Celebrating the indomitable spirit of Ndi-Igbo at Nigerian cultural carnival

NIGERIA (eTN) – The four-day communal feast, which was celebrated at the convocation arena of Gregory University Uturu (GUU), for many reasons was very significant and had a different appeal from the

NIGERIA (eTN) – The four-day communal feast, which was celebrated at the convocation arena of Gregory University Uturu (GUU), for many reasons was very significant and had a different appeal from the Calabar festival or any such event across the country of Nigeria. For one, it is a privately-organized and sponsored annual celebration. Until two years ago, the six-year-old event was financed by Chief Greg Iyke Ibe through his foundation, the Greg Iyke Ibe Foundation, and it is now funded by GUU, a private institution established by him.

Another area of concern was the fact that it is the only event in Southeast Nigeria which is devoted to the celebration of Ndi-Igbo. Perhaps more appealing is that it is a solely cultural celebration, which is geared at displaying the rich and enduring cultural heritage of the people.

This is obvious from the conception to the execution of the carnival and the fact that it is now being run by the Centre for Igbo Renaissance of GUU as part of propagating and entrenching the Ndi-Igbo cultural values, lending credence to this fact. Other than the usual cultural feast of the carnival, this year, it had a new dimension to it as it was devoted to marking and celebrating the 70th birthday anniversary of one of the sons of Igbo land, Chief Sab Ejimofor.

A display of its inclination towards exposing the cultural elements of the people in a very profound manner was the setting itself, which was entirely made of local materials, creatively put together. In this way, the locally woven mats and straw hats, which are part of the cultural symbolism of the people of Uturu, featured prominently alongside native calabashes, clay pots and cups, and other forms of arts and crafts. Even in the choice of communication language, it was purely that of an Igbo affair by all the speakers that mounted the rostrum at the various events to deliver speeches or lead the program.

The founder of the carnival, Ibe, said, โ€œThe major aim of the carnival is to explore the potency of the carnival to weld apparently disparate cultures to create cultural unity, social harmony, and strength on the one hand, while on the flip side it is to checkmate the move towards ethnocentrism, which leads racial prejudice, discrimination, and other social ills.โ€

Thus, this was what informed the choice of this yearโ€™s theme: โ€œIbu anyi dandaโ€ (Resilience โ€“ the indomitable spirit of Ndi-Igbo), an evocation of the consciousness of Igbo cultural unity and to influence national cultural unity.

In retrospect, Ibe, who is also the Chancellor of GUU, described the four-day celebration as a huge success, as it has met the purpose for which it was designed. The choice of the theme, according to him, was not only to pay homage to Chief Sam Ejiomofor, whose rising from rags to riches was made through the dint of hard work and resilience, but also that of every Igbo man who has achieved in their various enterprises and engagements in life, as such achievements came through resilience and the surmounting of life-threatening obstacles.

The presence of the President-General of Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey, also boosted the appeal of the carnival. He said, โ€œWe have achieved without major partners, we have achieved in a major way of bringing our culture to the world, we have achieved by our continuous demystifying, all the naysayers,โ€ said Ibe.

The fact that the children and youth have embraced the carnival and yearly turn out in their numbers with different masquerades and dance troupes, to him, is one of the greatest feats, as it meant that the culture of the people will never die, because the older generation is using the carnival to pass on the cultural values and traditions of the people to the younger generation.

โ€˜โ€˜So we are achieving something, because it will remain indelible in their minds so that by the time we are gone to God, we would have achieved some greatness by imparting it to the younger ones,โ€ he said, even as he pointed out that the choice of Uturu as the venue of celebration is a deliberate effort to create awareness and draw the peopleโ€™s attention to the extant Uturu Caves, which he said has been proven historically to be the ancestral home of the progenitors of the Igbo race, as traces of what he called the โ€œearly man abodeโ€ is obvious for all to see.

The first day of the carnival signaled what was to characterize the entire celebration, as it was fun-filled, excitement galore and colorful all the way as the people came out in great numbers to participate and witness a rare communal cultural feast that is almost going extinct in most parts of the country.

Besides the harvest of cultural entertainment, there was a lot to drink and eat, bearing in mind that the event, which was held between December 27 and 31, took place at a festive season when many of the Ndi-Igbo come home to celebrate with their kin and kindred. It wasnโ€™t surprising that the arena was filled to the hilt most of the days by the people.

Also, there was a huge presence of many important personalities at the event; the endless list included Professor (Eze) Laz Ekwueme, who is the traditional ruler of Oko in Anambra State; the President General of Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey; while His Royal Highness, Cyril Ibe, the Okwelube 1 of Amaokwe Autonomous Community, Uturu, led other traditional rulers and ezes from the over 20 autonomous communities and villages in the area to the event.

Goodwill messages were delivered by many of the guests present during the event, with Professor Ihechi Madubuike, who is the Director of the Centre for Igbo Renaissance of GUU and a former Minister of Education, leading the tributes. All of them took turns to eulogize the carnival, the need for the preservation of the culture of the people, and a call for unity and support for the continuous staging of the carnival.

There was also the presence of both the state and federal government, as a number of the officials of the Abia State government and members of the State House of Assembly, among others, attended the event. The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) was represented by one of its directors, Professor Chukwu Ezi, who was overwhelmed by the high level of the event and the extent to which the people have gone in preserving and entrenching their culture.

While urging the further entrenchment of the culture and the event, he paid tribute to the founder of the carnival even as he pledged the support of the commission in furthering the frontiers of the carnival and ensuring that NCMM gives the necessary aids in the development of the cultural icons of the people as its affects the work of the commission.

Done with the goodwill messages and the cutting of cake to declare the carnival open, various masquerades and cultural groups present took turns to entertain the people by displaying their various masquerades, acrobatics, dancing, and singing skills. The list included the Ohafia war dancers; the acrobatic troupe from Edo State, Akwa Ibom; a masquerade troupe from Anambra State; and representatives of Northeastern states.

Other entertainers and performers were the Igbo Uturu Cultural Carnival Troupe, Eminent Ladies of Uturu, Arondizuogu masquerade troupe, and representatives of the North Central States. There were also the Great Ladies from the Cross River State, the Chimemeze Dance Troupe from Okigwe, and the Ugo masquerade of Uturu. A number of childrenโ€™s groups also took to the stage to entertain the people in dance drama, songs, and choreography.

The dayโ€™s event climaxed with a musical concert with a Makosa group from Benin Republic entertaining the people until the early hours of the next day. Other days witnessed the Ada Uturu Beauty Pageant, the Cultural Christmas Cantata, a Cultural Music Expo, and a Thanksgiving/Crossover service, which apparently was the climax and a glorious end to the four-day cultural carnival.

It was an enthralling night of cultural dances and a colorful fireworks display, which kept the people spellbound and entertained. At the end of it all, it was a grateful people that rose in unison giving thanks and singing praises to the good Lord, not just for another successful hosting of the sixth edition of the Igbo Uturu Cultural Carnival, but for witnessing yet the beginning of another year with great ecstasy.

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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