The Management, Dissemination of Ifa Oracle and Egungun Festival for Knowledge Preservation and Promotion of African Cultural Heritage in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines the Management, Dissemination of Ifa oracle and Egungun festival for knowledge preservation and promotion of African Cultural Heritage in Osun State, Nigera. The study traced the origin of Ifa oracle and Egungun in Nigeria, the relevancy of its celebration to national development and how the knowledge are been documented, managed and disseminated. Descriptive survey research method was employed for the study while the major instrument for data gathering was Interview and complemented by personal observation. Ifa oracle and Egungun Priests were been interviewed to elicit information on the methods of documentation, management and dissemination of Ifa oracle and Egungun festival knowledge. Some of the findings revealed that findings that Ifa oracle and Egungun festival was practiced in order to correct ills in the society and to usher in a new blessing for the year ahead. The preservation of Ifa oracle and Egungun festival knowledge was purely through oral memorization. It was however recommended that proper documentation and management of knowledge should be encouraged for proper knowledge transfer and future reference. In addition, the records should be deposited in a public library for proper consultation.