By Adeyemi Adeleye
The SloweGanzi International, a US-based entertainment promotion company has unveiled ÀṢÉ10, a cultural festival to celebrate Yoruba heritage and commemorate the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi’s 10th coronation anniversary.
The Chief Vision Officer, SloweGanzi International, Wole Akande, in a statement on Wednesday stated that the Pan-African cultural festival with the theme, “ÀṢÉ10: A Reign of Peace, Culture & Unity”, was dedicated to celebrating Yoruba inspiring global reconnection.
Akande said that the festival was to honour a decade of visionary leadership by Oba Ogunwusi, the 51st Ooni of Ife.
According to him, the week-long festival, schedule to hold from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, marks the beginning of a movement aimed at uniting Yorubas at home and across the Diaspora, from Africa to the Americas, the Caribbean, and beyond.
He said that it was to rediscover shared roots, renew cultural pride, and participate in shaping the Yoruba legacy for future generations.
“ÀṢÉ10 is a global cultural initiative launched in 2025 to showcase and celebrate the vast history and legacy of the Yoruba people to the world, particularly those whose ancestors left the shores of Africa centuries ago.
“Its inaugural edition coincides with the 10th Coronation Anniversary of Arolé Oduduwa, the Ooni of Ife, uniting Yoruba descendants and friends of the culture across continents in a week-long celebration of peace, heritage, and unity.
“At its heart, ÀṢÉ10 is more than a festival, it is the continuation of cultural legacy.
“The programme seeks to showcase the depth and beauty of Yoruba heritage through art, music, scholarship, spirituality, and enterprise,” Akande said.
According to him, it is to inspire Yoruba’s in Diaspora and friends of Yoruba culture to reconnect with their ancestral home.
He said that the festival was to strengthen Pan-African unity through culture, creativity, and shared identity.
The culture enthusiast said that Ogunwusi had championed peace, youth empowerment, and the global resurgence of Yoruba identity.
“Under his Royal Patronage, Ile-Ife continues to stand as the spiritual heart of the Yoruba world; a living bridge between tradition and innovation,” he added.
Giving an overview of the festival, Akande said that the ÀṢÉ10 would unfold across eight immersive days of culture, dialogue, and celebration.
He said that the highlights would include cultural exhibitions and art installations aimed at celebrating Yoruba artistry, sculpture, and craftsmanship.
Akande said other highlights included film and documentary premieres, academic and Diaspora forums involving global dialogues on Yoruba identity and Pan-African collaboration.
He listed some other highlights as including music, dance and performance nights, fashion and textile showcase, culinary festival, and royal banquet & gala night.
Others, Akande said, are firework displays and sacred ceremonies around traditional rites and processions central to Ife cosmology.
On the legacy project, Akande said that as part of its long-term vision, SloweGanzi International would unveil a mock-up of the Yoruba History and Arts Museum, a landmark cultural institution to be established in Ile-Ife.
“This Legacy Project represents a commitment to preserving, documenting, and sharing Yoruba art, history, and philosophy with the world.
“ÀṢÉ10 is more than a celebration, it is a call to reconnect, rediscover, and reassert the power of Yoruba heritage as a global force for unity and peace.
“Over these ten years, Oba Ogunwusi has reinvented traditional leadership, not as an artifact of the past, but as a living, evolving anchor for culture, unity, and development,” he said.
He said that the festival would bring together traditional rulers, cultural custodians, and Diaspora leaders, scholars, artists, entrepreneurs, and youths.
Akande said that governments, development agencies, corporate sponsors, media houses and cultural institutions would also be present at the festival.
“Join us in celebrating Yoruba heritage, unity, and peace in Ile-Ife, the cradle of Yoruba civilisation,” he urged.
