ICS-OAU-IFE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS SERIES

The Ife Festival of the Arts series was inaugurated in the 1970s during the directorship of Michael Crowder. It gained international fame under the dexterity of Ulli Beier and was later instituted as a bi-annual event. Notable editions held in recent times include

  • The 2005 Gelede Arts Festival in collaboration with the Organisation International Groupe Gelede, a UNESCO-sponsored institution based in the ancient city of Sabe, Republic of Benin.

  • The 2008 Ife Festival of Masks and Masquerade, directed by Emeritus Professor Wole Soyinka

  • The 2018 Ife Festival of Food and Identity, celebrating the gastronomic cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora, directed by Emeritus Professor Wole Soyinka

  • The 2021 OAU@ 60 Culture Fiesta in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Obafemi Awolowo University directed by Professor Félix Ayoh’OMIDIRE.

    • Town and Gown Projects:

    As the direct clearing house for culture-related matters within the polity of the Obafemi Awolowo University whose motto is “For Learning and Culture”, the Institute of Cultural Studies (Ile-Irúnmọlẹ̀) has the mandate of liaising and collaborating with diverse cultural institutions within and outside the immediate host communities towards the promotion of culture, including the documentation of traditional festivals, chieftaincy and coronation rites, indigenous science and technology methods, local arts and craft, and the preservation of the Yoruba cultural patrimony for the benefits of the global community and future generations. In this respect, ICS (Ile-Irúnmọlẹ̀) partners with traditional institutions such as the House of Oduduwa (inaugurated by His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II), the World Obatala Temple, the Orisakire Shrine, the World Ajé Temple, etc. Within this Town-and-Gown Collaboration, ICS (Ile-Irúnmọlẹ̀) features actively in most diverse cultural events within the Yoruba nation among which one can mention:

  • The Annual Obatala Festival Colloquium`(Iranje-Idita)
  • The Annual Olojo Festival Parade (Ile-Ife)
  • The Orisakire Festival (Ile-Ife)
  • The Ọ̀sọ̀kín-à Festival (Ẹ̀jìyàn-Èkìtì)
  • The African Druma Festival, Abeokuta
  • The Annual World Culture Day celebrations


    • Furthermore, ICS (Ile-Irúnmọlẹ̀) partners with various Yoruba cultural organizations such as the Aláròyé Media Conglomerates,Adire Oodua Hub (Ife Grand Resort), La Campagne Tropicana, Lekki, TRWASO (Traditional Worshippers Association),etc for the promotion of indigenous industry, and know-how.