Omojuwa is the chief strategist, Alpha Reach/ author Digital Wealth Book

Culture is the totality of a people’s way of life. And it is broadly divided into two, viz material aspect and non-material aspect. The cultural heritage of a people, which is handed down to them from past generations, is their identity, too. 

Here, in Obosi, an ancient town, we have been preserving our cultural practices for many centuries. So, our many different cultural practices, whichever have become our identity, have endeared us to people from other neighbouring towns. 

One of our cultural practices is the Iwaji festival. Simply put, it means thanking God for bountiful harvests from our farms. And it offers the traditional celebrant the opportunity to pray for more plentiful yam harvests in the succeeding farming season. The Iwaji festival is a grand carnival of events that deepens our unity and oneness. 

However, Obosi people who are dispersed to various parts of the globe are still upholding and celebrating the Iwaji festival in their respective countries. 

They celebrate it because it is our cultural heritage that underlines our communal identity. Their celebration of the Iwaji festival in their respective countries of abode fosters the spirit of oneness and unity among them. 

That is the chief reason Dr. Chiedu Uyamadu (Odogwu Obosi), who is one of the custodians of our culture, organized the celebration of Iwaji festival in America. Attired in traditional Igbo clothes, they celebrated the Iwaji festival with fanfare. He used the opportunity offered by their celebration of the festival in America to educate the people on the origins and significance of the Iwaji festival.  

Again, their celebration of the festival in America is a proof that they are not deracinated – that is, they are not uprooted from their cultural environment, not minding the fact that a long distance has separated them from their home country. The fact is that they are fully immersed in the cultural practices and ethos of their home town, Obosi. 

So, Dr. Chiedu Uyamadu’s example of organizing a colloquium on the Iwaji festival and facilitating the celebration of it in faraway America is a commendable act. It is a robust testament to their immersion in the Obosi cultural practices, among which is the Iwaji Obosi festival.

Finally, it is instructive to note that as a man rooted in the culture and tradition of his people, Odogwu Obosi had since obtained the consent of Igwe Obosi to celebrate Iwaji in America, a practice he has maintained since year 2014.

Chiedu Uche Okoye,

ODU Global Official Communicator.