Ofala Festival is Rooted in Deep Spirituality -Igwe Achebe

The Obi of Onitsha in Anambra State, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, best known as Agbogidi, has stated that the Ofala Festival is rooted in deep spirituality. He also disclosed that over 100 Nigerian artists will participate in this year’s Ofala Art Exhibition as part of activities in celebration of his Ofala Festival.

Igwe Achebe, who was represented by the Chairman of Ofala Strategic, Marketing and Publicity Steering Committee, Nnaemeka Maduegbuna, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at his palace in Onitsha.

According to him,
“The Ofala is the high point of the Onitsha ceremonial cycle. The Obi of Onitsha is the celebrant of this spectacle which is rooted in deep spirituality. It is an occasion for the monarch to fulfill certain obligations.

“It is primarily a celebration by the monarch and his subjects, of the monarch’s annual emergence from seclusion, during which period, the monarch has successfully negotiated the fortunes of the kingdom.

“It is also a reenactment of the joy, which the monarch shared with his subjects, at the discovery that yam is non-toxic, and a valuable source of food.

“The annual Ofala has grown steadily over the years in terms of its scope, social glamour, and intrinsic meaning for us Ndi Onicha(Onitsha people).

“An international art exhibition, a youths’ carnival, a marathon and a post-Ofala banquet have enhanced the content and attractiveness of the festival. A lecture series will be introduced this year. With the strides that the Ofala has made, it continues to receive both national and international recognition.

”The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has endorsed the Onitsha Ofala Festival as a major Nigerian festival and issued a specific mandate in its support. It has also received a certificate of recognition for excellence in culture from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. This is in recognition of its corporate contribution to the development of culture.
He said the artists who are drawn from the five states of the South East geopolitical zone will be presenting artworks showing the elrich cultural heritage of Igbo land and Onitsha in particular.

“We believe we are on course to achieving the objectives of the Ofala attracting considerable national, West African, and international attention, and attaining the status of a major event in Nigerian, by extension in the West African cultural/tourism calendar.

“Globacom Limited and International Breweries Plc are the official sponsors of the Ofala. Globacom has been partnering with the Onitsha Traditional Council since 2011. Our partnership with International Breweries goes back to 2012 when the then Intafact Beverages Limited commenced brewing Hero Larger here in Onitsha.

“The relationship these bodies have had with the Onitsha community has contributed in no small measure to the growth and development of the Ofala.”

“In twenty-one years as Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe mni, CFR, Agbogidi, has made giant strides. These find expressions in a number of areas.

“They include a modernised and revitalised monarchy and leadership the aura of which today radiates beyond Onitsha to Anambra State, the Southeast region, Nigeria and beyond. Furthermore, His Majesty has also articulated a vision for communal transformation hinged on a new value system for lifting the poor and most vulnerable in his domain from consumption and dependency to production and self-reliance. This vision is animated in the work of the Onitsha Advancement Foundation (OnAF) www.onaf.org ”

“This has been recently introduced and is promoted by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University. Named the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations / Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Obi Nnaemeka Achebe Annual Lecture, the maiden edition of the lecture series would be given by The Right Reverend Felix Femi Ajakaye, Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese. He will be speaking on Traditional Institutions, Public Relations, and Good Governance in Contemporary Nigeria. The venue is Education Trust Fund. (ETF) Hall, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam Campus, and will commence at 12:00 ”

”For the first time on Monday, October 7, 2013, which was the eve of that year’s Ofala, the Oreze Art Exhibition is designed to provide exposure to a budding artist living and practising in the Southeast of Nigeria. Well over 100 artists resident in the southeast region have made their exhibition debuts at Oreze. The series is also an avenue for multi-talented and well-established artists from various parts of the world to exhibit their works. Oreze ix will close on October 16″

This year’s Ofala and the associated events will run over a three-week period in the month of October. Even though celebratory, cognisance has been taken of the prevailing economic situation in the country in planning the various events. We therefore have no alternative but to be restrained in the modalities for the 2023 Ofala.”

“The Ofala of His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, mni, CFR, Agbogidi, Obi of Onitsha, which will be held here at Ime Obi Onitsha will span two days – Iru Ofala on Saturday, October 14 and the Azu Ofala on Sunday, October 15. The two ritual ceremonies leading directly to the Ofala, Inye ukwu na nlo Eze Onicha (spiritual retreat) and Ogbalido are scheduled for October 7 and October 10, respectively”

“There shall be a Youth carnival which is organised by the Onitsha Ado Youth Council (OYC) highlights the rich cultural heritage of Onitsha indigenes”

“Probably the biggest cultural street funfair in the Southeast region of Nigeria, it is a colourful moving train of various Onitsha cultural outfits and dances on the major streets of the metropolis. In the process, it provides entertainment for both the youth participants and the spectators that cut across various age categories.

“In addition, it ensures the sustainability of the customs and traditions of Onicha Ado N’Idu (Onitsha), by inculcating in the youths, a sense of pride and love for the heritage of their hometown Wednesday, October 18, 2023, in Ofala Banquet,” he concluded.

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