…Iri ji is a thanksgiving event in Igbo land 

…South East monarchs will consult and set a day for grand finale —Abia monarch

…New Yam festival will boost tourism in Igbo land —Imo monarch

By Anayo Okoli, Steve Oko, Chinedu Adonu, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Chinoso Alozie & Alumona Ukwueze

COMMUNITIES in Igbo land are gearing up for the celebration of the new yam festival. This is a festival so much cherished and revered by Ndigbo. Igbo attach a lot of importance and respect to yam and its significance to their culture and tradition.

Hence communities in Igbo land don’t miss their annual new yam festival, which many communities have turned into a carnival.

This annual ritual is well respected and celebrated in Igbo land that some notable Igbo leaders, including traditional rulers who are the custodians of the culture and tradition, are thinking of engaging the South-East governors to see how the celebration can be enhanced for the good of the region. SEV spoke to traditional rulers and other notable stakeholders on the importance of yam and the new yam festival to Ndigbo.

We will work to upgrade the festival — Enachioken Abiriba

The paramount traditional ruler of Abiriba Ancient Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu, Enachioken Abiriba, noted the importance of yam to Igbo hence the interest in its celebration by the people. He bought the idea of boosting and expanding the new yam festival with a view to turning it to a major carnival in Igbo land. This, he believes, would be a tourist attraction for the region.

Eze Ogbu said the South-East monarchs would consult among themselves with a view to adopting a common day for regional grand finale to boost tourism in the zone.

The initiative, according to him, will help promote regional unity, culture and brotherhood among the Igbo nation. He promised to sell the idea to the Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers for onward transmission to his counterparts in the zone.

The monarch urged South-East governors to support the initiative as part of efforts to boost Igbo culture and tradition, and promote regional integration.

“This is a very wonderful initiative. If we can adopt a common day for new yam festival celebration, it will help promote culture and tourism in Igbo land. South- East monarchs should begin consultations on this. I am in support of this 100% and I will meet with the Chairman, Abia Council of Ndieze to discuss this initiative with him. It is a noble idea and achievable,” the renowned monarch said.

New yam festival can help grow South-East economy, promote peace – Imo Monarch

The traditional ruler of Umuneke-Nna, Ugiri, in Isiala Mbano Council Area of Imo State, Eze Jude Onyenagbaru, also noted the potentials of using new yam festival to grow the economy of the region.

He urged the South-East governors to work with the monarchs and set out a day for grand finale of the festival in Igbo land. This, he also believes would help in promoting the culture and tradition of Ndigbo and also boost tourism.

“We have so many important reasons for celebrating new yam festival in Igbo land. It brings unity. It brings coordination. It is an annual event. Iri ji is a thanksgiving event. In those days, we used the event to thank God, referred to as Akuji, who gave you enough food. Just like as a father or mother, if you give your child something that is good, in return, he or she says ‘thank you.’

“In Igbo land after planting season, when it gets to the point of harvest; first of all, the yam goes to the Chi (God) to thank him for keeping us alive to plant and harvest the yam.

“Also the festival period is used as a time for important discussions and decisions for the development of the community. “We even deliberate on those things government could not do for us  and think of how to do them through communal effort.

“Our governors have to come together and support it because Iri ji festival is more or less a channel of development.

“The governors of the South-East can come together and say if all the towns conclude their new yam festivals, they will fix one day for all the communities to come together and celebrate the Iri ji festival together as the grand finale.

“With this arrangement, many positive things will happen. They will ask each state to come with two or three cultural groups. Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Anambra states will all showcase their cultures. This is a way of developing tourism in Igbo land. This will attract investments both local and international.

“By so doing, our economy will grow; because people from outside Igbo land will come and they will come with money to spend and this will stimulate the economic activities of the region. Even people from Diaspora will also come and spend their money here. That is how we can grow the economy of the region, among other things,” Eze Onyenagbaru said.

Well planned new yam festivals will boost tourism in Igbo land—Traditional prime minister

The traditional prime minister of Ibeku Ancient Kingdom, Umuahia, Abia State, High Chief Uche Akwukwuegbu is of the opinion that a well planned new yam festival in Igbo land would be a huge cultural promotion.

Akwukwuegbu, who is also the National President, Association of Traditional Prime Ministers of Nigeria, noted that new yam festival symbolizes gratitude to God for a bountiful harvest for the year, saying that Igbo attach importance to it because it is a way of thanking God for safe and fruitful farming season.

Chief Akwukwuegbu supports that a common day be adopted for the festival in Igbo land, and that hosting rights be rotated among Igbo-speaking states. This, he said, will promote love, unity and harmony among Ndigbo.

He therefore, urged the South- East governors to help make it work, saying that the same way they attend new yam festival in America and Europe; they should help promote it at home.

