By Olisemeka Obeche
Dr. Uba Iwunwa (Queen Ugobeze), a Nigerian-Canadian peace ambassador, music artiste, actress and international-bestseller author, has called for holistic and concerted effort towards the rekindling and promotion of Igbo culture and history, as a way of preserving the socio-cultural heritage of Ndigbo.
Uba, founder and chairperson of Ikenga Abiama Dynasty Foundation, a Pan-Igbo humanitarian and socio-cultural group, made the call from her base in Canada in a goodwill message for the commemoration of the 2023 edition of the Eri World Cultural Festival, slated to take place at Aguleri in the Anambra East local government area of Anambra state.
The crowned queen mother described the festival for the celebration of the culture and tradition of Eri, the progenitor of the Igbo race, as an annual event that men and women of Igbo origin, at home and in the diaspora, should be proud of and promote.
“My culture is my pride and identity. Eri Festival is the cultural heritage of Igboland in honour of Eri, the progenitor of the Igbo ethnic nation. As we all know, culture is the social heritage of any society which reflects the core identity of its norms and values. And Eri festival is one of those socio-cultural events of the year that I look forward to because it resonates with me as a daughter of the great Igbo nation with some historical connection to the Jews.
“I am also happy with the fact that efforts were being made to commemorate the Eri festival every year by His Royal Majesty, Eze Chukwuemeka Eri, Ezeora the 34th (Aka-Ji-Ofor Ndigbo). It’s my opinion that sons and daughters of the Igbo nation across the world should also cherish and celebrate Eri Festival.
Uba, who takes pride in her cultural background and devotes her life and creativity towards the promotion of African cultural diversity and heritage as well as her work of charity through her foundation, appealed to political, traditional, spiritual leaders and other stakeholders across Igboland and worldwide, to treat their culture, history and ancestry with deep respect and also project it.
“Our culture is our identity. We cannot afford to allow our history and culture go into extinction or degenerate. We should rekindle and promote our culture with every sense of pride. Nobody can do that for us”, she said.
Uba, also urged the Anambra state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as well as his counterparts across the southeast, to work collaboratively in promoting the festival and other great events that project the rich cultures and traditions of Igboland.
She said, “I’m happy with what we have seen recently of the Obi Onitsha Ofala festival. It’s time to give other festivals like that of Eri kingdom (and others across the Igbo land) greater recognition and promotion.
This is important, she said, particularly as others, “The Yorubas, the Binis, the Fulani emirates, the Calabars, even the Itsekiris and so on, have succeeded in projecting their traditions and festivals to global limelight and we are lagging behind. That is why I am calling on our state governors to rally behind organisers of these festivals to give them global projection,” she stressed.
AnambraDaily reports that the festival usually kicks off with some cultural cleansing where Eze Chukwuemeka Eri (Ezeora 34th), moves to the Omambala River to bathe very early in the morning in preparation for the occasion. The monarch and his cabinet members also visit some historical places in the kingdom, such as Miraculous Aguve Trinity (A tree with three trunks but standing on one root), the grave of second Eze Eri, the Utunzu Aguleri, the Atta Abode – where the founder of Igala kingdom allegedly left before instituting Igala kingdom in present-day Kogi state, among others.
According to the historical account given by the traditional ruler of the kingdom, Eri, the father of Igbo race lived, died, and was buried in Aguleri where he called home, many centuries ago. He adds that, from Aguleri, Eri children started travelling outside to form their various communities across the globe.
Eze Eri said that despite all the challenges of modernisation, they had chosen to carry out the responsibility of observing the original Eri culture and tradition day in order to showcase, amplify and project its values onto the world stage.
He called on Ndi Igbo all over the world to come together and live with one spirit and make peace among themselves, because the Igbo have more in common than differences.
