Egi New Yam Festival Kicks-Off , August 11

The carnival-like Egi New
Yam Festival will begin on August 11, according to the proclamation  made recently at the ancient Anama-Oji playground in Erema community, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The eldest man in Umu-Akoku family Elder Gilbert  Anamah  who was represented at the occasion by Mr Elija  Obulor  made the date public in a brief ceremony attended by eminent chiefs, and traditional rulers of the four zones of Egi, including the new Paramount  Ruler, King, Prof, Aniele Nwokoma, the Eze-Egi (Eze-Ogbauku III).
This would be the first traditional outing for the new King, since his installation, a few months ago.
Briefing  journalists in his palace at Erema, the Egi monarch described the festival, as an age-long ceremony to mark the traditional ending of the year and the beginning of a new one.
“This is our own version of the Jewish festival of pass- over which was recorded in the Bible. There is nothing fetish about the celebration, it is our people’s way of honouring God for a successful planting season, and the eating of new crops”.
“This festival has a lot tourism materials and  I am calling on practitioners to come and see culture at its best”
According  to King Nwokoma, the period is also used to settle differences between friends, neighbours and brothers, courting new marriages, and friendship, stressing that during the period nobody is expected to fight or quarrel.
He further said that this year’s festival would be low- key because of prevailing circumstances, saying that in the spirit of oneness, the issue of the “aggrieved” youths whose stories are pathetic to hear would be addressed in order to ensure the achievement of peace.
He, however, appealed to the youths to drop their arms and embrace the amnesty proposed for them by the State Government governor, Chief Ezebunwo Nyeso Wike, so that they could be integrated in to the larger society.