“Some of our governors usually visit communities during their new yam festivals. Some attend new yam festival in America and Europe. So, if they come together to support a common day for new yam celebration in Igbo land, it will be fantastic. It will help promote our culture as well as peace and unity among our people. It will also help to promote tourism.”

He, however, warned against the use of dangerous weapons by youths during the festival.

“New yam festival calls for celebration and not fight to cause injuries. Any community involved in violent celebration should be sanctioned. In Ibeku land, we have a penalty for any defaulting community,” he disclosed.

New Yam Festival must be celebrated with yam cultivated by celebrants —Prof. Opata

In his contribution, a professor of African Fiction, Damian Opata said new yam festival must be celebrated with new yam cultivated by the celebrants themselves, not the ones bought from the market.

Prof. Opata stated that the celebration of new yam festival shows the importance of yam as the king of crops in Igbo land. It is not eaten until after the celebration of the festival at “Ohajioku”, the deity responsible for harvest.

He further explained that Ejiji and Abi were the two types of generic yams used for the festival, pointing out that the ritual aspect of the festival is celebrated early in the morning at Obu where the eldest person in the village and his Council of Elders go to Obu with young ones to roast yam and kill a cock which are eaten with palm oil.

Meanwhile, Oba Community, Idemili South Council Area of Anambra State has already held their new yam festival. It was celebrated at the Palace of the late traditional ruler of Oba, Igwe Peter Ezenwa.

The new yam festival was presided over by the Regent of Oba, Prince Noel Ezenwa with the members of the Igwe Oba cabinet.

Speaking to South-East Voice on the significance of the celebration, the regent said: “The significance of the ceremony is the fact that as an agrarian community, we believe that the gods are with us and the yearly celebration of the new yam festival which we call “Iriji” is to give thanks or thanksgiving to God, like most Christians will always give thanks to God when a meaningful event happens in their lives.

“For us, it is mandatory, especially after the rain falls, we start to plant the seedlings in early March or April and by early August, we expect results from our farms and when we get results from the farms; we have to show gratitude to God. We thank him for life; we thank him for the bountiful harvest or results, in terms of giving us what we consider as God’s benevolence.

“This is because if you can feed your family, you have done the utmost, life is all about shelter and being able to feed your family, so we are known to have this culture of celebrating new yam festival very strong in our community, we don’t joke with it; it is a yearly event. Till date, most of us respect that culture and our prayer is that next year, we will do better in our farms, and have richer and more bountiful harvest of the yam which is a major crop.”

For the traditional ruler of Leru-Umuchieze autonomous community in Umunneochi Council Area of Abia State, Eze John Elewechukwu Ogoke Leruo-Anya, new yam festival means “thanking God for keeping us alive from the time of planting to harvesting.”

“In Igbo land, yam is celebrated because it is the chief produce of all the crops in our land. We celebrate yam because it is part of our custom which has been celebrated for more than 200 years before the Advent of Christ.

“Yam is celebrated across the world where we have Igbo communities. The symbol of Igbo land is yam. We achieve a lot in celebrating new yam festival; during the celebration, we showcase our vibrant cultures and educate our young ones on the importance of knowing and preserving the tradition and custom.”

Promote agriculture, tourism through new yam festival, South-East Govs tasked

An Igbo community leader from Ebonyi State, Chief Jerry Obasi also noted the importance of new yam celebration in Igbo culture and tasked the five governors of the zone to join hands and promote it.

He charged them to use new yam festival to promote agriculture and tourism in the zone.

He claimed that most yams consumed during the celebrations are bought and urged the governors to support yam farmers with loans and other incentives to ensure large scale production of yams. He said new yam festival is a mark of Igbo cultural identity.

He lamented that the celebration ought to have been made to serve more benefit to the society than merry-making, and urged the South-East governors to set out a platform and a day for a uniform celebration of the event throughout the five states of the zone.

“New yam festival is the cultural identity of the Igbo man, celebrated wherever Ndigbo reside across the world. It is celebrated without boundaries.

“However, it is regrettable that the new yam has not gone beyond the normal celebrations we are used to, annually. Most of the yams consumed during the new yam celebrations in Igbo land are bought, even in some rural communities. This is against the spirit of the new yam festival. I am using this opportunity to urge the governors to support yam farmers.

“There are many areas we need to adjust. We can turn the Igbo new yam festival to an annual bazaar to boost agriculture and tourism which would in turn boost economic activities in Igbo land.

“The new yam festival can be hosted in turn by states in the zone. It can be like a trade fair and exhibitions where yam farmers from each state would display their produce. Tourists and researchers from across the world can be invited to the event to boost tourism.

“New yam festival in Igbo land should be given more publicity to get more attention and draw tourists. This could improve the economy of the region,” Obasi suggested.