EYIRI EYI OBOHIA FESTIVAL 2023: REKINDLING AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE VALUES AND SPIRIT OF OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE IN PRESENT-DAY SOCIETY

BY: REV. FR VAL CHIMA ANYANWU (PHD)

Introduction

Cultural festivals are essential part of human activities in the society. They have a function of providing a good vehicle to strengthen unity, narrate the community's history, give sense of identity and improve good human relationship. Given this function, more and more communities hold festivals and events with the aim of solidifying their communal bond and communicate their culture and cultural heritage both to the younger generations and to the outside communities as well. In the contemporary era, more and more clans and communities are increasingly using festivals and events to attract visitors, investments and improve development as well as boosting local economy.

Eyiri eyi OBOHIA cultural festival is one unique cultural festival adorned with special features and interesting cultural aesthetics that make it a special vehicle of peace, love, unity and development to Obohia clan in particular and the Nigerian society. Hence, we are here to X-ray beautiful nature of this cultural festival as well as to ascertain how the values of Eyiri eyi festival could be consolidated for the socio-cultural and economic benefits of the people.

Historical Background of Obohia as a People

 According to Anyanwu (2021), the history of Obohia has a direct link with the Origin of Ekwerazu clan where Obohia stem from. Based on oral tradition the progenitor of Ekwerazu clan is Dim. Dim is believed to be among the sons of Ogwugwu Obolo. He decided to make his abode close to the river due to the fact that he was inclined to fishing. Dim married three wives, and it was the third wife that gave birth to Okrirka and Obomegbulem (called Obohia). Obomegbulem is believed to be the last child of Dim (Ekwerazu).

Furthermore, oral tradition has it that the name “Obohia” came to be because Obomegbulem the last child of Dim (Ekwerazu) who was hardworking and inclined to farming chose to make his own abode inside a thick forest due to the nature of the land he found there. In addition, the place was very fertile for farming due to its proximity to streams located in the area (Anyanwu 2021). When his other brothers noticed that their brother Obomegbulem had taken his abode inside the thick forest, they began to make mockery of him by referring to him as “Obom bi n’ime ohia” (that is Obom who lives in the bush). Thus as time went on both himself and his progenies came to be known as “Obohia”.

Obomegbulem (Obohia) had five sons, these five sons begot the five communities of Obohia as their descendants, and they are Ihitte (the first son), Elekenowasi, Amaiyi, Umuedo and Umuihuocha. Also within the five villages are found seventeen kindreds that are traditionally and culturally symbolic (Anyanwu 2021). They include; Ihitte-na-Aru, Umugara, Umuduruji, Umuebirinwa, Ndiowerre, Umuokoroafor, Umuloo, Dimnachi-na-Aru, Umuahuma, Umuowasi, Umuduru, Umuoparaduru, Umuamaranoo, Umuofeze, Umuebejileme, Umuodomoche, and Umuofum. Currently Obohia clan has four autonomous communities; Amano Obohia, Elekenowasi Obohia, Umuihuocha Obohia and Umuedo Obohia.

A Brief Background of Eyiri Eyi Obohia Festival

Eyiri eyi Obohia is a cultural festival celebrated by the people of Obohia Ekwerazu in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, South East Nigeria. This unique cultural celebration normally takes place on the second Nkwo Obohia market day in the month of August every year. As the name suggests, it is a festival agreed and fixed by the ancestors of Obohia (the Eyiri Eyi) which unites the people together as those of a common origin (Anyanwu 2021). Eyiri Eyi is an age-long festival that started from time immemorial, for it is indeed difficult to trace the actual date the festival started. All the people interviewed will always refer to it as a celebration that started long ago with our ancestors as the originators. You will always hear people say “Anyi loro Uwa lokwute Eyiri eyi” (we came into the world and met the celebration of Eyiri eyi). This shows that Eyiri eyi is part of the history of Obohia.

