By By Sunday Olugbenga Abire
Every year, Ondo State celebrates her children. This year’s Children’s Day celebration came with a special reawakening of our cultural values, targeting the impressionable minds who are gradually losing touch with them due to the pervasive influence of popular culture.
In the presence of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the father of the state, and his elegant wife, Mrs Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa, the children of Ondo State wowed everyone—including the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami, the Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa, Dr Kayode Ajulo, the Commissioner for Justice, and other top government functionaries—with an ecstatic display of rich cultural expressions pervasive in the state.
Beyond the theme ‘Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation’, I was quickly drawn into the philosophical realm of David Hume, the Scottish thinker who explored the concepts of impressions and ideas, as well as the principles of association.
Timely and apt, I align wholeheartedly with Hume’s assertion that the mind is made up of perceptions, which he categorises as impressions and ideas. While impressions—whether of sensation or reflection—are fundamental elements of our mental life and the intrinsic foundation upon which moral judgements are built, it is an unfortunate fact that globalisation has dealt a significant blow to the rich values we have painstakingly preserved and passed down from one generation to the next.
How can a young mind escape cultural bullying in a fast-moving world without an appropriate grasp of their own perception of humanity and reality? How can we build strong, independent minds who are not lost in the midst of the world’s conflicting cultures? How do we instil patriotism in the younger generation of Ondo State citizens if they are not properly schooled in the rich cultural impressions of their forebears? How do we reinvent the strong belief systems prevalent in our culture while reaching impressionable minds amidst the glaring cultural hegemony of the West? And what of the sharp decline in the culture of ọmọlúwàbí?
The totality of man is embedded in his culture. Every tribe and every scribe sees the world through the prism of their culture. There is no better definition of the world than that which one’s culture permits or forbids. Suffice it to say that morality is often as important as what one’s culture defines it to be, as no two societies are exactly the same. Likewise, no culture—be it language, attire, or whatever defines a people’s way of life—is inferior to another. There is no sophistication or crudity in culture; all cultures evolve.
As the children of Ondo State took centre stage to remind us of our roots, we must understand that we are only ever inferior when we give our consent to be. I agree with David Hume that knowledge truly originates from sensory experiences, and we cannot know anything with certainty beyond what we perceive.
The ineffable joy in the hearts of students from Derimobo Secondary School, Agadagba-Obon in Arogbo Ijaw, who emerged winners of the cultural display, cannot be forgotten. Unlike Arsenal FC, they raised their trophy proudly and went home with a beautiful prize of half a million naira.
Indeed, scripture is fulfilled, as truth continues to pour forth from the mouths of babes and sucklings. I thank the Governor profusely for the beautiful gifts and the fatherly memories he has created in the minds of the children of Ondo State. It goes without saying that Dr Seun Osamaye has done excellently well.
Sunday Olugbenga Abire is the Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Ondo State
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