By Vincent Ujumadu, Chidi Nkwopara, Anayo Okoli

AWKA—ACROSS Igbo land,   the annual mothers congresses are held in the month of August which  witnesses massive home-coming of Igbo women to their marital rural home towns. There,  they are expected to unite with their rural-based colleagues for community development purposes. These  meetings truly typify the rise of women as a social force and their conscious pursuit of development.  But, how truly participatory are they?

August-meeting

Although the meetings are conceived to unite the women-folk and to address issues of land dispute, marital disputes, family problems, and community development, to some of these women,  the popular August Meeting practised in Igbo land has become a period for women to fleece their husbands.

Many Igbo have argued that although the ideals of the meeting are commendable, most women now use it as a means to rip off their husbands, thereby creating problems in the family. Ichie Nwapkuno, who lives in Lagos, said some women now see it as a period to show off affluence and material prosperity. 

“Some of our wives think it is a time for them to flaunt financial muscle with reckless abandon, thereby pushing less financially blessed ones among them to do very unthinkable things just to meet up

Marriages andbusinesses

“August Meetings have broken many homes and ruined  marriages and businesses,” he said. A pentecostal pastor of Igbo descent opined  that most women engage in untoward acts during this period just to go with the bandwagon. ”You know how vain some women are. Every woman likes to meet up with others. Nobody wishes to be intimidated by other women. Both the poor and the rich wish to meet up with the fashion of the time. And for them, they must meet up.

Women  care about their looks and if their  husbands cannot provide for  what they want, some will start to  look elsewhere just to satisfy themselves, thereby causing problems in the house. ”Many of them would go to the extent of stealing, prostituting, and doing all sorts of evil, just to meet up with others. Many borrow money, clothes, some other things in their bid  to meet up, and thereby disgracing their husbands,” the pastor said.

At August meetings, women  compete with one another to know who will wear the best clothes, handbags, shoes, earrings, necklace and so on. Women don’t joke with this and that is very bad.

Are you aware  some women have abandoned their homes or threatened to leave their husbands in a bid to force them to part with money to enable them attend the meeting?Indeed, August Meetinghas a critical mandate in Igbo political affairs and represents the socio-economic and cultural development initiative of women.

Culturaldevelopment

In some communities, the church has been involved  to make August Meeting more formidable. In an interview she granted  last year, a woman leader  Mrs. Anthonia Chukwuneta, said that one of the paramount reasons for August Meeting is to fashion out ways to see that God’s family (the church) is streamlined in the best interest of God, that is, to work in harmony as one family of God. She also said it was an opportunity  to inculcate in their children the respect for and following of God Almighty and our Blessed Mother, Virgin Mary in whose name the August Meeting is rooted.

August-meeting

Mrs. Chukwuneta further  stated that it was on the church’s directive in commemoration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary body and soul on August 15. It started through the order of Pope John XII, that the period be observed thus to accord the Blessed Virgin Mary special honour as someone who lived a virtuous life while on earth; did the will of God, nurtured our Lord Jesus Christ who brought salvation to the whole world.

So we are following her example to train our children in the love and fear of God and honour to the Blessed Mother, to be useful citizens.

She stated that August Meeting is observed in the whole universe, explaining that it was the Pope in Rome that started it. It is not observed in Igbo land alone.

Wealth ofknowledge

Mrs. Chukwuneta also stated that August Meeting embraces every married and wedded woman; there is no exemption, adding that although in some places, women are divided into groups  to avoid putting a strain on the women participating in the meeting every year as their number grew tremendously.   She  debunked allegations  that what they go to August Meeting to do is to exhibit wealth and attire, explaining that it might be so in the past.

Our church leaders in their wealth of knowledge, discovered not everyone of them is with such motive, hence they ordered that such meeting be attended in the Diocesan uniform to avoid such tendencies and to ensure that what we do is what we are expected to do. Explaining when in the month of August the meeting should kick off, she said that it is according to the agreement or arrangement of the various towns or dioceses.

Some commence theirs in the first, second or third week of August. Nnewi diocese meeting is in the second week of August. Then Orlu, first week, Owerri Archdiocese, third week. It depends on the area one comes from.

In Imo, it’s a swinging August for women

WOMEN’S August Meeting has no doubt, become a yearly ritual. It is not too clear who actually mooted the idea of gathering women every August, in Imo State and got the ball rolling, but the month has also turned to be a significant period in the calendar of the Igbo of the South East geo-political zone of Nigeria.

