The Federal Government has announced plans to launch the World Orisha Congress as part of efforts to grow Nigeria’s economy through spiritual and cultural tourism.
The Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Chief Abiodun Ajiboye, revealed this during a news conference on Monday in Lagos. According to Ajiboye, the congress is being designed as a global gathering for Orisha devotees and spiritual enthusiasts.
He noted that spiritual outreach and ancestral convergence events have become major tourism drivers in countries like Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and India, and Nigeria aims to tap into this opportunity.
This initiative has the potential to position Nigeria as a major cultural tourism destination. If well-planned, it could generate over 10 billion dollars annually within three years, Ajiboye said.
Ajiboye also disclosed plans to collaborate with Brazil to tackle misrepresentation of Yoruba traditional religion by impostors operating under false pretenses abroad.
Present at the briefing were the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Brazil’s Consul General in Lagos, Ambassador Manuel Innocencio de Lacerda Santos, and other board members of the World Orisha Congress.
The Ooni expressed joy over the recognition of Yoruba spirituality by the Federal Government, stressing that Orisha traditions are rooted in nature and represent the forces behind existence.
Orisha represents the essence of life. These are elemental forces that power everything, from water and fire to herbs and protection. Yet, they have long been misunderstood and demonised, the monarch said.
Ambassador Santos highlighted Brazil’s deep connection to Orisha spirituality, which he described as a vital part of Afro-Brazilian identity. He said Orisha worship in Brazil is celebrated through dance, drumming, ritual, and colourful ceremonies that honour nature and ancestral forces.
Brazil’s embrace of the Orisha culture affirms the enduring influence of African heritage in shaping our national soul, he said.
In his remarks, Prof. Soyinka, a global patron of the congress, emphasized that Orisha predates modern nation-states and should be respected as a spiritual heritage born in Yorubaland, not just within the borders of Nigeria.
He also mentioned a new initiative, the Heritage Voyage of Return, a spiritual pilgrimage from Brazil to Nigeria to deepen ties between the diaspora and their ancestral homeland.
International consultant for the congress, Mr Ajoyemi Osunleye, described the event as a global cultural awakening.
This is more than a congress. It’s a spiritual movement that will unite seekers of ancestral wisdom from across the world. Nigeria must take its place in the global circle of cultural and spiritual leadership, he said.
Osunleye noted that the congress will connect communities from Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad, the United States and more, all of whom carry the legacy of Yoruba spirituality.
The world must see that Africa is not a land of darkness, but a source of divine light, knowledge and deep spiritual heritage, he added.
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