Fall SOS Report
TOPIC: Asheville, NC and Osogbo, Nigeria Sister City Program
Convenor: Rainer Doost
Participants: Laurel, Raphael, Valeria
Past History of this Topic (if applicable):
Rainer Doost and Valeria Watson-Doost, members of Asheville Sister Cities, have returned from a 3-week trip to Nigeria, which included the delivery of a letter of introduction from Asheville’s Mayor Bellamy. The letter was delivered to the Chairman of Osogbo, where the meeting received local press coverage and was responded to with a return letter and a gift for Mayor Bellamy. This was the introductory step in establishing a Sister City relationship. Prior to the trip contact was made with Wilmington, DE Sister City program. Wilmington has been a Sister City to Osogbo for five years. There was a discussion of problems faced in establishing the program. Rainer and Valeria continue to seek their counsel on how to profit from their experience The next step is to set up a local committee of interested individuals to plan and carry out the process.
70% of Nigerians make $1.00 a day. Traditional religious practitioners suffer from “spiritual colonialism.” Due to the history of colonialism traditional spiritual practices have to struggle to maintain a cultural presence. Economic success is closely linked to affiliation with none traditional religious communities. Traditional people face major obstacles gaining economic and educational access. .
Nigeria has a rich cultural history. It is know for it’s fine sculpture tradition, dance, and oral literature. The museums celebrate the historic past however the information is presented from a colonial perspective and not infrequently incomplete and erroneous.
An American community taking an interest in the culture and peoples of Osogbo can aid in restoring an interest in an illustrious tradition that is in jeopardy of dying out in the mad rush to modernity and mono culturalism.
Key Discussion Points:
- How to maintain the cultural integrity of traditional peoples who have limited outside access to sources of money, education and social mobility. Many of these people have had to change their religious affiliation in order to have access to the resources available to members of mainstream religious groups.
- Components of a scholarship program which would allow young traditionalists to come to
Asheville to study English,( the national language of
Nigeria but only spoken by a privileged few), while teaching us about their rich craft and spiritual culture..
a. Warren Wilson
b. UNCA
- Establish email and phone communication with local community leaders as well a officials.
4. Benefits to City of Asheville.
a. Asheville Osun Festival – River Park 3 day festival, similar to Goombay or an extension of which includes Yoruba Priests and Priestesses performing the spiritual aspects of the festival.
b. Import and local manufacture of indigo textiles, promoted to the tourist trade.
c. Collaborate with LEAF in streets and schools to bring indigenous instruments to members of HATTAF. (The Doost’s Osogbo contact, which consists of a temple and school.)
Conclusions or Recommendations for Action:
1. Reciprocity – Common ground of benefits for Osogbo and benefits for Asheville.
a. Osogbo youth come to Asheville for education and we in Asheville benefit from their knowledge and demonstration of traditional Yoruba culture. A win/win relationship that supports cultural diversity.
b. Find a sponsoring institution for Osogbo youth.
c. Fund raising for scholarships.
d. Asheville artists go to Osogbo for the Osun festival and to study indigo dying.
e. Osobo artisans provide workshops in Osogbo and
Asheville.
2.. Visioning – Go to the top in recognition that we are in a paradigm shift. Draft a proposal and take it to Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey.
