Glitz And Glamour Of Iwaji Isuofia Cultural Festival 2014

It was an atmosphere of ecstasy, glitz and glamour as the entire Isuofia Community converged on the Civic Centre to commemorate the 2014 Iwaji Ndi-Isuofia Cultural Festival. Isuofia, one of the communities in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra state in Nigeria is endowed with rich cultural heritage handed down to them by their forebears. 

One of such traditional norms inherited from their progenitors is the New Yam Festival often used as an occasion to express profound gratitude to the gods of the land for bountiful harvest after having toiled in tilling and cultivation of the crop during the planting season. 

Libations were poured and prayers were made in honour of the gods of the land usually done by the eldest members of the family, clan, kindred and what have you inorder to request for more bountiful harvest in the next planting season while celebration rend the air as the new yam were cut and shared amongst the people and they all eat with gusto and relished the joy that came with the new yam.

That ceremony portrayed the fact that yam is the indeed the king of crops and highly revered by the Igbo race and all those who acknowledged its significance. The new yam festival is a cultural identity of the Igbo-speaking people because culture itself derives its definition from the food, language, marriage, clothing, values, mores, beliefs, taboos of a particular people which distinguished them from others. 

The celebration of new yam festival is one out of the numerous cultural values that is peculiar to the Igbos and the occasion afforded a veritable platform for socialization and other forms of inter-personal relationship as people used the occasion to re-unite with families and friends, establish relationships, watch masquerade dance, wrestling competition, cultural dance displays to mention a few while others feast their eyes on other side attractions.

That was the situation at the 2014 Iwaji Isuofia festival spearheaded by the traditional ruler of the community, His Royal Highness Igwe Christopher Moghalu. The festival which began on Thursday 7th August and ended on Saturday 9th August 2014 had virtually all the illustrious sons and daughters of Isuofia community in attendance including the Anambra State 

Commissioner for Environment Chief Everestus Ubah whom the traditional ruler bestowed a Chieftaincy title upon on the occasion. It was indeed an atmosphere of conviviality and fun-fare at the Isuofia Civic Centre where HRH Igwe Christopher Moghalu lifted the roasted new yam up in thanksgiving to the gods and ancestral spirits in Isuofia Land for reaping bountifully for the little they put in the ground amidst cheers from the crowd that thronged the civic centre. Masquerade dance and other cultural performance added glamour to the event. The Anambra State Government was not left out in the celebration

as the State Governor Chief Willie Obiano “Akpokuedike Aguleri” was represented on the occasion by the State Deputy-Governor Dr. Nkem Okeke while Commissioners for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters Hon. Mrs. Azuka Enemo, Information, Culutre and Tourism Chief Tony Onyima, Economic Planning and Budget Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu and Environment Chief Everestus Ubah represented other members of the state executive council at the 2014 Iwaji Isuofia Festival.