The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with Asa Day Worldwide Incorporation, will on November 21st, 2021, celebrate Asa Day as part of efforts to preserve and promote the beauty of Yoruba culture to the entire world.
Addressing a Press Conference ahead of the event, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Solomon Bonu, commended the Founder and President of Asa Day Worldwide, Mr. Olaniyi Oyatoye, for promoting the Yoruba culture and heritage, through the concept of Asa Day celebration, in line with the present administration’s vision to use arts and culture to boost the State’s economy.
He informed that as part of the contributions of the Ministry to indigenous cultural renaissance, the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture usually organises periodic empowerment initiatives for youths on how to produce and create different cultural items for tourists who visit the various tourism sites across the State.
The Special Adviser also tasked all cultural enthusiasts to key into the initiative and begin to create items that can be taken away by tourists from other countries whenever they visit Lagos State.
“These cultural items should speak to our identity and resilience as a State and should be targeted towards promoting our uniqueness as a government that places a premium on cultural renaissance and preservation. I will urge all our youths to key into the creative industry and bring out something unique, and just like Lagos State is supporting Mr. Oyatoye, we will also support you”, he said.
The Founder and President of Asa Day Worldwide Inc, Mr. Olaniyi Oyatoye, said that the celebration will also serve as an avenue to drive socio-economic growth to the State and the country through culture and tourism.
Speaking on the theme of the event, “Let’s Use Our Cultural Heritage to Revive Our Economy”, Oyatoye disclosed that the event, which will be held at the Blue Roof of LTV 8, Agidingbi, Ikeja, would be a three-in-one event including empowerment of youths and restoration of cultural items.
He maintained that the Yoruba art and culture has been neglected for too long, saying that Nigeria stands a great chance of surviving the current economic instability if cursory attention is paid to cultural tourism.
Oyatoye, popularly known as ‘Baba Asa’ in Canada, where Asa Day has been observed in the past five years, challenged government to harness the vast potential in its arts, culture and tourism heritage to create employment and boost the economy.
The Project Manager of Asa Day, Ms. Ololade Babade, also emphasised the benefits Nigeria can derive from the event, noting that such an event can increase patronage for locally made items and tourism activities across the country.
While maintaining that Nigeria is still miles away from the countries that can make huge money from tourism and cultural activities, Babade maintained that events like Asa Day and other similar cultural events aimed at reviving the Yoruba Culture will go a long way to boost the country’s IGR.
