Lois Fernandez, Cultural Icon
ODUNDE (Translation - "Happy New Year"), as an "idea", started around halfway around the world in the early 70s as it was carried — by Lois Fernandez— a woman who is big in spirit — from Oshogbo, Nigeria to South Philadelphia. Each year it comes back full circle. Similar to processions that take place in Oshogbo, there is a large gathering of people processing to the river to make a special offering. ODUNDE!!! They shout before it begins to get the crowd moving along. The shouts turn into songs from Nigeria. Excitement brews as the music plays, masqueraders dance and the huge crowd of processors move higher on South Street to the South Street Bridge to temporarily transform the Schulykill into a sacred body of water that is receptive to sweets, fruits and cakes. The songs that carried the procession the rest of the way to the river turns into quiet prayers. Exciting? Definitely! It is also called "Beautiful." That is part of the essence of ODUNDE as well. It has grown along this way for quite some time now and it still continues to grow and expand. On June 9th ODUNDE celebrated it’s 38th year! The celebration that began almost 4 decades ago is quickly moving towards a landmark 40-year celebration in less than 2 short years. I had the priveledge and honor of speaking with founder, Lois Fernandez about the celebration. She shared the beginings of ODUNDE. Read along to find out how the celebration traveled with her from Oshogbo, Nigeria to South Philadelphia and has long impacted the city and communities and how it is continuing to grown - daily!
Light for the Journey!
Chekejai: ODUNDE just celebrated the 38th year and quickly it’s moving towards year 39.
L. Fernandez: Yes
Chekejai: That is fabulous and very exciting! Congratulations! I read somewhere that you got the idea for ODUNDE from other festivals that you had attended on the continent (Africa).
L. Fernandez: Actually, I got the idea for ODUNDE when I went to Nigeria in 1971 and I was told about a festival that they have there. Every year, around August, they had a festival there for Osun (a force of love, beauty and creativity). I had met the artist [Prince] Twins Seven Seven when I first got to Nigeria — into where he lived — called Oshogbo. I had been on a bus. As I got off the bus he was there. He had brought somebody in to catch another bus. We exchanged niceties and he asked me about myself. When I told him that I was trying to find a place to live — I told him, ‘I came there to learn and to see Nigeria because I had heard about the Osun Festival’ – He said, "oh really? Well let me take you some place where you can find a place to stay." I have a sister who was living in Uganda. (Sidebar: I left Tanzania, went to Uganda just as a layover). Twins said, "I’ll show you Nigeria, Oshogbo." I first went into Lagos and then I took the bus to Oshogbo, which is a small town. I attached to Twins Seven Seven and he ended up being one of Nigeria’s very famous artists. He became pretty well-known, I would guess worldwide. In Europe, what-have-you, he ended up traveling. Twins had a good sense for communication. He could talk. He has since transitioned (died). But there I am in Nigeria — not knowing anybody anyhow. I stayed there in Oshogbo, Twins got me a place to stay. I ended up going to different events and meeting some people, not knowing any people. I must have stayed in Oshogbo for at least about a week and a half or two weeks. I didn’t stay in Lagos that long. I stayed in Oshogbo. Oshogbo was a little town and it had a lot of culture in it. That’s why I was glad that I had heard about Oshogbo and Oshogbo artist.
Chekejai: The Oshogbo Artist?
Chekejai: How did you come to think of bringing the idea of the festival from Oshogbo to Philadelphia?
L. Fernandez: Twins and I had a conversation; He was telling me about the Osun Festival. He gave me a photo of him at the Osun Festival. I said, ‘Wow! This is wonderful! It looks like something that we can do in Philadelphia.’ I remember saying that to him. My neighbor and I used to often talk about that as well as my sister and brother-in-law. We need to have something down here on this corner at Grays Ferry and South Street. Particularly my neighbor Ruth and I. We used to say we need to have something here. I said, that would be wonderful to bring an Osun Festival to our South Philadelphia neighborhood. That was 1971 — beginning of 1972.
Chekejai: The first ODUNDE Festival occured in 1975. How did it actually come to be?
L. Fernandez: In 1975, working for the city — Department of Welfare at the time they changed it to Department of Human Services — they had this thing called ‘The Renaissance’ or something they were going to do — maybe the Art Department was going to do it...the city (of Philadelphia) was doing it. Young white women were directing it and I said, let me go talk to them to see if we can get that for our neighborhood here. I went and met with them, talked to them. I told them that we wanted to do something on the street - a little street festival just 1 block – that’s what I was thinking, that’s all we did at that time. We didn’t call it ODUNDE - it was The Osun Festival. I told them, the thing is, we want to go to the river. They said, "the river?" ‘Yeah, we want to go across the bridge to the river.’ They thought that was strange. I said, ‘we want to do something like what I saw in Nigeria,’ even though I wasn’t with them when they had made the offering — I just knew about it.
Chekejai: Did you know any other Yoruba people?
L. Fernandez: There were Yorubas in NY who I first met. I’m going to back to 1963 there was a Temple at 116th Street in New York City — that’s when I first l learned about the Yorubas. Subsequently my sister married one of the men, my brother-in-law. He was part of the founding. The man who had the Temple was Nana Oseijeman — a well known priest. He was the first person that I ever saw in full African attire — this is back in the 60s. My first knowledge of the Yoruba religion and the Temple were through the people out of NYC. They came to Philly In 1963 and had a program at the Y [MCA] on Christian Street. They took my head when I saw them all dressed in African clothing and they were singing these different songs. I’ll never forget that it moved me so deeply. Somehow we stayed in contact. My sister ended up marring in 1965 and they had a Yoruba wedding. [I] just kept being involved with them, just becoming aware of the culture and I just thought it was so key and important. So when this thing came up with the city — ‘The Renaissance’ I said we should be able to have something!
