The cultural heritage of Umuoji was displayed at this year’s new yam festival of the community.
The festival took place at the l Palace of the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Cyril Enweze, and had in attendance people from both government and traditional institutions.
In an atmosphere that reflects one of the most cherished Igbo traditions the Igwe’s Palace was beaming with life as the unique sound of Ufie music emanating from large wooden gongs, gave the
occasion a defining setting .
Governor Willie Obiano, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Chieftaincy, Town Union Matters and Community Mobilization, Barrister Vera Okonkwo, noted that the relevance of New Yam to the Igbo cultural identity remains invaluable.
The Governor said occasions like the New Yam also provide a platform for communal unification and noted that the present administration is poised to backing policies that strengthen cultural growth and development.
Igwe Enweze in his speech described Iri Ji as an ancient Igbo culture and traditional statutory in Igbo land that the traditional ruler heralds the feast, after which his cabinet members and subjects can eat the new yam.
The monarch also allayed concerns about certain cultural misconceptions regarding the festival and other rites, arguing that there is a huge difference between the unique Igbo cultural norms and
what is perceived as fetish.
A former Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chief Maja Umeh, said that the immemorial position of yam as king of crops among other farm produce, formed its celebration across all in Igbo Land
Some of the traditional rulers who graced the event, including Igwe Patrick Mbamalu Okeke of Abagana and Igwe Dr Innocent Obodoako of Agulu, called for a renewed zeal in promoting Igbo cultural heritage in view of the confronting difficulties of the Igbo identity.
The President General, Umuoji Improvement Union, Dr Victor Anyaegbuna, and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra Broadcasting Service, Nze Uche Nworah, said the occasion, apart from its traditional imperative, enhance cultural reorientation and sets a course of interaction among the members of the community.
The highlight of the event was the official cutting of the new yam by the traditional ruler as well as other cultural performances.
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