Engaging Artificial Intelligence in the Promotion and Preservation of Yorùbá Cultural Festivals

Abstract

Among popular Yorùbá festivals are Egúngún, Ìsìnrò, Ọ̀ṣun, Obòkun, Ọlọ́jọ́ celebrations indicating the vital components of the Yorùbá cultural system, encompassing socio-historical, ancestral, and celebrative activities. However, the huge datum representation, there is the need for aggressive preservation, and digitalization to conform with modernity on challenges due to limited access to global trending technology. This study observes that, while concerted efforts made by scholars (Ogunba, 1969, Ilesanmi, 1985, Fálẹ́yẹ, 2015 & 2020) among others to document in prints, the call for technology-based promotional strategies against the heavy reliance on traditional methods, which neglects the engagement of modern innovations, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a necessity. Therefore, this study explores AI's potentials to engage the promotion of Yorùbá cultural festivals, enhancing cultural preservation, and fostering global engagement, towards bridging the gap between traditional and analogy forms of promotion. The research employs primary and secondary sources of data, towards reviewing the existing works. In-depth interviews, purposively selected custodians, practitioners, worshipers of selected Yorùbá cultural festivals, focusing on their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward AI-driven festival promotions are engaged. To examine AI-powered festival elements, existing literature on AI applications in cultural heritage preservation, Yorùbá cultural studies, and festival management will suffice. The theoretical framework of Vygotsky's (1978) socio-cultural theory, on Cultural Heritage Preservation Model (CHPM), which builds on the intersection of technology, community engagement, and cultural sustainability are primary. This study contributes to the existing works on AI's potential in cultural heritage preservation, providing a framework for leveraging AI-driven technologies to promote, document, and analyze Yorùbá cultural festivals.

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