When I first went to get the permits - the women laughed at me. I left that office and I spoke to two women in my office (Department of Welfare). I told them about what we wanted to do. I told the women that we wanted to go across the bridge and that we want to make an offering to the river. They were impressed. They said, "We think that would be wonderful and different!" They thought that I had a big brainy idea and they were so gung-ho to help and they did! They got everything! They got the permits! I was going to have a hard time. They were right on it! They said, we’ll take care of this. I had it made! We got permits. I said who got the last laugh because we sure went across that bridge and went to the river! It was April that year (1975). My Boo (referring to her daughter Oshunbumi, the CFO of ODUNDE and ODUNDE365) was just 1-years-old. So here we go on a cool April day. Our first poster in 1976 was of us walking down South Street. April of 1975. Everyone had on coats.
Chekejai: When did you change the time to June?
L. Fernandez: We decided to change it to the 2nd Sunday in June the next year - that is more of our weather. Good weather. We had children from community group - school aged groups. We told the parents and women in our group that we would like for the children to go in traditional African attire and that what we can do so that there is no expense - we can wrap them in fabric. We taught them the song ODUNDE by Olotunji and as they left the house. We left from my house. I was living on Madison Square at the time. As we got to South Street - across the bridge, they sang that song. We made our offering and came back. At that time ODUNDE was only 1 block. 2300 block of South Street.
Chekejai: How did you come up with the decorations for the event?
L. Fernandez: Arthur Hall was very key. He came to help us decorate. He put up banners he brought his dance troupe. We had drummers - Baba Crowder, Wilkie (respected drummers in the city of Philadelphia) was there.
Chekejai: You had a lot of creative and cultural giants and input from such giants from the start - such as earlier mentioned Prince Twins Seven Seven, Melvin Deal and Arthur Hall.
L. Fernandez: Every year Melvin Deal would come and bring his whole company. He would come from Washington, D.C. and bring like 2 or 3 vans!We didn’t have any money then! They would volunteer! Authur Hall! Everyone just came.
My brother-in law got Melvin Deal - he left us dancing in the street! I will never forget.
Chekejai: When was the turning point? When did it become such a large event?
L. Fernandez: 1977 - it exploded!!! By then there were more vendors and more space.
Chekejai: A lot of this you initaited but did you have a partner?
L. Fernandez: My neighbor Ruth Arthur was a partner, my sister Laura, my brother-in-law - Oba. We are all a part of it in the beginning. None of them went to Africa. I went to all of them. They had no idea but they were all in agreement. Especially when I saw the opportunity posted in my office. That’s how we had the first one in 1975 under the Renaissance. SO when the opportunity presented itself I thought that we could do it right here in the triangle at 23rd and South. We pulled it off - it was wondeful. It wasn’t big but it was thrilling.
Chekejai: Vending is huge at ODUNDE. There are all kinds of vendors - food, clothes, music, art and so much more. Did it begin with a lot of vending?
L. Fernandez: We had the school kids, the neighbors came out and they were selling things. A lady from our community group called the Southwest Center City Community Center - the women of that organization supported it. We had our own children and we were able to dress them up. The women put money in so that we could buy some hot dogs to sell. We ended up selling to ourselves (she says with a light chuckle). We had a table out there - wasn’t really nobody out there. We didn’t know anything about big time vending back in those days and vending wasn’t big back in those days so it was limited in term of vendors. Vending wasn’t big back in those days.
Chekejai: What inspired you to go to Africa?
L. Fernandez: I’ve always wanted to go. I borrowed! They said that I was obsessed. I said, ‘I got to go to Africa!’ I borrowed money. I got my mother to take care of my son. I ended up going for three weeks. My sister was living in Tanzania at the time. She had married a Namibian. I got there and it was unreal! In the 70s there were a lot of freedom fighters that were based in Tanzanian at the time. A lot of them from Mozambique. Julius Nyerere was the president. mhe would allow them to be there - like SWAPO. In the evening - you could go downtown where they would gather. An exciting time to be in Tanzania! Any night you could go out and all you saw were freedom fighters and gatherings for freedom fighters - an exciting time to be in Tanzania! A lot of women were there just traveling. Particularly in Tanzania.
Chekejai: Bumi is doing a phenominal job with continuing with your legacy and expanding on what you’ve done so many years ago with community programming centered around ODUNDE. How do you feel about how the work is being carried forth?
L. Fernandez: I am just so blessed and honored that she has taken the helm. a lot of times you start an organization and there is no one to pass it on to. I can’t think of how many things have died, especially in our community. So this is just a blessing. And to add her own touch such as the I Am B.U.M.I. (Beautiful Unique Magnificent Individual) program for girls and ODUNDE365 is so key. It makes the statement that ODUNDE is more than just a festival.
Chekejai: You have also —in the past — reached out to schools and musuems, developed relationships with those schools and museums and you’ve sent in dance teachers to teach dance classes for children in the 90s.
L. Fernandez:We had outreach programs so it’s good to have Bumi operate all year around. If it’s reaching out, it’s key to the future of ODUNDE so I am grateful that she has taken it to the next level and beyond.
Chekejai: She is propelling things forward and working on the next generation.
L. Fernandez:A young mind with stirring creativity keeps ODUNDE alive.
Chekejai: Yes it does! Thank you so much for giving me some of your time and thanks for all that you have done for the community and for keeping the culture.
L. Fernandez:Oh Sure!
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