However, there is a strong belief based on oral tradition that Eyiri Eyi Obohia has a link with Ezeala Ogugo the chief deity of Obohia clan. This tradition has it that it has to do with the marking of the day Ezeala Ogugo eats his new yam. Eyiri Eyi Obohia then came up as a results of an agreement by the elders of the land then to have a collective feast that will bring the people together as one. This practice was very common within the ancient African traditional societies. All their ceremonies and celebrations were directly or indirectly linked to the gods of their land. In the case of the ancestors of Obohia then, Ezeala Ogugo was their chief deity hence the celebration of his new yam was the celebration that brought them together.

In addition, there is another oral tradition that has it that the choice of Ezeala Ogugo by the ancestors of Obohia clan became more necessary and worth doing based on the role, he played in the protection of the community. It was believed that the deity led the people to win battles upon battles and that the people were so amazed and impressed. To show their appreciation they decorated his throne with twenty feathers of eagle. Thus, the title Ogu-ugo means twenty eagles, which were represented by the twenty eagle feathers (Anyanwu 2021). Based on this also, the ancient people of Obohia clan decided and generally agreed to adopt the celebration of his new yam and significantly resulted in the generally agreed celebration of Eyiri Eyi.

Eyiri Eyi Obohia cultural festival has four major parts or stages in its celebration. The first three stages of preparations, they cover a period of four market weeks, and they include:

1. The fall of “Oji Ezeala” and its ritual – the first stage

2. The blowing of “Ntumere Eyiri Eyi “ – the second stage.

3. The “Ike Ebo Eyiri Eyi” – the third and last stage preparation.

4. The actual Eyiri Eyi celebration.

(For further explanation of these part and stages, you may confer my book; it is explained elaborately there.)

To summarize this brief history of Eyiri Eyi Obohia Festival I can say for now we have three period in the history of Eyiri Eyi celebration and these three period are:

The Foundation Period

This covers from the period when the festival was initiated by our forefathers through the period of its celebration by the ancient people of Obohia before colonialism and partly during the era of colonialism to the period Christianity came to Obohia towards the end of the first world war (between 1916 and 1918). Just like in many African traditional societies, the advent of Christianity brought a paradigm shift in the belief system and culture of the people of Obohia contact with Christianity and European civilization pushed people to abandon their traditional faith and culture. There was increase in the number of converts to Christianity, which resulted in roots since it was linked to Ezeala Ogugo, chief deity of Obohia. Consequently, many Christian converts in Obohia were no longer proud to celebrate their cultural heritage (Anyanwu 2021).

The Revival and Christianization Period

Shortly after the civil war, the history of Eyiri Eyi Obohia took another dimension. The celebration of the festival was not only revived but also Christianized. Armed with his knowledge of inculturation, the first indigenous Priest of Obohia Very Rev. Msgr. Donald Sunday Okoro of blessed memory made his people to understand the need for them to make Eyiri Eyi the celebration of Christians, for God dwell in every culture and we ought to worship God in our culture. Members of the Obohia Development Front (O.D.F.) equally played a special role towards the revival of Eyiri Eyi as they beckoned on one of them, Sir Amam Acholonu, to embark on the first published research on Eyiri Eyi Obohia and this was done in 1974. With the revival and Christianization, the mindset of many Christians in Obohia towards the festival began to assume a constructive dimension.

The Development and Consolidation Period

This is the current period we are in now. I will say that this period is a work in progress. Some illustrious sons of Obohia decided to take the initiative in constituting themselves into Eyiri Eyi Obohia Council. (This group indeed was a child of necessity, which came into being in 2020). Their aim is to take Eyiri Eyi Obohia celebration to a higher level. This involves giving Eyiri Eyi international recognition, taken cognizance of the fact that we are in a digital age. Interestingly one of the offshoot of this move is the Eyiri Eyi public lecture which is currently going on and which is at its second edition. At this current period, Eyiri Eyi has been extended from being a one day celebration to a weeklong celebration with lots of cultural activities and side attractions.