Exploring ‘Agura’ Festival as Social Vehicle of Inter-group Relations among the Okun-Yoruba People of Central Nigeria

Abstract (English)

This study seeks to explore ‘Agura’ Festival of Oweland as social vehicle of inter-group relations among the Okun-Yoruba people of Central Nigeria. Agura festival predates the Colonial Rule in Nigeria. It is a Festival that brings all the youths together, usually during the last month of the year, December to celebrate the goodness, peace and socio-political and economic cohesions that have characterized the outgoing year in a colorful ways. It integrates different social engagements such as wrestling, grass lightening, song praises for good behaviors in the community and recognition of distinguished people (tray-blazers) in different fields of endeavors. The study will use multi-disciplinary approaches, which integrate historical and thematic methods to extract good information from the aged and well-informed individuals, Kings, chiefs and other custodians of culture of the people, with the primary purpose of distilling and analyzing the importance of the festival for the reconstruction of the breakdown of social disorders in the society. It will furnish the readers with the place of cultural re-engineering, as an antidote to cultural bastardization, which has been the major trends and challenge to African socio-cultural dislocation as a result of western contact with the culture of Africa. It is hope that this study will bring into the fore the prospects of cultural harmonization, peaceful co-existence in the pluralistic society for harmonious relationship and fundamentals for cultural advancement and prosperity of the Okun-Yoruba people of Central Nigeria.