Pottentialities of Egungun Festival as a Tool for Tourism Development in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

The Ogbómòsó people like their kinsmen in other Yoruba towns of South-western Nigeria, celebrate egúngún festival in honour of their dead ancestors [1].This festival is organized annually to appease the ancestors and seek protection, blessing, favour and prosperity in all their endeavours. It is in their belief that the festival provides an opportunity for a re-union between the dead ancestors and the living members of their family [2].Like many other festivals in Yoruba land, the festival brings together people who live at home and abroad for various reasons. During this period an unprecedented rise in population is observed. The Yoruba, with specific reference to the Ogbómòsó people, are religious and this can be seen in the number of churches and mosques, shrines, temples and other places of worship located within the town. In the light of the above, the number of visitors to this annual egúngún festival in the last ten years is on the increase. This paper comments on some results of a research conducted by the author between June, 2001 and June, 2010 in Ogbómòsó, a South -western in Nigeria Yoruba town. It also examines the status of egúngún in the past and present time. It also looks at the impact of this festival on the economy of the people and the community. Furthermore, the paper queries the relationship of other tourism sectors to egúngún festival. The study also considers through interviews reasons for the ever increasing number of visitors to this festival. However, the paper concludes that egúngún festival has potentials for tourism development if it is properly packaged.