By: Aduwo, Ayodele
The Students’ Historical Society of Nigeria (SHSN-UI) on Saturday, 01 April 2023 marked her annual Black History Festival, observed annually to recognize and honor the contributions and achievements of African Americans whose history has shaped the world.
The event, which was held at SLT, Faculty of Art had the presence of the Head of History Department, University of Ibadan, Professor Rasheed Olaniyi; the guest speaker, Dr. Tunde Odunlade; members of the academic and non-academic staff from the Department of History, University of Ibadan; SHSN members from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ilé-Ifè chapter, and some high school students who represented Abadina College, UI and the International School of Ibadan (ISI), UI.
The event featured a documentary titled “Bigger than Africa”, which detailed the 16th-century trans-atlantic slave trade of the Yorubas to the ‘New World’ (America), a comedy presentation, spoken word performances, cultural presentation, and a paper presentation.
Speaking on the theme of the event tagged “Africa and Africans”, the Guest Speaker, Dr. Tunde Odunlade discussed the necessity and means through which Africans can preserve the diversity of African cultures. Dr. Odunlade also emphasized the need for all Africans to decolonize their minds, but to rather embrace African cultural values.
Also, presenting a paper at the festival, Olúwábùkúnmi Abraham Awóṣùsì, a 400-level student, spoke on “Cultural Neo-Colonialism in Nigeria”, where he recounted the Berlin Conference of 1884 and Africa’s emancipation struggle.
Mr. Awóṣùsì noted that the individual concepts of ‘colonialism’ and ‘neo-colonialism’ have continued to have sizeable impacts on the Nigeria culture, which has led to the loss of many cultural identities.
“Neocolonialism has had a profound impact on Nigerian culture, leading to a loss of cultural identity, suppression of traditional religions, and disconnection from indigenous knowledge. It is crucial to prioritize efforts towards reclaiming and promoting Nigeria’s cultural heritage to address the effects of neo-colonialism” he noted.
