IBAGWA-AKA FESTIVAL OF THE KINGS “EGBA-EZE” AND ITS ATTENDANT MASQUERADE IS A TOURISM OPPORTUNITY WAITING TO BE HARNESSED

By Nkem Ossai

“Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbours into dialogue, they increase creativity, they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being. In short, they make cities better places to live.”

In ancient Ibagwa-Aka, ie (before the coming of Christianity and Islam), the festival of the kings, “Egba-Eze” is the celebration of the ancestors (Progenitors). It was a time to remember one’s past fathers and mothers and his ‘Chi’. It was a kind of worship of the deified ancestors (Igo Nna, Igo Chi na Igo Nne). Literally, translated; it means the worship of one’s transited fathers, mothers and personal god. It is an annual festival supposedly in honour of the kings.

Ibagwa-Aka is the administrative and political headquarters of Igbo-Eze South LGA, Enugu State, Nigeria. It is situated at the North of Enugu State.

During the festival, all married daughters visit their fathers’ place with their children and grandchildren. They come with items like yams, fowls, even goats if one can afford it. Brothers, sisters and son-in-laws also gather in the house of the eldest man in the family for the occasion. At the ceremony proper the ancestors and gods of the land are invited to partake in the occasion with special incantations before a symbolic woden image of the father facing the rising sun.

What is the significance of this gathering of all members of the family and women married away to other places with their husbands and children? It is to form an unbreakable bond between these uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins and indeed all the children born outside by daughters married to other villages and towns to know each other and to consummate a blood bond that looks more like a convenant. This bond gives the growing children the opportunity to know their close relatives and so prevent sexual relations or marriage between close relatives which is seen as abomination or a taboo.

Other aspects of the ‘festival of the kings’ included the very unique arrival of the son-in-laws who, on approaching his father-in-laws house, fires a gun salute as a sign of obeisance to the man who gave his daughter to him in marriage. At the sound of this gun salute, all members of the family would rush out to welcome him. As a tradition, the son-in-law usually arrives late in the evening.

As the custom demands, son-in-laws on their way to their father-in-law’s house for “Egba-Eze festival” are never touched by the Akatakpa masquerade, likewise elders and title holders.

The ancient festival of the kings, “Egba-Eze Ibagwa-Aka” held annually during the month of February has become a uniting force for the adherents of the three main religions in the community. As is evident now, every evening they gather at the town square to enjoy the chasing around and acrobatic displays of the ‘Akatakpa’ masquerade. Other neighbouring communities are not left out as they troupe down to Ibagwa to enjoy the hilarious events.

According to late Igwe Ochigbaru Peter Urama, the people of the old designed the festival to fall after farming season as a resting activity for the predominantly farming population then. Even now, it’s acceptance as a source of recreational activity especially among the youths is no longer in doubt. In fact, the youths long for the festival.

There is now need more than ever to expand the horizon of the festival. What am I saying? I am advocating a radical departure from a mere annual masquerading of chasing people around and about for fun to a viable, more economic and of course social activity capable of engaging the youths meaningfully.

The growing unemployment and endless increase in crime, should be a source of worry to all. This calls for the expansion of the festival to a more beneficial money making event.

There is also need to find ways and means to engage the youth population into something that can be a source of wealth creation for themselves and the community using the opportunity engendered by the festival of the king’s.

Innovation, technology and tourism is what drives development now and possibly in the near future. It has been one of the key drivers of wealth creation for human society ever. It could be recalled that ne of the reasons Ibagwa-Aka seems to be ahead of many communities around, no doubt, was the early arrival of non indigenes from different parts of Igbo land in search of conducive area of economic activity. This was also as a result of the existence of Nkwo Market which then was the economic emporium of Igbo-Eze Region. Empirical evidence shows that without innovation we suffer stagnation in human activities that induces wealth creation.

Given the current state of infrastructural development, sustainably driven by Alh. Jimo Rauf Badamosi in Ibagwa-Aka, the festival can be expanded to a carnival by carefully articulating other youth-influenced, youth-friendly engagements like athletics, football, beauty queen, swimming, local wrestling and dance competitions, packaging them into one event with prize money attached.

Carnival is becoming the greatest art that encourages tourism in Africa. With the relative peace and security we enjoy in Ibagwa, it is going to speed up development. Secondly, if properly planned, it is capable of making way for employment and consequently engender peaceful coexistence, discourage youth idleness, youth restiveness, and prevent them, to a large extent, from engaging in crimes. Furthermore, it can add to the community’s national purse especially now that there is a new stadium courtesy of JRB.

For instance, before the North surrendered their lands to Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers, the Argungu Fishing Festival in Kebbi State attracted people and tourists from different African countries, Europe, Far East and even the US. Above all, the four day event nets in an annual income close to #5 billion Naira. This revenue comes from adverts, gate takings, hotel accommodation and bulk payment revenue from promoters and Ad Agencies who struggle to sponsor it.

Apart, from financial benefits that may be attracted through tourists, it is the quickest way to bring in investors and big investments from outside. In addition to the above, festival/carnival helps in preserving a people’s tradition and promotes their culture beyond natural boundaries as it equally serves as a window through which distant lands understand a people.