Aare Kurunmi Kakanfo, an activist and social media influencer, has called on the Yoruba people to display their rich cultural heritage and identity with pride.
In a statement posted on his X page on Thursday, Kakanfo stated that the indigenous people from the southwest should not suffer from inferiority complexes because of their cultural heritage.
His statement comes on the heels of an online feud between Southwesterners and their counterparts from other ethnic groups in the country, especially the Igbos, a feud that has led to the classification of southwesterners as “Afonjas,” a derogatory term that means, among other things, stupid people.
Amid the online ethnic feud, Kakanfo urged Southwesterners to flaunt their culture, heritage, and tradition unapologetically.
Arguing that “great civilizations and identities have been erased because of the carelessness of a single generation,” he advised against turning the “other cheek” when people disrespect Yoruba identity.
Kakanfo’s statement reads, “Carry your Yoruba identity and heritage on your head with pride; anybody who tells you that identifying as Yoruba publicly or privately is tribalism, put them in their place intellectually and radically.
“Don’t allow people suffering from inferiority complexes to erase your Yorubaness. Flaunt your Yoruba heritage with pride and glory.
“We are Yorubas, and we owe nobody any apologies for being Yoruba. If you are tired of being a Yoruba man or woman, go to court and get a change of name and identity.
“Anytime people disrespect your Yoruba identity, don’t turn the other cheek; fight them with words, economically and politically.
“Don’t forget that many great civilizations and identities have been erased because of the carelessness of a single generation.”
