The Origin of ancient Glass Technology in Nigeria has been discovered in Igbo-Olokun forest in Ile-Ife in Osun State.
The onsite exhibition of the Glass Technology was conducted at the Igbo-Olokun Heritage site where the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi called for funding of efforts to unravel great contributions of the black man to global civilisation.
The historical discovery is a product of an archaeological excavation that started in 2011 at the Igbo-Olokun forest.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi who led the exhibition maintained that evidence abounded that pointed to the fact that the black were well established as material scientists as far as over one thousand years before the colonial invasion of the territory.
Oba Ogunwusi appealed for collaboration between government and culturally conscious Nigerians to promote more archaeological research to unearth some of Africa’s artefacts buried below as well as establish heritage sites to attract commercial value to them.
Osun State Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, represented by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Adebisi Obawale said government had taken steps for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage in the state.
Governor Oyetola announced that his administration was already partnering the Federal government to ensure that many other significant historical sites passed the listing of the UNESCO World heritage site test.
The Governor commended the researcher for his sense of patriotism and residents of the Igbo-Olokun site for the support provided during the research work.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments Professor Aba Isa Tijani stated that the exhibition was capable of serving as an agent of cultural reawakening and international Unity.
Represented by the Curator of the Museum of Unity in Ibadan Oyo State, Prince Adedoyin’Sikiru, the Director-General called for more efforts to excavate more of Ile-Ife sculptures of outstanding qualities still buried beneath the soil.
Conducting the guests around the site, the researcher who is an archaeologist with the British Museum, Dr Abidemi Babalola explained that it was evident from Ile-Ife glass Technology that for development to happen in Nigeria, the people must look inward.
Dr Babalola expressed concern that all the significant research work carried out to prove that Africa had a rich and civilised past were still being sponsored and funded by governments, groups and individual from Europe and America.
Similarly, the Director of the AG Leventis Museum of Natural History at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Adisa Ogunfolakan argued that developing such heritage sites could provide employment for the youth and generate income from tourism.
The Igbo-Olokun Heritage site, located in the heart of Ile-Ife was said to be an organised glass bead industrial area occupying about 500 meters of space up to the 18th century.
A German anthropologist Leo Frobenius reportedly exhumed the popular Yoruba artefact “Ori-Olokun” from the site in 1911.
Adenitan Akinola
pub-5160901092443552
Related Posts
