2025 Lisabi Festival: Opinions Divide Between The Uniqueness Of Egba And IJebu Cultures
The 2025 Lisabi Festival, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital on Saturday has sparked a heated debate among Nigerians on social media platforms.
The controversy surrounds allegations that the Egba people’s Lisabi Festival copied elements from the Ijebu’s Ojude Oba Festival, a centuries-old celebration in Ijebu-Ode.
Lisabi Festival honors the leadership of Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala, the warrior who united and liberated the Egba people, laying the foundation for the establishment of the Abeokuta kingdom. The festival showcases Egba culture, with traditional attire, music, and performances.
Just like Lisabi Festival, the Ojude Oba Festival, observed for nearly two centuries, is a vibrant celebration that brings together people from all walks of life in Ijebu-Ode.
This colorful event, with its origins in Islam, features cultural displays and public parades, paying homage to the Awujale, the king of the Ijebu people.
At its core, the Ojude-Oba festival is a grand homage-paying ceremony to the Awujale, the Paramount ruler of the Ijebu people.
Various displays and activities during the Ojude-Oba festival showcases Ijebu culture. Horse riders demonstrate their prowess on horseback, and the regbe-regbes (age-grade groups) parade in their distinct cultural attire, while the king prays for his people.
However, Nigerians on social media have pointed out similarities between the two festivals, particularly in the use of colorful traditional attire and performances.
Some Nigerians claim that the Egba Lisabi Festival borrowed heavily from the Ojude Oba Festival, citing similarities in traditional attire and performances.
They argued that the Egba people lack a unique cultural identity. Others vehemently disagree, asserting that the Egba people have a distinct heritage and that the similarities are merely coincidental.
Also, the controversy raised questions about cultural exchange and appropriation.
