknowledged and plays important roles in the indig-
enous believe system of the Yoruba people. He is an indispensable divinity in as much as
all iron and steel belongs to him. Adeyemi (1993), emphasized that "Ogun is the fierce god
of war, a cultural hero, the patron of hunters, the god of iron and the patron of all who
works with iron and Ogun festival is one of the most elaborate traditional festivals held in
Ondo". He believe that Ogun is easily the most popular and revered deity among the Yo-
ruba generally and the Ondos in particular.
The cult of Ogun is highly respected in Ondo that worshippers believe that the deity can
give answer to their prayers when they are in trouble and they believe that if on any year
Ogun is not worshipped, that year will be a year of disaster, violence, bloodshed and fatal
motor accident. Therefore, the annual festival is reinforced by that generally held believe.
According to George (1980), he stated that all respondents on Ogun agreed that failure to
provide an annual festival for him would have dire consequences, including famine, civil
strife and accidents.
The Ogun festival, which forms the core of traditional religion in Ondo, has undergone
some structural change especially in the mode of worship of the god. These structural
changes have been brought about as a result of the impact of western civilization. In spite
of these change, certain features of the festival still persist in the traditional form. The fact
that the Ogun festival has survive all these modern influences, particularly those of Chris-
tianity and Islam; the fact that members of the community believe that Ogun plays signif-
icant role in their lives; and the fact that the festival is used as a continuance of a great
traditional heritage have motivated this study.
Furthermore, the importance of festivals, rituals and ceremonies as sources of materials for
reconstructing the past of preliterate African societies can neither be undermined nor over-
emphasized in the academic field especially in relation to sustainable tourism. In the ab-
sence of written records, rituals, ceremonies and festivals form veritable medium through
which non-literate societies preserved their historical past.
In addition, festivals are considered as one of the most important aspects of Nigerian and
African culture that could be developed into a major tourism product for international tour-
ist and become a niche market for both the local community and the country as a whole.
Similarly, Ogun festival as a case study of an authentic cultural tourism product that have
survived through the years and remained almost in its original form offers a unique oppor-
tunity to have an insight into its enduring attribute." ---Andrew Opare Functional Analysis of Ogun Festival in Ondo, Nigeria.
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