According to the organisers, from the ‘gown’ side were Prof. Tunji Vidal of Theatre Arts and Music Department of Lagos State University; former chairman, Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Prof. Olabiyi Yai; Prof. Olasope Oyelaran of Language Treatment and International Programmes Consultancy, Kalamazoo, US; Prof. Wole Ogundele of Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo; Prof. Dele Layiwola of Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan;  Prof. Uzoma Esonmawanne and Neil Ten Kortenaar, from University of Toronto, Canada including Dr. Abiodun Agboola of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
It was the performance section of the event, tagged Celebration of Yoruba culture,  that drew the ‘town’. This featured notable traditional artists  such as Elebuibon; Iya Aladuke Abolodefeloju, who  led the Senwele group from Ilorin; and  Egbeji and Araba of Okeigbo, who engaged participants in some minutes of magical display.
Kwara State troupe entertained guests with their performance of  Hunters in the Wilderness; while a melodious Dadakuada session, led by Alhaji Jaiyegbade Alao, Agbon Osaara Cultural Group, Ile-Ife; Ojuade and his Bata Group from Ifetedo, and Ayangalu International Group, Erin-Osun, added fervour to the workshop.
Speaking at the event, the Provost of College of Humanities, Management and Social Science, Prof. Abiola Irele, who is also the convener, noted that the workshop was an intellectual gathering aimed at probing Ifa as a body of literature.
He said, “Our focus here is the use of the language. It is deep with structure that is unique. We have a heritage in oral form; we should endeavor to keep this heritage. At the university, we have a responsibility to preserve this heritage. So, the ultimate goal of this workshop is to collect the material (Ifa corpus), preserve and digitise it in order to ensure it is available to incoming generations.”
KWASU’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah,  also stressed the significance of preserving the cultural heritage of Nigeria. According to him, the developmental challenges confronting Nigeria can be attributed to the abandonment of indigenous cultures and languages in preference to foreign ones.
“I have been to virtually every part of this world, I have not seen a culture that is more endowed or blessed than what we have in Nigeria. There are parents who have not gone beyond their homes states but they have abandoned their languages and now speak only foreign languages to their children. It is a tragedy.
“If you do not ensure that your child is well rooted in your language and culture, that child is lost. Children that perform better are the ones that are well rooted in their culture. Abandoning our culture and language is part of the tragedy of Nigeria,” Na’Allah added.

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