By Chinonso Alozie

Owerri- Igbo leaders in the USA have discovered Costa Ricans, who said they were of Igbo descent.

The Coordinator of Igbo Diaspora Organization Worldwide, Maazi Amadiebube Mbama, disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri, on Wednesday.

Mbama said the visit to Costa Rica was necessitated by an invitation from a national of Costa Rica, Dr Ricardo Mckinze to Dr. Nwachukwu Anakwenze, Onowu na Abagana, requesting the Igbo leaders to come and mentor them on the celebration of New Yam Festival, a demand they made based on the belief that they have a common affinity with the Igbo race hence their desire and hunger to link up with the Igbo people. He stated that the Costa Ricans expressed an open desire to reconnect and bond with the Igbo race as they believe they have a common ancestry with them.

He continued by saying the visit was aimed at deepening the relationship between the Igbo people in the Americas and the Costa Ricans who claimed to be of Igbo origin, especially in the area of impartation of Igbo culture and traditions on the Costa Ricans of Igbo descent.

Mbama said: “We have been working together for over 30 years on Igbo affairs. You came from our race, that is why we are here to connect with you so that we can understand ourselves more and interact more like brothers and sisters. You are our people as your forefathers were also our forefathers”

He expressed their pleasure in discovering their kiths and kins in Costa Rica, explaining that he was visiting the area for the third time due to a burning desire to understand them better. He expressed the hope that the visit would establish a lasting and enduring relationship between them.

Contributing, the leader of the delegation, and Onowu Ndi Abagana, Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, said the visit was primarily to know them and to connect with them. He said: “We want to hook up with them to groom them to imbibe basic Igbo traditions and culture.”

Also speaking, the President of the Council of Igbo States in Americas (CISA), Dr Uzoamaka Josephine Aguoji, disclosed that the organization was packaging a mega event. A Worldwide Igbo Festival of Arts and Culture in July 2025 which she said would offer a platform to showcase Igbo family values and ways of life.

In her comment, a member of CISA, Mrs Claudia Mbama, an African American, said they are curious to know their likes and dislikes which would guide them not only in interacting with them but also in assimilating their ways.