A school of thought has it that August Meeting originated from church meetings arranged and attended by women in Igboland. These women, it was believed, had the intention of participating fully in the development of the church and welfare of priests. South East Voice also gathered that with the passage of time, this initial intentions later snowballed into an all-embracing outing for women. The content and programme equally shifted from a purely religious one to a social, economic activity and development of the human infrastructure.

Humaninfrastructure

Seminars, workshops, exhibitions, health and pep talks, physical exercises, cultural dances, conflict resolutions and peace building exercises are some of the very prominent activities of the women during the August Meeting. Following the prominence and priority attached to this meeting, Igbo women now use it to discuss and fashion out ways of developing themselves, their respective families and transforming their communities.

From all intents and purposes, August Meeting is, therefore, a genuine clarion call made by women to themselves, to constructively build their homes and communities, as well as transform themselves. It is a time they engage their husbands, children, homes, towns and the society positively.

For the President of Udo Diri Ndom Umuoyima, Mrs. Edith Achodo, “August Meeting is a gathering where we effectively utilize relationships and informal networks that ultimately lead to the achievement of our common goals.” Mrs. Achodo affirmed that women have been able to achieve great strides through August Meetings, pointing out that women are celebrated, empowered financially, equipped spiritually and socially, while also their health enhanced.

“This meeting has truly helped us to foster harmony, unity and peace, which are necessary ingredients for  development in any community. Through this meeting, women are mentored by their more experienced colleagues to adopt healthy marital and parental relationships,” Mrs. Achodo said.

Reflecting also on the purpose of August Meeting, the President General of Udodiri Ndom Owere, Mrs. Ifeoma Anokwu, said that “apart from instituting development projects, we assign roles to women that will ultimately grow collaboration and team work for the achievement of common goals.”

Commongoals

Continuing, Mrs. Anokwu said that women are constantly reminded of their roles as good mothers and charged with the responsibility of sustaining their God-given responsibilities.

“We normally caution ourselves against unruly and negative behaviours that sadly debase womanhood. We remind ourselves that we are not only the builders of society, but also the companions of our husbands and children. We also challenge ourselves to remain focused and forge ahead, despite varying challenges of life and living,” Mrs. Anokwu said.

It’s a catalyst for rural devt in Abia

UMUAHIA—The Annual Women August General Meeting in the South East geo-political zone has turned out to be a major catalyst for rural development in many communities in the zone.

Begun some years back as a mere women’s gathering to interact and know one another due largely to the entrepreneurial mobility of the people from the zone which makes them settle in all nooks and crannies of the country. So the women in their wisdom designed this annual general meeting to be a forum where they return in mass to get together, know and visit one another.

But over the years the meeting metamorphosed to become a major event across the communities in the entire South East zone. It had turned to a much more useful forum, a forum for rural development initiatives, change catalyst for peace and unity.

Peace andunity

Umuada Ndigbo in diaspora

In some states, like Abia, the meeting had developed to the level that it is now being coordinated by the government through the Office of the Governor’s wife. In some states some non-governmental organizations, NGOs, work closely with these women groups to fight some ills of the society, especially the archaic and harmful practices against women, particularly widows being witnessed in some parts of Igbo communities.

Besides, the women have engaged in development projects in their various communities such as building/renovation of community health centres, schools, civic centres and town halls, among others. The women during the period organize education and enlightenment sessions on health challenges such as child maternity, diarrhoea and other epidemic as well as resolve disputes in their communities, especially between traditional rulers and town union leadership which in most cases frustrate rural developments.

Perhaps, one greatest impact of the August Meeting is that it has created some NGOs crusading against some harmful traditional and cultural practices against women, especially widows. In some communities in the zone, women are made to suffer untold hardship on the death of their husbands. Some of them are made to lose their legal inheritance, some are made to undergo and observe some obscene and unnatural practices and stay indoors for upwards of one year, mourning the dead.

Through this annual meeting, the women have been able to have some of these harmful practices changed. Though it is not yet Uhuru for widows, the meeting has made inroads and is indeed still working hard to abolish all the harmful practices against women.

Harmfulpractices

Last month, the wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, after declaring open the central women meeting in Umuahia, the state capital, went round some of the communities to address their gathering on the need for peace, unity and contribution to rural development. Addressing the Ibeku Egwu Asa Women, Mrs. Ikpeazu commended them for their mobilization role during the last elections in the state and urged them to continue to give the government support.

She told them that they are an important arm of the progressive union which contributes towards the development of communities and urban centres. Also addressing the Ngwa la Ukwa women, Mrs. Ikpeazu urged them to support Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, saying the administra tion is gender sensitive and assured that the interest of women would be well represented.