The Lisabi Festival Committee has firmly rejected viral claims suggesting that the forthcoming 39th edition of the revered Lisabi Festival is being transformed into a platform for Egbaliganza, the cultural fashion initiative championed by Chief Lai Labode.
In a statement issued Wednesday, High Chief Rasheed Raji, the Asipa of Egbaland and Chairman of the Lisabi Festival Committee, described a circulating video alleging that the festival now centres on Egbaliganza as “entirely false and misleading.” He said the narrative distorts historical facts and misrepresents the essence of the annual celebration.
Raji reiterated that the Lisabi Festival remains a solemn homage to Lisabi Agbongbo Akala, the 17th-century Egba warrior who led his people to freedom from the old Oyo Empire. According to him, the festival’s legacy is rooted in cultural remembrance and the preservation of Egba identity — not in commercial or fashion enterprise.
While acknowledging Egbaliganza as a laudable initiative promoting Egba fashion and entrepreneurship under Chief Lai Labode, the Aare of Egbaland, the committee stressed that both events are structurally and purposefully distinct.
Clarifying the programme outline, Raji disclosed that only two hours within the week-long festival have been allocated for an Egbaliganza showcase of traditional Egba attire. He described the segment as honorary, insisting it will neither redefine nor overshadow the festival’s historical focus.
The 39th Lisabi Festival is scheduled to hold from March 23 to 29, 2026, with the grand finale slated for March 28 in Abeokuta.
Raji noted that recent promotional materials from the Egbaliganza camp — highlighting international participation, royal presence, cultural parades and the global projection of Egba heritage — may have contributed to the perception that the fashion brand is assuming a central role in the celebration.
He added that social media references branding the event as “Lisabi Festival (Egbaliganza)” have further fuelled the misconception, prompting the committee’s swift clarification.
The response comes amid lingering debate following Egbaliganza’s high-profile debut during the 2025 festivities. While many applauded the colourful fashion spectacle for injecting vibrancy into the annual event, some traditional stakeholders expressed concern that growing glamour could dilute the festival’s spiritual and historical core.
Even members of the organising committee underscored the festival’s primary mission in their closing remarks last year: “We are celebrating our hero. We are celebrating our history. We are celebrating Lisabi.”
Raji concluded with the traditional rallying cry, “Egba Agbewa Ooo,” drawing a firm line that the Lisabi Festival remains, first and foremost, a commemoration of Egba liberation and identity — not a fashion runway.
As preparations intensify across Egbaland, attention is now fixed on whether dialogue between cultural custodians and modern promoters will ease tensions — or whether the delicate balance between heritage and high-style branding will define the narrative of the 2026 edition.
