Some of the deities we worship have roots in the holy books- Ooni of Ife says, frowns at misrepresentation of African religion

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has cautioned people to stop misrepresenting the importance of festivals and deities celebrated in the ancient city of Ile-Ife and all parts of Africa.

Speaking at the 2016 celebration of Oranfe the god of fire in Ile Ife, Osun state yesterday Oct. 26th, the Ooni said that some of the deities being worshiped in Africa have their roots in holy books like the Bible and Quran. 

He lamented that many people failed to promote the positive aspects of the yoruba and African festivals due to slavish mentality and over-Westernization. According to him, no human being can survive without what the dieties represent.‎

"Our people really need to be enlightened. A lot of these festivals have been misconstrued, misrepresented and demonized as if we are idol worshippers. We are not idol worshippers. We are rather believers in nature. ‎I am not saying the commandments of God should not be adhered to, but we must know that all these dieties are messengers of God. They represent nature. Nothing can be done without nature regardless of our religion be it Islam or Christianity or even traditional. We only honour nature because we are all integra part of it, and not worship idols. Some of the dieties we worship have roots in the holy books. We are also following the instructions of God needed for the sustenance of mankind as everybody, including powerful leaders rely on nature to survive." Ooni Ogunwusi said

 

He faulted the influence of westernization on the cultural belief of Africans, adding that it is a major factor responsible for the increasing poverty facing the immeasurably blessed continent. 

"Those who keep sensitising people against us that we are worshipping idols are not kind to history. I am proud to be associated with nature. Ife has 201 out the 401 dieties and they are all relevant.‎ These deities are divine messengers of God sent for different purposes. One of them is ORANFE the god of fire being celebrated here today. It is a pity that all powers in the possession of blackmen are being used for battles and power tussles. It is from this unique powers that the west sourced technology and development from and they are now using it against us. We will continue to experience poverty all over the place if we don't celebrate the good side of our culture. Some of these dieties also show the mysteries of God. God wouldn't have made mistake in the creation of the dieties. They are representatives of sciences being taught in schools. It is very sad that the western world has messed up our psyche and inflicted slavish mentality on us making us to believe we are idol worshippers as our pitiable neglect of our own culture and traditions a major factor responsible for the poverty in the land. We left the positive sides and allow the west to implant the negative side in our brain."

Watch how Stevie Wonder serenaded Hillary Clinton with his 1980 rendition of 'Happy Birthday'

Hillary Clinton, who clocked 69 yesterday, got a surprise visit from Stevie Wonder who appeared during her interview with 'The Breakfast Club'. The American music Legend sang his 1980 rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to celebrate the Democratic Party nominee's birthday. Watch the video after the cut….
https://youtu.be/PagQ-7ZarCI

Photo: Nigerian activist and asylum seeker held in solitary at a detention centre in Tokyo, Japan

A Nigerian asylum seeker and activist, Elizabeth Aruoriwo Obueza is being held in solitary confinement at a Tokyo detention center, a case that has highlighted a growing crackdown on foreigners living in Japan without visas and prompted demands for her release. 

 

Reuters reports that Obueza was detained two weeks ago after authorities turned down an appeal against her asylum rejection.The 48-year-old woman campaigns for asylum seekers and the 4,700 people on "provisional release" from immigration detention - a status that lets foreigners out from detention but bars them from working and traveling freely.

Obueza's arrest is part of a wider campaign by the Justice Ministry, which in September 2015 said it would take steps to reduce the 60,000 foreigners living in Japan without visas. People on provisional release, many of whom have lived in Japan for decades, have been among those targeted, activists and lawyers say.

"Elizabeth was targeted and detained for being an activist," said immigration lawyer Shoichi Ibusuki. "I want her released immediately."

The crackdown on people like Obueza comes even as people on provisional release, despite being legally unable to work, power Japan's construction and manufacturing sectors as companies scramble to find workers in the worst labor shortage in decades.

"Elizabeth is held in solitary because she's an activist and immigration officials don't want her causing trouble," said Mitsuru Miyasako, head of the Provisional Release Association in Japan, a group representing refugees and immigrants.

"Locking someone up alone in a tiny room is to ruin them psychologically."

Naoaki Torisu, a senior Justice Ministry official overseeing immigration detention, declined to comment on Obueza's situation, saying he could not discuss individual cases.

Obueza, an evangelical Christian, said she fled Nigeria for Japan in 1991 to escape female genital mutilation and applied for asylum in 2011. She told Reuters she was locked up for more than 22 hours a day. Typically, detainees at the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, where she is held, are locked up for 18 hours a day, according to the Justice Ministry.

"I want to help people," Obueza told Reuters from across a security divide in a small meeting room at the detention center. "Give me the right to help people - don't put me in here."

During her previous 10-month arrest in 2011 at a different center, Obueza organized detainees to write a petition to immigration authorities calling for better medical care, Miyasako said. For more than a decade, Obueza has visited immigration detention centers across Japan, helping detainees navigate the asylum system and find legal help, said rights groups, lawyers and former detainees.

"She has supported so many people as an activist and that's a nuisance for the immigration authorities," said Miyasako, who has worked with Obueza, adding that she had helped hundreds. Former detainees and people on provisional release visit her in detention every day, sometimes waiting for hours, he said.

Solitary cells, usually for detainees who are ill, unruly or have tried to harm themselves, are about five square meters, detainees say. In 2014, a Sri Lankan man died in a solitary cell at the same center, highlighting problems with medical care.

Isolation has not stopped Obueza from fighting for detainees' rights.

"When I go outside my room, I go around the windows and talk to the others," Obueza said. "I advise them."

Obueza said of the immigration officials who locked her up: "You might think you arrested me, but I think God wants me here to help some other people."

Source: Reuters

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Graphic Photos: Body of 2 year-old girl in Gbodofon River in Osun State

According to Facebook user Lanre Adredenu, the body of the 2 year old girl was found in Gbodofon bridge Ogo Oluwa area, Osogbo, Osun state. This is so sad...see the very graphic photo after the cut..

Photos: 352 migrants from Nigeria, Togo, Syria, Niger rescued in the Mediterranean Sea

In a rescue operation coordinated by the Italian Red Cross and the Migrant Offshore and Station (MOAS) 352 people were rescued yesterday, October 25th.

Those rescued include migrants from Nigeria, Syria, Togo, Niger and Pakistan, among them 34 women and 3 children. They were transferred safely, and are now being cared for as they head back north to Sicily for disembarkation.

In another massive rescue coordinated a day earlier by the Italian Coast Guard and (MOAS) another 2200 people were pulled to safety from 21 different boats set off from Libya.

More photos below...