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Godwin Erite Marketing Activations Manager
Lagos, Nigeria
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In Africa • 2 min read • Jun 14, 2025 00:59a.m.
Ojude Oba: A Cultural Stage or a Branding Battlefield?
<p><br/></p><p>There I stood, tucked quietly in the pavilion, watching what seemed less like a celebration of heritage and more like a battleground of brands. </p><p>Ojude Oba, once a regal tribute to royalty and ancestry, now danced dangerously close to becoming a runway for logos and loud branding. </p><p>From where I stood, helpless on the agency side, all I could do was observe and advise. </p><p>Brand assets towered around me, waving like flags of conquest. </p><p>This wasn’t just presence, it was cohesion. A race not just to be seen, but to own the moment (dominate). </p><p>And then the questions came: </p><p>What place does a brand with no cultural connection have in this sacred space? </p><p>Why are we letting everyone gamble with something this sacred? </p><p>Some had no business being there, yet they came, not to align, but to hijack. </p><p>Even the media, both traditional and digital, read through the schemes and repositioned themselves. </p><p>Coverage became curated. Access, intentional. A quiet rebellion in its way. </p><p>But the damage had already peeked through. </p><p>Culture began to wear corporate perfume. </p><p>And slowly, the line between celebration and campaign blurred. </p><p>I imagined what could be done. </p><p>Perhaps a framework that filters sponsors not just by spend, but by story and the brand affinity to culture. </p><p>Privileges tied not only to money, but to meaning. </p><p>Only brands with cultural relevance should stand center stage, not just because they can, but because they belong. </p><p>There have been improvements, yes. But we must be honest, this beautiful festival needs protection. </p><p>From erosion. From excess. </p><p>From the slow drift from meaning to marketing. </p><p>Because if we’re not careful, the drums of Ojude Oba may soon beat, not for tradition, but for the highest bidder. </p><p>And that would be the biggest loss of all.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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