A HISTORY OF OPA FESTIVAL IN COLONIAL IPINSALAND, ONDO-STATE, 1900-1960

The life experiences of African people are multidimensional and multi-faceted, revealing and manifesting the nature of reality to African people in their own peculiar way.1 The life experience of the people is therefore mostly marked with many festive celebrations and ceremonies. Houtoundji said that one of the things that strike the ethnographers about African traditional societies is the sheer numerical importance of ritual festivals and ceremonies.2 Festivals are very important to the African people. From the experiences of the people in Traditional African Societies, festivals are very important and this is still very much prevalent in contemporary times.3. Festivals are not only important for the observation of time which can be seen in reality through the seasons of the year, but can also serve the function of social mobilization and cohesion. Although, on many occasions, the reasons for these festivals may have been abused by some social deviants in the society, it however, still continues to play its role in contemporary societal life.4 The celebrations offer a sense of belonging to religious, social, or geographical groups, contributing to group cohesiveness. Festivals also provide entertainment, which was particularly for local communities before the advent of mass produced entertainment. Festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics also seeks to inform community member of their traditions, the involvement of elders sharing stories and experience provide a means for unity among families.5 The festivals that are celebrated also has its inherent aesthetic structures, such as dances and songs which are linked with ancestral worship, historical figures and notable events either in the lives of its adherents.6