Osun-Osogbo Festival 2025 Draws Thousands as MTN Champions Cultural Heritage

The ancient city of Osogbo once again became the heartbeat of Yoruba cultural expression as thousands of devotees, tourists, and heritage lovers from within and outside Nigeria converged for the grand finale of the 2025 Osun-Osogbo Festival. This year’s celebration, marked by vibrant processions, sacred rites, music, and art, was further amplified by MTN Nigeria’s sponsorship, reinforcing the company’s growing commitment to preserving and promoting the nation’s cultural heritage.

The festival, recognised by UNESCO as a cultural heritage, drew worshippers clad in distinctive white garments, beads, and caps, many clutching jerrycans to collect water from the sacred Osun River. For believers, the water is a divine remedy capable of healing ailments and granting blessings. The grove was alive with the sounds of talking drums, jubilant chants, and the rhythmic steps of dancers celebrating the river goddess revered for her generosity and power.

Foreign tourists mingled with the crowd, photographing the intricate rituals and learning from locals about the spiritual and historical significance of the celebration. “The Osun water is purer than any bottled water. It is herbal and medicinal to cure any problem,” said “Iya Osun”, Mrs. Osunfunke Egbetoogbe. “It has the power to heal, and this festival is my connection to the goddess herself.”

This year, history took an unexpected turn when the symbolic white calabash known as “Igba Osun”, traditionally carried by the Arugba, a virgin votary maid, was borne instead by the Osun Chief Priest, Adesina. The newly selected Arugba, Alimot Osunbunmi, was deemed too young to handle the physically demanding duty. In keeping with tradition, she still led the procession, walking ahead of the priest who carried the calabash.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, August 4, the sacred Iboriade ceremony was performed at Ataoja’s palace. The reigning Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Laaroye II, led the ritual that assembles and blesses the crowns of all past monarchs. Using symbolic items such as kolanuts, sugarcane, honey, coconut, banana, gin, horsetail whisk, and royal regalia, among other items, prayers were offered for the peace and prosperity of the community. Chiefs, priestesses, market leaders, and visiting monarchs witnessed the centuries-old rite, which remains one of the most sacred components of the Osun-Osogbo Festival.

For MTN Nigeria, supporting the Osun-Osogbo Festival is part of a broader mission to ensure Nigeria’s cultural treasures are not only celebrated locally but also showcased to the world. “Osun-Osogbo: Culture, Pride! Preserving heritage, shaping tomorrow. This is not just a celebration, we’re collaborating to preserve culture,” said Temitope Akarah, Regional Implementation Manager, West Region, MTN Nigeria. 

Observers noted that MTN’s presence at the festival reflects a growing corporate recognition that cultural heritage is both a source of identity and a catalyst for economic growth through tourism. By investing in festivals like Osun-Osogbo, brands are helping to safeguard traditions that might otherwise fade under the pressure of modernisation and foreign influence.

Local leader, Omooba Dotun Babayemi remarked during the celebrations, preserving cultural artefacts and traditions is vital for sustaining Yoruba identity. “Our culture is our identity and selling point. This, we must all strive to protect and preserve. It’s our common ancestry heritage which separates us from others, and this we must keep jealously. We need a conscious cultural rebirth that will help to re-engineer and inculcate an enduring belief in our younger generations. More importantly, the celebration of our various cultures,links us with the past to foster our unity of today and tomorrow”, he said.

With this year’s festival now concluded, the Osun-Osogbo celebration stands as a reminder that culture remains one of Nigeria’s most powerful assets, and with sponsors like MTN, its stories, rituals, and artistry can continue to inspire future generations while drawing the world to witness the richness of Yoruba tradition.