From Omolewa, agenda for Aare Ona Kakanfo

 

Among other past Aare Ona Kakanfos of Yorubaland, Kunrunmi occupies an important literary space. This is courtesy of legendary dramatist, Ola Rotimi, who celebrates him in a play that goes by the same title. Like Odewale in Rotimi’s The Gods are not to Blame, Kunrunmi is presented as a tragic hero, but the play is as entertaining as it is engaging.

Many people who have read and watched the play recently encountered Kunrunmi again in Lagos. This time, it was in the course of a lecture delivered by Emeritus Professor of History of Education at the University of Ibadan, Michael Omolewa, at the instance of a group called Gbaareniyi, who organised the programme in honoour of the new Aare Ona Kakanfo, Otunba Gani Adams.

The event held at the Blue Roof, LTV Ground, Ikeja, is one of the novel ones that have greeted the emergence of Adams. The Gbaareniyi (Honour the Aare) had rallied many traditional rulers, scholars and other promoters of the Yoruba cause to the event. While several artistes, including Apeke Ajobata, performed, celebrated fuji singer, Saheed Osupa, headlined the spectacle. The academic aspect of the reception was, however, particularly significant as it also sought to nullify some of the myths that surround the Aare Ona Kakanfo’s office.

For instance, Omolewa noted that it was not all the past Aare, including the earlier ones, that were caught in turbulence. He also noted that Aare Latoosa was not from Ibadan, but originally from Ikoyi, from where he migrated to the Oyo State capital.

Of course, apart from thanking the organisers and rolling out his agenda, Gani Adams also refuted the claim that he is never to set his eyes on the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, again.

He said, “The statement that the Aare Ona Kakanfo and the Alaafin must not meet again after installation is a lie. There is nothing like that in our tradition.”

He added that it was also a fallacy that all Aare Ona Kakanfo died violent or untimely deaths. Of the 14th Generalisimos that had been, he explained, a good number of them not only lived to old age, they also died peacefully.

The lecturer also brought to memory exploits of other controversial Aares including Afonja and Ojo Aburumaku. He, however, observed that the commanders were usually not bad people, but victims of circumstances that often entailed betrayal even by their own people. He thus enjoined Yorubas to shun disunity and give Gani Adams support especially as his agenda is of peace and development.

“There are other major initiatives which the Aare must canvass with his other stakeholders in the Yoruba project. One of such would be that the need to consciously embark on the marketing of the cultural products of the Yoruba. The existing documents and records must be preserved and digitised to ensure the protection for the years to come. There must be the promotion of research into Yoruba history and culture and a resumption of the Yoruba Historical project launched during the time of Professor Saburi Biobaku but disrupted by the political crisis of the First Republic,” Omolewa said.