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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
The annual Ohworhu cultural festival of the Unenurhie people in Evwreni kingdom, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State took place recently with the community leadership calling on the federal and state governments to support the organization of cultural festivals in local communities.
The community further sought for sponsorship from private sector cultural promoters across the state, Nigeria and beyond.
Fielding questions from newsmen during the masquerade dance at the community arena, president-general of Unenurhie community, Mr. Peter Maison, said he was glad that the festival was celebrated peacefully and successfully without trouble from any corner of the community.
He said: “I’m really happy today for our annual Ohworhu cultural festival to be celebrated in peace and happiness without any rancour.
“The Ohworhu cultural festival is a masquerade dance usually celebrated once in a year in the month of September. It’s a kind of a new yam festival to usher in peace and great harvest to the community indigenes.
“The cultural festival is part of our culture as independent and indigenous community and you know that culture is the total way of life. The cultural festival was established by our forefathers and we can’t allow it to go into extinction in our time. This is why we need to protect and promote it in a time like this.
“Everybody is happy as you can see them dancing and jubilating. Let me at this time, on behalf of my executive body and the entire community thank all members of our neighbouring communities that joined us in this celebration. It shows the cordiality and peaceful relationship amongst us as a people. In the same way too, I want to thank all my guests and cultural enthusiasts that are here. My youths won’t be left out. I commend them for their immeasurable support throughout the festival to maintain peace and order.”
When asked if the Ohworhu cultural festival is idol worshipping, the president-general said, “Not at all. It’s never idol worshipping. We shouldn’t attach fetish practices to it. All I know as an indigene and leader of the community about this cultural festival is totally part of our culture.
“We are not making any sacrifice to any deity here. After this gathering here, I don’t know of any other thing other than this celebration and merriment. In fact, this has become a point of argument and debate amongst Christians and pastors in the community. In the Holy Bible, didn’t we read that Jesus Christ participated in the Feast of Tabernacles in the book of John chapter seven? What is the difference between that very feast and this our own? Therefore, I want to beg Christian leaders to stop looking at the celebration of this cultural festival as a form of idol worshipping. It’s actually discouraging many people especially the youths from participating in the cultural festival,” he said.
Also speaking during the cultural festival, an opinion leader in the community, who is also a member of the Odion’Rode Council of Chiefs/Elders, Engr. Frank Imudje, asked the Delta State government, through the ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to make it compulsory for both primary and secondary schools in the state to organize a cultural show as an end of academic session activity.
According to the elder statesman, it would “create the spirit, love and zeal of participating, protecting and promoting our cultural festivals in our children as the leaders of tomorrow in our various communities.”
He also opined that the state government through the ministry of culture and tourism should organize a competition on cultural festivals amongst the different communities and kingdoms across the state.
In the same vein, the chief drummer of the Ohworhu cultural festival, Dr. Johnson Abrucha, and a traditional chief of the Ohworhu deity, Olorogun Johnson Efedudu, thanked the president-general of the community, Mr. Peter Maison, for his commitment and dedication to the leadership of the community in promoting peace and progress among the people, including initiating different projects around the community.
The duo further extended their gratitude to guests, cultural enthusiasts and sons and daughters of the community from diaspora that took time off their schedule to join the community to celebrate the cultural festival.
They pleaded with indigenes of the community that are well placed in the society and corporate organizations especially those in the entertainment industry in the country to give attention to the sponsorship of the Ohworhu cultural festival in order to bring the cultural festival to international level and to make it an income generating source for the community.
The Ohworhu cultural festival was held on September 19, 2021 and ended with the masquerades displaying their various scintillating styles in the dancing arena to the joy and admiration of all.
