•Stakeholders reaffirm New Yam festival as cultural fabric uniting Igbo
From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Professor Anthony Ani, representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District, has described New Yam festival as a cultural fabric that unites the Igbo people. This is as Okposi people in Ohaozara LG once again displayed their cultural resilience, marking Iri Ji Ovuru (New Yam) festival with pomp and pageantry on August 21, 2025.
Communities in Igboland honour yam, widely referred to as the ‘King of crops’ by their people, every August. Truth is that the Igbo cosmology would be incomplete without such cultural activities like the New Yam festival. Even the Igbo in Diaspora observe the rituals in foreign lands.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0’); });
To Ani, the festival is not only a celebration of agricultural abundance but also a traditional New Year that signals the beginning of another farming cycle. He spoke at New Yam celebrations by the Ezza and Izhi, emphasising that yam deserves utmost respect in line with Igbo customs:
“New Yam festival provides a platform for younger generations to learn traditional dances, songs, and folklores. Yam remains central to marriages and other communal celebrations. This is a feast where our people showcase their pride as successful farmers while also expressing respect, appreciation, and support for one another, especially the elderly in every household.
“The festival is a season of gratitude. Ezza Nation and Izhi clans should be commended for observing peaceful Oke-Aku and Ojiji celebrations. The festival remains a strong unifying factor across Igbo land. Collective efforts are need to preserve the rich cultural heritage.”
In the highly traditional community of Okposi, the Iri Ji festival is beyond a feast because it is the heartbeat of their tradition. This annual festival is majorly seen as the living testament of their ancestors.
Okposi custodian of yam rituals, Chief John Chukwu Agwu, up-scaled the festival including infusing Christian Mass, to the cultural activity: “The church service component is to prove that there is nothing fetish about Iri Ji Ovuru Okposi. Igbo communities should embrace New Yam festival as their central cultural activity.”
This year’s edition did not miss any of the very important traditional components. In fact, after the sacred ritual of presenting the New Yam before the altar of the ancestors by the Ezeji of Okposi, history was again engraved at the Eke Market Square, Okposi.
In the spirit of unity, culture and ancestral reverence, Ezeji Agwu, surrounded by his entourage of traditional supporters, carried forth the dignity of Okposi heritage with honour and pride. They paraded around the market announcing to all and sundry that the ritual was successful while empowering them to now be free to consume the new yam.
They returned in a grand procession to his home where he hosted guests to a variant of sumptuous new yam meals. His wife and Chief Medical Director (CMD), David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital, Uburu, Prof. Mary-Rose, was on hand to provide all the needed support.
What happened in Okposi was more than a cultural display. It was a testament of legacy, unity and continuity. Traditional ruler of Mgbom N’Achara, one of the three component autonomous communities of Okposi, Eze Chukuka Okorie, expressed joy with the efforts aimed at promoting and preserving Okposi Ezinasato cultural heritage.
He was participating in the festival for the first time. He said: “Okposi remains a common entity regardless of the creation of autonomous communities. Common traditions and cultural festivals are the things that bind the people together.”
Culture enthusiast and proprietor, Medico TV, Chukwuma John-Okorie, said: “Iri Ji Ovuru Okposi is the sacred rhythm of gratitude that binds us as a people. To us, yam is not just food yam is the king of crops, the crown of the soil and the pride of the farmer.
“New Yam festival is therefore a time of thanksgiving to the Almighty and our ancestors who tilled the land, sacrificed, and handed us this legacy of harvest. By observing this festival, we honour their memory and uphold their wisdom.
“Each ritual, each chant, each offering carries a voice from the past whispering into the present, ‘never forget who you are. Never abandon the values that fed your fathers and sustained your mothers.’
“It is this continuity of culture that strengthens our roots while giving us wings to soar into the future. For before the yam touches the mouth of the people, it must first touch the altar of the ancestors.”
A stakeholder, Reuben Okorie, said: “My prayer is that the soil yields plenty, may the barns overflow, and may our households never know lack. And may our farmers reap bountifully from their toil.”
The post Okposi relives Iri Ji Ovuru appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
