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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
(Additional reports by Amos Okioma, Yenagoa)
The great and ancient Uwheru kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State recently celebrated a special cultural festival, known as ‘Ephorichiyi,’ with a call on Christians to always respect culture.
The festival, according to our correspondents, “is to cleanse the land of evil and usher in peace and blessings among Uwheru indigenes and residents.”
‘Ephorichiyi’ cultural festival, which was held on August 1, 2022, is usually held once in every two or three decades with Ehere quarters as the principal and major celebrants in the kingdom.
The rich cultural festival which many described as glorious and glamorous brought together many Uwheru sons and daughters, both at home and in the Diaspora and many cultural lovers and enthusiasts from across the country to catch a glimpse of the colourful celebrations and festivities.
The Ephorichiyi festival which was laced with a lot of cultural activities, such as traditional dances by men, women and children in each of the five major quarters making up Uwheru kingdom, was also spiced with visits to family members and friends, veneration of ancestral spirits and forebears by family elders, prayers and sacrifices to dignified deities in the land, hosting of visitors and guests by individuals, families and at the quarters level and other important festivities.
However, the grand finale of the entire festivities and cultural activities making up the Ephorichiyi festival was the making of the clothing canopy.
This was a 1km booth built by the Ehere quarters with different clothing materials. People dressed in various traditional attires, ranging from traditional chiefs, respected community leaders, men, women, youths and children, were under the clothing canopy, which was raised by young men with decorated sticks.
These beautifully dressed Ehere people, with hand fans, horse whips and other traditional regalia, under this clothing canopy, danced right from their quarters to Egbo quarters, the last quarters of Uwheru kingdom, chanting sonorous songs and releasing canon shots intermittently at designated places, all to the admiration of lovers of cultural festivals.
Indeed, the candour, glamour and the beauty and tranquility of the cultural festival, matched with the dancing steps of the participants, was second to none and an event to seen by Africans and Europeans alike.
Speaking to our correspondent immediately after the long procession of the dancers back to Ehere quarters, as is the practice, a senior officer with the NDLEA and Uwheru-born traditional chief, a lover and promoter of Uwheru culture, Olorogun Cassius Efe Okiki said: “This special cultural festival is called Ephorichiyi. This means cleansing the land of all steps after a bull had been sacrificed to our mother deity of Onidjor.
“It is celebrated once in every two or three decades. The last one before this one was celebrated in 1991. You can see that not all these young people and children saw it. And too, some of those people that participated in that one of 1991 were no more. So it’s a happy thing to witness this very one.
“Another significance of this cultural festival is that, we the Ehere people are the major celebrants. It is the festival to showcase your economic worth and high standard of living. You can see our people dressed with their new and most beautiful attires.
“Again and again, let me make it clear here that respecting or participating in cultural festivals of this kind has nothing to do with paganism or fetish practices. It’s purely our ways of life. We are born to meet it and we must also pass it to the next generations to avoid sudden extinction. This belief by many Christians that we are serving idols is discouraging so many people from participating in our cultural festivals and celebrations especially our youths.
“Uwheru have many cultural festivals like Ade wresting festival, Urhiude fishing festival, Ore festival and this very Ephorichiyi festival. We need to promote and protect them with even modern media technology,” he said.
Another highly respected Uwheru chief that also spoke to our correspondent during the celebration was Chief Simpson Obruche from Erovie quarters of Uwheru kingdom. Chief Obruche who is a patron of Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) and a board member of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) in London, United Kingdom lauded the Ehere people especially the planning committee of the cultural festival for showcasing the best to the world this year.
“I’m very happy to witness yet another Ephorichiyi cultural festival. I have sojourned to the United Kingdom for so many years now. But I always love to promote and protect Urhobo culture. I always come home during every cultural festival or social activity of my community or of the Urhobo people.
“This very cultural festival is with us since the beginning of time. Christianity as a religion came to meet these our cultural festivals. And so, it’s wrong for us to remove them from our ways of life. One of the importance of this cultural festival is to unite us in love and in sharing together. Uwheru are very hospitable and generous people. We always love our neighbours by sharing whatever we have together in love and happiness.
“Another importance of the festival is to usher in peace and unity in the kingdom. At every time when this particular festival is celebrated, good things and government projects are always established.
“Therefore, I want at this time to call on the Delta State government, corporate organizations and even individuals to invest in our different cultural festivals as they can generate revenue for the development of the land and also create employment for our children. The ministry of culture and tourism is not trying in this area at all. The ministry should put it more efforts to promote these kinds of cultural festivals across the state,” he said.
Chairman of the festival’s planning committee, Chief Sir Edwin Ojareri, who also spoke during the event on behalf of the Odion of Ehere Ruling House, His Highness, Chief Joseph Osiobe, called on sons and daughters of Uwheru kingdom to accept in totality the celebration of all Uwheru cultural festivals, adding that they are legacies to be passed to the younger generations.
He also thanked all Ehere elders and leaders for giving them the needed support throughout the preparation for the festival.
Other members of the planning committee were Mr. Andrew Macaulay, vice chairman, Mr. Philips Emretiyoma, secretary, Mr. Ofuoma Famous, member, Mr. Ughelli Ekpevwru, member, Mr. Andrew Ukpemeku, member and others.
