The spiritual heartbeat of Yoruba land, Ile-Ife, pulsed with renewed energy this week as the city hosted the 2025 edition of the Yeyemolu Festival, a time-honoured celebration dedicated to Queen Yeyemolu, the legendary matriarch and first wife of the very first Ooni of Ife.
Though held annually, this year’s festival carried a deeper resonance, subtly marked by a significant milestone in the life of the custodian of the tradition himself, the Ooni of Ife, Arole Oduduwa, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II. As he approaches a decade on the throne this December, the occasion served as an early moment of reflection and spiritual rededication.
Far more than a date on the cultural calendar, Yeyemolu Festival is a sacred moment of reconnection with history, with identity, and with the spiritual forces that have shaped Yoruba civilisation for centuries.
At the heart of the celebration lies the extraordinary story of Queen Yeyemolu, a woman whose name is etched not only in legend but in the very soil of the Ife palace.
Her story, though shrouded in mystery and sorrow, is honoured as a parable of sacrifice, transformation, and eternal reverence. Longing for motherhood and faced with barrenness, she graciously permitted her husband to marry another.
What began as an act of goodwill, however, ended in rejection and sorrow. Overwhelmed by humiliation, she vanished not into the wild, but into spirit, transforming into the sacred Yeyemolu Well, a central shrine of worship and pilgrimage to this day.
No Ooni is crowned without first being spiritually wedded to Yeyemolu, a tradition that affirms her everlasting place as queen, whose essence transcends time and continues to bless every reign.
Amid chants, drumbeats, and royal processions, Ooni Ogunwusi stood before the sacred well not just as a monarch, but as a spiritual leader of his people and offered solemn prayers. His voice rose with power and compassion as he called upon Olodumare for national healing.
“This land thrives on ancestral values. Today, I pray not only for Ile-Ife but for Nigeria in her entirety. Let peace return to our streets, unity to our hearts, and purpose to our leadership,” the Ooni declared, surrounded by his chiefs and loyal subjects.
This year’s observance felt especially momentous as it allowed the Ooni to quietly reflect on his journey nearing ten impactful years on the throne—a reign marked by cultural renaissance, youth empowerment, and global cultural diplomacy. The festival, in turn, became not only a tribute to the eternal queen but also a reaffirmation of purposeful kingship.
As is tradition, the palace welcomed streams of worshippers, tourists, and spiritual seekers. Women in radiant white garments led sacred processions, singing time-honoured hymns extolling Yeyemolu’s virtues of loyalty and divine grace. Maidens carried calabashes filled with water from the sacred well, believed to bestow fertility, healing, and spiritual cleansing.
Through his visionary leadership, the Ooni has helped elevate the Yeyemolu Festival beyond a local rite into a symbol of Yoruba heritage proudly celebrated at home and embraced abroad.
And as the rituals came to a close and the city returned to its daily rhythm, one truth remained: Yeyemolu lives on in sacred water, in the memory of a people, and in the quiet, powerful prayers of a king.