The Yoruba community in Vancouver, headed by Olawale Lewis Oladutonye is coming up with a massive multimillion dollar project. They intend to construct what they a "Yoruba House" and the project will be officially launched in July 25, 2009.
According to Lewis, the purposes of the Yoruba House, which will cost about 3.5 million dollars include the following:
To be used as a tool to create awareness about Yourba Culture
To serve as a centre for cultural activities
To be used to promote tourism both in Yoruba land and British Columbia
To house a showroom for pictures and artifacts from Yourba land and Canada.
To provide a centre for social events and activities
To host an office that serves as a contact point for new immigrants and refugees , and also provide an environment for dissemination and management of information related to settlement and job searches.
To provide an avenue for the Yorubas and other Nigerians to keep abreast of current news and information from home.
To provide a space for teaching the Yoruba language and culture to Nigerian and Nigerian Canadian children and others that show interest in the language.
The launching of the project which is also a fundraising event, will be held on Saturday July 25 at the Serbian Cultural Centre, 7837 Canada Way in Burnaby, British Columbia. King Sunny Ade, the juju music guru based in Nigeria, will be on stage to provide his pulsating rhythms.
The aims and objectives of the Egbe Omo Yoruba association are:
To provide, promote and foster good social and cultural relationships and environment where Yoruba people, Yoruba Canadians and other cultural associations can discuss matters of mutual interest to both cultures
To cherish, uphold and project the honour and dignity of Yoruba culture, language and tradition.
To encourage and deliberate on issues paramount to the Yoruba people
To preserve the association as a non-partisan or non-religious organization
To foster the economic empowerment of Yoruba people
To undertake specific projects beneficial to Yorubas and aimed at enhancing our development.
To work with other organizations inside and outside to promote peace, stability, justice and unity while working actively for the promotion of Yoruba interests
The promotion of friendship, awareness, knowledge and understanding, and bilateral relationship among cultural associations in all areas of development
To work diligently to bridge the information gap between the Yoruba people and the world.
To establish a presence in British Columbia and to facilitate home-based activities and cultural promotions
To ensure the advancement of Yoruba traditional institutions
To encourage and facilitate socio-economic developments among members in and outside British Columbia with particular attention to issues of human rights, women and children.
To provide and support members in need within the framework of the constitution
To provide a platform for the discussion of national and international issues as they affect members and the general public in their multi-cultural communities in British Columbia.
To promote trade and commerce, Tourism and cultural exchange
To liaise and collaborate with organizations of similar interests and to foster inter-cultural exchange.
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