22/08/2024
IME NNEWI PROGRESSIVES REVIVE ỊGBA ỌDỤKA, AN ANCIENT NNEWI FESTIVAL
Written by Chukwumaife C.F. Okeke-Enyobi
(Nkan'uzu Anaedo) The Director, Nnewi Museum. Thursday 22nd August, 2024
On December 31st, 2024, the sons and daughters of Nnewi, under the banner of Ime Nnewi Progressives, will come together to honor the elderly in the kingdom—men and women aged 80 years and above. Few can recall the last time this beautiful festival, celebrating the blessings of old age, was held.
Life is a cycle: we are born, grow, mature, age, and eventually pass on, often to be forgotten. Because time can feel endless, we mark its passage through clocks, seasons, events, and calendars. In ancient Nnewi Kingdom, various festivals helped us measure time, with some occurring annually—like Iguaro, Igbota, Ikpukpoo, Ime Agwu, Akpudo, Ịlọ mmụọ, and Zuzugbe—while others like Isi Oso and Isi Ebili happen every two years. Ikwu Aru, on the other hand, comes once every seven years. Unfortunately, from the 1920s to the 1940s, the celebration of many of these traditional festivals began to decline.
Ịgba Ọdụka, like other ancient Nnewi festivals, has roots as deep as time itself. The significance of this festival lies in the idea of giving our elders their roses while they can still appreciate them. Minor equivalent festivals such as Isi Ebili and Isi Oso—celebrated by young unmarried girls with strong support from their parents, especially mothers—have not been held in living memory. Each of these festivals has its unique origin, purpose, and significance.
This year, Ime Nnewi invites all Nnewi people, friends, and well-wishers to experience the revived Ịgba Ọdụka celebration. The association is committed to restoring the annual observance of this festival as a way of thanking God for the gift of longevity in the Nnewi kingdom.
With extensive preparations underway, we eagerly anticipate this year's festival.
