Micheal Author 🪖 🇳🇬🇺🇲

Dear Mr. Governor @jidesanwoolu, Cc: @IdrisConnecting, @Riddwane, @gbenga_omo I write to you today with a profound sense of urgency, returning to a matter of significant cultural and economic imperative for Lagos State: the institutionalization of the Gele Festival within the State’s flagship Detty December calendar. Months ago, following my initial proposal, the Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe (@IdrisConnecting), publicly affirmed the merits of this initiative. His acknowledgement celebrated across national media, including The Guardian highlighted the Gele’s global prominence and promised its central integration into the State’s proposed Yoruba Week. Yet, despite these public assurances, months have lapsed into quietude, leaving a vital promise unfulfilled while the deliberate erasure of our heritage gathers momentum.  Silence in the stewardship of culture is a luxury we can ill afford. While our institutions remain passive, revisionist actors have launched an aggressive campaign to sever the Gele from its Yoruba roots: 1. Digital Falsification: Vigilant Yoruba archivists recently uncovered and systematically dismantled a fraudulent Wikipedia entry engineered to rewrite the historical genealogy of the Gele. 2. Intellectual Piracy & Bad Faith: We witnessed a brazen attempt to co-opt the masterwork of Dr. Azeezat Abiola Amusat, who expertly styled the Gele worn by Beyoncé. When Dr. Azeezat rightly instituted legal proceedings, the offender merely excise the images of Beyoncé and re-uploaded the content, a calculated gesture that demonstrates deliberate, bad-faith intent to appropriate our heritage under false nomenclature. 3. The Irony of Local Venues: Most concerningly, events seeking to rebrand and claim Yoruba cultural property continue to find safe harbor within venues in Lagos itself a stark contradiction for a state that stands as the historical heartbeat of Yorubaland. The Gele is not a mere accessory; it is an architectural triumph of fabric, an enduring symbol of aristocratic elegance, and a living testament to Yoruba feminine artistry. What we fail to formally document, aggressively celebrate, and legally safeguard will inevitably be claimed, renamed, and monetized by others. As Special Adviser, Mr. Aregbe’s primary duty is the uncompromising protection and projection of our cultural sovereignty. History is rarely kind to public officers who observe the slow dissipation of their people’s legacy with indifference. I urge the Lagos State Government to move decisively from sentiment to execution. Let us establish the Gele Festival this December to showcase our master artisans, empower our creative value chains, and permanently anchor the Gele’s identity on the global stage. Furthermore, by extending an invitation to our sister states across the South-West, Lagos can lead a unified regional front for heritage tourism. Our culture demands more than applause; it requires institutional resolve. Let us act before our history is written for us by foreign hands. Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration. Yours faithfully, Ademola