Adah Anam Festival: Igbos Urged to Embrace, Promote Their Rich Cultural Heritage

By Olisemeka Obeche

As thousands of cultural enthusiasts took part in the 2024 edition of Adah Festival and Nzire-Ani (Nzurani) Anam, call have been made to Igbos especially the young generation to embrace and promote their rich cultural heritage.

The message was re-echoed by many participants who spoke to AnambraDaily on the sideline of the festival.

The week-long festival kicked off on 19th December with Adah-carnival eve known in local dialect as ‘Ula-Akpali’, took a carnival turn the next morning when thousands of masquerades and other participants dressed in various costumes and chanting songs took part in the commemoration of Adah carnival across major towns and villages in Anam.

Speaking on the festival, the National Chairman of Anam People’s Assembly (APA), Chief Alexander Okonkwo, told AnambraDaily that Nzire-Ani is a colorful cultural festival that defines the lives of Ndi-Anam.

According to him, Anam people, just like other towns and communities, have their unique cultural festivals which sets them apart from others and there was need for the new generation of Anam people to embrace and celebrate it.

“We are happy that we have one of the most interesting cultural festival, which is Nzireani and our message is that the new generation of Anam people should embrace and promote these festivals whenever it comes up.

“We have seen people traveling home from all over the world to participate in their cultural activities, we want to see that in Anam, because it’s not just for traditional religious people, but all of us because it was a remembrance of a landmark victory that led to sustenance of Anam people,” he adds.

Chief (Barr). Akaue Victor Nwakasi, Palace Legal Adviser/Cabinet Member, Umuenwelum Anam Royal Cabinet Council made similar call: “It is a task for everyone; Ndi Anam, Ndi Anambra, and Nigeria to showcase this exemplary, very colorful festival and the values it connotes and possibly make it an international tourism grade event. Festivals are intricate parts of human life, Nzi reani is part of Anam (Igbo) culture and tradition that must and will continue forever.

“Every society has its tradition, and it is delightful that Anam Youths and people in general have recognized far more than before the significance of Nzireani tradition and now aided by the social media, the spectacular ceremony is about to be globalized.

Engr. Chukwuemeka Nnaemeka, a Historian and Chairman of Umuava Village, Umueze Anam also spoke on the significant of the festival. “Ndi Anam takes this (Nzire-Ani) celebration very serious as it marks their salvation from both flood and external aggressions of Ada and Aboh people. It is the highest celebration in Anam.

On the poor participation by certain classes of people, he said: “It is painful that the advent of Christianity have made Anam and other parts of Igboland to lose their cultural practices thereby destroying what bounded us together and today our people fight within themselves and there is so much disunity amongst ndi Anam today. All crimes alien to Ndi Anam are now rearing their ugly heads in Anam.

“We have rich cultural heritage which must be preserved. Anam people needs to re-invent the wheel of progress”, he adds.

Amaechi Ozoemena, Spokesperson of Umuoba Anam Youths adds: “We are pleading that every Anam person must participate in this historic festival because it is a commemoration of our victory against slave hunters from Abiriba.

Prof. Alex Asigbo, a professor in the Theartre Arts Department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, a native of Oroma-Etiti Anam, shares historic significance of Nzurani Anam and Adah festival.

According to the erudite scholar, Nzireani, also known as Nzurani in Anam dialect which means coming down to earth is the commemoration of the return to dryland and commencement of new farming season.

“The annual inundation of Rivers Niger and Omambala will usually force Anamites to climb up wooden Decks. When the flood abates, they hold Nzireani to commemorate the event”, he said, while also tracing its connection to the Adah festival.

“As you know, the Adah people of Item and Abriba were a menace to the entire Omambala region until they were routed by Nteje. It was the Adah people that forced some persons from different Omambala communities to relocate to the Anam peninsula as Adah people cannot swim. So Anam was a safe haven from the Adah raiders. But then Aboh people started their own raids and they are a riverine people hence a different tactic was required to handle their own threat.

“In other words, Nzireani is used to mark not just survival from the flood but also from the Adah people”, Asigbo adds.

Nonso Ozoemena, a philanthropist from Umuoba Anam also urged illustrious sons and daughters of Anam to not only participate in the festival but also invest to make it a world class carnival. Ugegbe Anam as he is fondly addressed, said: “There is need for our people to promote this event so that the whole world will understand and appreciate the essence of this cultural events.