Nigeria’s Sango Festival—Oyo’s electrifying celebration of the Yoruba deity of thunder and lightning—has been officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, cementing the centuries-old rites as a global cultural treasure. The listing acknowledges the festival’s living traditions of music, dance, processions, and rituals that unite generations across Oyo and the broader Yoruba world.
UNESCO recognizes the Sango Festival as a world cultural heritage
UNESCO acknowledges the Sango Festival as a world cultural heritage
At a formal presentation in Oyo, Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism & Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, handed the UNESCO World Heritage Certificate to His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, alongside Oyo State’s Commissioner for Culture & Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun—an event state media described as a milestone for cultural diplomacy and heritage protection.
UNESCO recognizes the Sango Festival as a world cultural heritage
UNESCO recognizes the Sango Festival as a world cultural heritage
Crowned in April 2025, Alaafin Owoade now presides over a festival whose global status matches its local reverence—an affirmation of sovereignty, identity, and continuity for the Oyo kingdom and Yoruba culture.
Global recognition: UNESCO’s inscription elevates the Sango Festival to the same international register that safeguards humanity’s living traditions, strengthening safeguarding, documentation, and transmission to the next generation.
Cultural soft power: The certificate presentation underscores Abuja’s stepped-up cultural diplomacy; Musawa’s ministry has made high-profile pushes to spotlight Nigerian festivals and creative industries on the world stage.
UNESCO recognizes the Sango Festival as a world cultural heritage
With international visibility now secured, Oyo’s custodians and Nigeria’s culture ministry are poised to leverage the UNESCO badge for conservation, research, tourism, and educational programs—ensuring the crackle of drums, chants, and pageantry that define Sango endures for generations.
It’s a proud moment for Nigeria’s heritage community—and a thunderclap of validation for Minister Hannatu Musawa’s drive to project and protect Nigeria’s cultural brilliance worldwide.
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