As
the Governor of State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, named Nobel Laureate,
Prof Wole Soyinka, the chairman of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Centre for
Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), it appears like a lesson in how
not to personalise public office.
The appointment of Soyinka replaces
former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who, under a law
promulgated in 2008, became the chairman of the centre’s board. The law,
interestingly, empowered Oyinlola (the then governor of Osun State) to hold the
office even after his tenure.
CBCIU was inaugurated on January 7, 2009 amidst controversy.
The Centre was approved by the
Executive Board of UNESCO at its 180th Session in France in October 2008 and became
the custodian of Ulli Beier’s archival materials.
It
would be recalled that ahead of the establishment of CBCIU, Soyinka as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador had strongly opposed what he
termed clandestine plan to deposit these works at another UNESCO-designated place, the Institute
of African Culture and International Understanding located within Olusegun
Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The new law tagged Osun State
Centre For Black Culture and International Understanding (Amendment) Law, 2012,
assented by Aregbesola on July 31, 2012 states “the Board shall consist of the
following members and a Chairman of the Board who shall be the Governor or
anyone appointed by him.”
A statement by the Director, Bureau of
Communications and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon,
says the new board would have concurrent responsibility to develop the Yoruba
World Heritage Centre to be called New Ife, Ile-Ife, State of Osun.
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| Prof Wole Soyinka |
Beier and his wife Georgina according to
sources, had rejected offers from some universities in the U.S. to house the
works.
The archival materials include over 10,
000 items of books, articles, photographs, negatives and albums, films, videos,
audio cassettes, record and CDs, printed momento about concerts and exhibitions
were originally collected in 1950s during their (couple) sojourn in Nigeria.
Beier is well known
for translating works of African origin such as poetry, drama, particularly of
Yoruba language into English.
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