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CULTURE

The Tragic Irony of Cultural Self-Destruction: A Tale of Iwo and Saudi Arabia

June 11, 2024 • 3 min read

Sa’adiyyah Adebisi Hassan

In a world where cultural identity is both a treasure and a battleground, two kingdoms stand as stark exemplars of contrasting attitudes towards their heritage: Iwo and Saudi Arabia. The juxtaposition of their approaches unveils a tragic tale of self-inflicted wounds and shortsightedness, where one kingdom flounders in poverty while the other thrives in opulence.

Let’s dissect the sorry saga beginning with Iwo, a Yoruba kingdom whose king, the Oluwo of Iwo, embarked on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Instead of venerating his own ancestry and traditions, he spewed venomous diatribes against them, as if they were the root of all evil. Irony couldn’t be more grotesque as he derided the very foundations upon which his throne stands, ignorant of the fact that his crown owes its existence to those very traditions he condemns.

But the absurdity doesn’t end there. This misguided ruler, in a bid to outdo himself in self-sabotage, implores his people to follow suit, draining the coffers of Iwo to finance pilgrimages to a foreign land while ostensibly praying for the progress of their homeland. The sheer lunacy of this proposition is both sad and laughable, akin to a captain actively scuttling his own ship while praying for a safe voyage.

And what of the king of Saudi Arabia, ensconced in the splendor of his ancestral throne? Unlike his counterpart in Iwo, he proudly upholds the legacy of his forebears, embracing their traditions as pillars of strength rather than shackles of backwardness. He has no need to journey thousands of miles to seek validation or enlightenment; his roots nourish him, and his kingdom flourishes as a testament to their enduring wisdom.

Indeed, the divergence between these two kingdoms couldn’t be more glaring. Saudi Arabia, buoyed by a steadfast commitment to its culture and heritage, stands as a beacon of wealth and prosperity, while Iwo languishes in the depths of poverty, crippled by the folly of its own ruler. The lesson, if there ever was one, is clear: true progress can only stem from a deep-rooted respect for one’s past, not from the misguided pursuit of foreign ideals at the expense of one’s own identity.

In the end, the question remains: who will awaken the senseless from their self-imposed slumber? The answer, it seems, lies in the echoes of history, where the only true teacher is the timeless wisdom of culture and tradition. Until the rulers of Iwo heed this lesson, their kingdom will remain mired in darkness, a cautionary tale for generations to come.