Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has declared that he will emphatically address anyone who says Ifa is nothing as a fool.

The former leader stressed the importance of safeguarding African cultural heritages during a gathering on Sunday, asserting that these traditions should not be threatened with extinction.

Obasanjo highlighted the need to protect Yoruba culture, describing it as “authentic.”

According to him, before Christianity and Islam was the Yoruba’s Ifa Orunmila, meaning Olorun lo mo eni to ma la “It is Heaven that knows who will be saved.”

Naija News reports that Obasanjo made these remarks in Abeokuta, Ogun State while celebrating the 50th birthday of renowned female talking drummer Olamuyiwa Aralola, known as Ara, at the Green Legacy Hotel and Resort, located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).

The former president noted that hosting Ara for this special occasion was a purposeful gesture to honour her contributions to the preservation of Yoruba cultural heritage, particularly in talking drums, an art form traditionally associated with men.

He said, “For whatever reason, we must preserve our culture, Ara is a woman of culture, she is our cultural ambassador, she has lifted our culture and had broken the taboo on what was formerly believed to be exclusively for male gender. She had not only excelled in this, but was already building young ones to preserve her legacy.

“When I was growing up, there are two things that you don’t imagine a woman should do. You cannot see a woman climbing a palm tree. Secondly, you cannot see a woman playing a talking drum. Ara had broken the taboo and she had done it very well.”

The former president said the lesson from Ara’s actions is that one must do whatever he or she is doing very well.

“Before now, parents don’t allow their sons to play football, but today, parents are now begging that their children should be allowed to play football.

“For me if you are dancer, dance well and if you invite me for a celebration, I will come. If you are a footballer and you invite me for a celebration, I will come. Whatever you find your hands in doing, do it well.

“We must not joke with our culture. We are being relegated to the background, our language is being relegated, our food, our dress and others. We must not allow it. They are things that are authentic. Yoruba is not vernacular,” Obasanjo said.

The former President stressed that despite being a Christian, he hasn’t forgotten his culture.

“I am a Christian, I had attended two churches today and that does not mean that I should forget my culture. Whoever says Ifa is nothing, I will say that person is a big fool.

“Before Christianity and Islam, we have Ifa Orunmila meaning Olorun lo mo eni to ma la “It is Heaven that knows who will be saved,” he said.

In her remark, Ara thanked Obasanjo for the honour done to her.

Ara, who said she started playing talking drums at age 10 in her father’s palace in Ondo, said that her parents should do everything possible to preserve the culture.