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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
The popular and culture-rich Ohworhu cultural festival, tagged, ‘Ohworhu Edjukpe 2024, of the Unenurhie people, Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State was successfully celebrated on September 19, 2024, with a call to Urhobo people and Deltans “to always promote their culture, like every other ethnic groups in the country, in order not to lose our cultural identity and history as a people.”
Addressing newsmen at the dancing arena, where thousands of dancers and enthusiasts gathered, president-general of Unenurhie community, Mr. Peter Maison, called on Unenurhie indigenes and Urhobo people in general to promote every aspect of their culture, as according to him, culture is “our identity, history and origin.
“Today, you can see the festive mood amongst all my people especially the youths. Everybody is today happy because of this Ohworhu cultural festival. We are calling on our people especially the youths who are the leaders of tomorrow to always be on part of cultural promotion. I’m Anglican by faith. But as the president-general of this community, I can’t advise my people to abandon the celebration of Ohworhu cultural festival. And at the same time too, I won’t support the promotion of fetish activities and idol worshipping in this land. As a community, we have fully dedicated our entire community to the Almighty God. What we are doing here today is not idol worshipping. It’s purely the celebration of our annual cultural festival. We can’t hesitate to lose our culture as a group of people. On this note, I want to happily thank all our dignitaries and invited guests that are are here to celebrate this cultural festival with us. We are all happy to be here.”
Also speaking during the cultural celebration was the chief priest of the Ohworhu eponymous deity, Olorogun Terry Jabin who was also the “Deputy Defence Minister” of Unenurhie community. He thanked all his invitees and religious fans for their support to him in this Ohworhu cultural festival.
“First, let me thank all my invitees and religious fans. They are always with me for financial support and other activities. I also want to thank the leadership of this community. They are indeed very consistent with the planning of this feast. In the same time, I want to called on all Unenurhie people that are Christians and pastors to be religious tolerance. They shouldn’t punish or ostracize any of their members for joining us in the celebration of this Ohworhu festival. The festival belongs to all the people of the community, even though there is a spiritual part that we also partake. The festival is a 14-day celebration of different cultural activities. This masquerade dance you are seeing today is the first and major activity in the festival. We still have other cultural activities to showcase in this period. You are all welcome!”
To round up these media chats with newsmen during the cultural festival, was the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community, His Highness, James Amuke. He was in the feast with his lovely Queen and members of his family, traditional chiefs and council members, and other guests invited from neighbouring communities and other areas.
“As the traditional ruler of the Unenurhie people, I’m the chief custodian of the people. I was just installed not quite long. This is the first Ohworhu cultural festival I’m partaking as the new Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community. I’m very happy as all my children and other family members joined me here to celebrate the Ohworhu festival together in joy and happiness. I want to happily call on all Unenurhie people, anywhere they are residing, to usually come home at a time like this especially their children and wards to experience this festival as it’s part of our history and origin as a people. They shouldn’t present all our cultural festivals, traditions and customs to their children as archaic, fetish and old fashioned. In this way, the Delta state government should make provision to promote all our cultural festivals with modern media and information technology. Once again, I welcome all of you to this 2024 Ohworhu Edjukpe festival.”
Others who spoke commended the organizers of the this year’s Ohworhu cultural festival of the Unenurhie people. Cultural enthusiasts and invited guests said that, they enjoyed every part of the festival celebration, ranging from the drummers and singers, all dancers and finally, the masqueraders from the two major quarters of Enurhie and Uruwheru that made the community. The Unenurhie people usually believe that, the masqueraders were from the river, and not human beings. According to the oral history of the Unenurhie people, the Ohworhu cultural festival was established by Achophor, one of the forebears of the Unenurhie community as a masquerade dance and accompanied with eponymous deity. The festival was graced with thousands of people from different communities across the Urhobo and Isoko ethnic groups and others from the Niger-Delta region.
