Oswald Agwu
Apart from territorial and political contiguity, the Afikpo and Edda peoples who constitute the major components of Afikpo North/South Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State, also share very many rich cultural similarities and affinity.
One aspect of culture which is commonly relished by the people is the New Yam Festival, which is referred variously in local parlance as Ikeji or Iriji ceremony.
To harness the rich gains of this particular culture for unity and collective development of the area, their Federal Constituency representative, Iduma Enwo Igariwey, has added greater impetus to the celebration through the institution of an annual lecture series to commemorate the event.
The lecture series, tagged: “Okpudo (Peace Maker) Annual Lecture Series on the Ike-Ji Afikpo and Edda People,” started since 2021 and has remained one event which has always generally wetted the expectations of all the people of the constituency and beyond.
The 2023 edition of the lecture series was hosted August 23 by Igariwey in his hometown, Mgbom-Ehugbo in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The event, which can suitably be described as the marriage of intellectualism with culture and philanthropy, attracted the academia from across the country, custodians of Afikpo/Edda cultures as well as cultural tourists from the diaspora.
Igariwey’s usual philanthropy was hugely displayed as constituents went home with various quantities of yams and cash gifts, while fertilizers and other inputs were distributed free to farmers in the constituency for next year’s farming season.
The Guest Lecturer, Dr. Maurice Ogbonnaya Ufiem, described the event as a time of demonstration of the mutual love, communion and communality between Afikpo and Edda as members of one political and cultural constituency.
Ufiem maintained that the Iri-ji (New yam festival) is one of the strongest unifying factors in the entire Igboland.
READ ALSO:
Ogun Police smash motorcycle snatching syndicate, arrest three
MURIC to Christian Group: You stood logic on its head
Eve’s Desire: What makes a woman good in bed?, by Tiwa Says
Adumbrating on the year’s theme: “Iri-Ji Festival: Rethinking Our Ceremonies and Refocusing Our Development,” Ufiem, a Senior Fellow of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State, urged the Igbo elites to show more interest in their cultural heritage to save them from extinction.
He recommended the reformation and refocusing of the new yam ceremonies into an avenue for economic empowerment for the people as a means of reducing criminality, especially among the youths.
He maintained that the remodelling of the festival into a gainful cultural tourism attraction would boost revenue generation for the State.
While commending Igariwey for his initiative, he challenged the Ebonyi State Government to take a cue from the representative to make the festival a source of cultural tourism for economic and social benefit of the entire State.
Speaking on his motivation for the annual event, the representative, Igariwey, said he was concerned about the gradually diminishing culture of his people and the need to preserve its values for posterity in the face of challenging civilisation and modernity.
He explained that although the Afikpo and Edda people were among the early receivers of western education in Nigeria, there was the need to blend the positive aspects of their culture with civilisation and modernity for sustainability.
Igariwey emphasised: “The event is completely non-political and non-partisan, but a cultural celebration that signifies the age long unity of Afikpo and Edda people.
“It is a clarion call to preserve and protect our rich culture, which I cherished from my childhood.
“To be educated is not to put a full stop to your culture.”
Welcoming the guests, the Chairman, Event Planning Committee, Dr. Arua Oko, noted that Afikpo and Edda have a rich cultural heritage yet to be adequately explored.
He described the lecture series as cultural revivalism embarked upon by Igariwey intended to build a united and progressive constituency.
READ ALSO:
FG to Obaseki: Elections are over, show more statesmanship
President Tinubu hails Governor Zulum at 54
Minister to Media: Let us collaborate, partner for success
Oko noted: “There is a need for a deep reflection on how we evaluate and preserve our cultural heritage and civilisation.
“The New Yam Festival is an important cultural space that creates opportunities for interactions among scholars, politicians and members of the community.”
In an interaction with one of the foremost elders of the constituency, Anyigor Agwo, he described yam as the King of Crops in the entire Igboland.
He noted that the new yam festival in the community signifies the beginning of the people’s new year, hence the honour accorded to yam.
Agwo said: “In Afikpo culture, every other traditional calendar event takes its date from the new yam festival.
“It is traditionally linked to new birth and beginning.”
The Chairman of the occasion and former Vice Chancellor of Abia State University, Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa, commended Igariwey for introducing what he described as an intellectual slant to his people’s culture.
Mkpa, also a former Secretary to the Abia State Government and Chairman, Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, called on other political leaders in the country to emulate the exceptional example of Igariwey and begin to re-orientate some of the cultural practices to transcend the prevailing mundane status they reflect.
He added: “This pragmatic and progressive orientation links culture with development such that culture becomes a catalytic instrument potent enough to drive the wheels of development.”
Other stakeholders who spoke to newsmen, including Godwin Udeakaji, and a constituent from diaspora, Fabian Chima, expressed excitement over the development, stating that it has greatly inspired them.
Chima, who could not hide his feelings, echoed: “Being here means a lot to me because Chief Igariwey is a civilised traditional man who understands what it means to give out to his people.
“As an individual, what I am taking away from this event is that no matter how lettered and enlightened you are, you came from a place and need to identify with your cultural roots.
“I will bring up my kids to always identify with their roots.”
The event, which featured scintillating performances by diverse traditional troupes of Afikpo and Edda communities, including the award winning Nkwa Umuagbogho (Maidens Dance), was capped with a prestigious award of: “A Great Ehugbo Leader,” conferred on Igariwey by the Afikpo Town Welfare Association.
A generous dose of assorted Afikpo delicacies were also showered on all guests through the instrumentality of the representative’s wife, Florence Idu Igariwey.