Adesola Alaide, the custodian of the historic Queen Moremi Ajasoro grove in Ile-Ife on Thursday implored the Federal and the Osun State Governments to support the promotion of the annual `Edi’ festival’ usually held in October.
She said: “It is usually done to commemorate the fearlessness and courageous dispositions of the legendary Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) who liberated the people of Ile-Ife from slavery during her life time.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the `Edi’ Festival is celebrated annually in Ile-Ife and some other towns in Yoruba land.
READ ALSO:NYSC D-G tasks corps members on discipline
Alaide said that the festival was sacred and that the adherents also use it for the spiritual cleansing of the land.
“We pray pray for the indigenes of Ife, Nigerians, their leaders and their monarchs during the festival.’’
She said that after the annual festival, they usually received inspiring testimonies from pregnant women who had been safely delivered.
“Also we get testimonies from farmers who had recorded bumper harvests in previous years as well as from people who are generally happy.
“These are the reasons why the governments need to support its promotion,” he said.
Alaide told NAN that huge visitors normally patronise the grove in Ife on daily basis.
She, however, said that tourists’ turnout for the annual festival was not always encouraging.
She attributed it to lack of government’s involvement in the festival.
She said that both the Federal and Osun State Governments should be committed to the festival so as to woo both local and international tourists.
She said that the Osun Osogbo Festival, Carnival Calabar, the Argungun Fish Festival and Ogun Drum Festival had become accepted nationally and internationally.
This is because both the Federal and State Governments where such festival are held have been supporting them.
She said, “Ife community needs government’s support each time we want to celebrate the `Edi’ festival which is the celebration of our people’s liberation from slavery.
“We need adequate publicity before and during the festival to attract local and international tourists,’’ she said.
(NAN)