With Unity, African’s Will Rule The World- Ooni
Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has predicted that with unity, Africans would rule the world again.
Addressing Africans at Valongo Wharf, in Rio de Janeiro, a centre of slave trade in Brazil, Ogunwusi who was flanked by royal fathers, priests and chiefs from Ile Ife, academics, culture promoters, newsmen and art collectors, told the gathering that the sacrifices of many Africans, who lost their lives and identities to over 300 years of slave trade would amount to waste, unless the race forged a united front.
The royal father according to a statement made available in Nigeria by his media aide, Moses Olafare said his trip to Brazil has exposed to him, the disconnect between Ile Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas in particular, Yorubaland in general, and Yoruba descents in the diaspora, and assured that henceforth, he would ensure regular visit to the country to further reintegrate Yorubas in the diaspora.
The monarch said: “I have been saying it everywhere I go to since arriving this country that black is beautiful. The only thing left impeding our greatness is unity. I wish we have annual gathering of all descendants of Oduduwa.
“I want us to come together once every year. I look around and I see people of same blood and heritage, separated by circumstances and now I have the mandate of Olodumare to unite all of us back to Oduduwa our source.
“I am the reincarnated spirit of our ancestors. I lived several years ago and I have returned with the mandate from Olodumare to bring all the descendants of Oduduwa back under one roof, one fold and that is what I am doing now.
“Don’t fight, conquer misconceptions about traditional African religion with love and more education of the unbelievers. If we can do this, with united front, we will rule the world again. All beautiful things I am seeing around here were handiwork of our forefathers, brought here as slaves.
“Many of them died. Many of them lost their identities and you their children have done well to preserve our traditional cultural beliefs and practices. But let’s raise the bar by coming together to do bigger things that will benefit the entire Yoruba nation.”
Speaking earlier, the Rio de Janeiro Secretary of Culture, Nilcemar Nogueira, amidst tears, said Afro-Brazilians are often subjected to all forms of discrimination and are often treated as second class citizens.
She however said after several efforts, the situation is gradually changing, adding that her emergence as the first ever Afro-Brazilian to be elected secretary of Culture for Rio de Janeiro was a testimony of a change in fortune for the blacks in the Latin American nation.
She said out of 4 million Africans shipped as slaves to Brazil, over 1 million of them stayed back in Rio and their descendants have been keeping from generation to generation, African cultural beliefs.
She pleaded with Ooni to assist Afro-Brazilians in speaking with the authorities of the country to end discrimination and unwarranted attacks fueled by differences in race, religion and beliefs.
Ooni Ogunwusi later offered sacrifices of peace by releasing doves at Valongo Wharf, where ship bringing slaves from Africa used to berth.
