…As Anambra Celebrates New Yam Festival In Grand Style

The public declaration by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo on the occasion of the 2023 New Yam Festival at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square Awka on 21st October, that Ndigbo are not kidnappers and they don’t live in the bush lent credence to the glitz, glamour and brotherliness that pervaded the celebration.

The conviviality on display on the epic occasion portrayed the fact that rather than kidnap or kill their own brothers for ransom, Ndigbo are known for their industry, resilience, stoicism, intrepidity as well as their ability to make a dry land fertile for cultivation as demonstrated by the winner of the 2023 Diji who cultivated the biggest yam and Governor Soludo rather than settle for the initial N100,000 price money, decided out of his own benevolence and magnanimity to increase the price money to N1 million even though the winner hails from Anaocha where the land is not as fertile as those in Anambra-West, Anambra-East, Ayamelum and Ogbaru council areas.

Soludo’s reassuring statements of his administration’s commitment to making Anambra soil more fertile for cultivation added more impetus to the occasion as Ndi-Anambra treated themselves to the roasted yams garnished with ose, ukpaka, azu, utazi, red oil and washed down the throats with fresh palm wine. It was indeed a tranquil atmosphere as traditional rulers, town union leaders, Ohaneze Ndigbo and a host of other persons and groups relished the acrobatic performances of masquerades and various cultural groups from the 179 communities of the 21 local government areas of the state.

Indeed, Soludo had no water in his mouth when he vehemently declared that Ndigbo are not kidnappers instead they are known, adored and respected for hard work and dignity in labour. He described the Iri-ji festival as a means to show to the world what Anambra State has in stock culturally. The governor explained that culture is not just in the dances but a totality of who Ndigbo are interns of what they wear, how they dress, how they talk and their character.

Soludo stated that part of the culture of Ndigbo is the celebration of hard work, stressing that the essence of the new yam festival was a crowning of the hard work of the year; that yam being the king of all crops is being celebrated. He said a core values of Igbo is hard work, integrity and compassion. That Ndigbo are very compassionate set of people and they carry one another along, leaving no one behind.

Soludo stated that the core values of Ndigbo are reflected in his administration’s policies and programmes as seen in the free antenatal and delivery services, free education policies, free distribution of coconut and palm seedlings to empower people for life and a host of other social services

Royal father of the 2023 iri-ji festival of Anambra State and traditional ruler of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, also lent credence to what the governor said about the culture and character of the Igbo nation. Igwe Achebe stated that culture does not reflect only in dances and masquerades but the entirety of their ways of life. He was cognisant that Ndigbo seemed to have jettisoned their core values for the quest for fame and fortunes through fast lanes. Igwe Achebe therefore maintained that the core values of Ndigbo are very important and according to him, there is an urgent need to revert to those core principles Ndigbo are known for even as he disclosed that the Southeast Traditional Rulers’ Council, Representatives of Archbishops and Bishops of Igbo origin are currently brainstorming on the best way possible to restore Igbo core values to enable Ndigbo to rediscover themselves again.

Meanwhile Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, said theiIri-ji festival was a means to promote the cultural heritage of Ndi-Anambra and also unite the people in line with Soludo’s manifesto of creating a liveable, lovable and prosperous home land. Nwabunwanne said he was in agreement with what the governor said that Ndigbo are not kidnappers and that culture is all about uniting one another and uniting the communities for the greater good of all and sundry, adding that the 2023 New Yam Festival of Anambra State was a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs alongside the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Entertainment.

Also the Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Entertainment, Comrade Don Onyenji, appreciated Soludo for his support and ensuring that the iri-ji festival was a remarkable success. Onyenji stated that the governor was absolutely right when he said kidnapping and hostage taking were not part of Igbo culture. That Igbo culture promotes the legitimacy of hard work, diligence and love for one another.

While the masquerades and other cultural dancers entertained Ndi-Anambra who watched the performances with avid attention, the Chairman Ihiala Local Government Area, Hon. Anayochukwu Charles Orjiako, could not withhold his joy and happiness for the successful organization of the 2023 Iwa-ji festival of Anambra State. Orjiako who spoke with our correspondent as he relished the occasion, said new yam festival is an age long tradition of Ndigbo. He said iri-ji festival was even more popular than the Jewish Christmas festival in the preliterate era. He therefore commended Governor Soludo’s idea of bringing Ndi-Anambra together in one celebration to showcase the inevitability and significance of the oneness inherent in Igbo culture and traditions. (Daily Independent)

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