Cultural reconstruction of iwa Ji festival in Igbo-Ukwu, and fractured Igbo identity

Abstract

Indigenous festivals in many African societies are under the threats of extinction as a result of modernisation and the impact of the Christian religion on the life of the people. In southeast Nigeria, Iwa Ji Festival, which is an annual yam festival celebrated to thank the Supreme Being and the gods for the provision of subsistence, has faced the challenge of abandonment in recent decades. Scholars have noted the cultural meanings associated with the festival and its potentials in the sustenance of the people’s cultural identity, as well as the promotion of tourism, and have consequently suggested the need for its reconstruction for general acceptability. This reconstruction has been carried out. This paper examined reconstructed Iwa Ji Festival as a fusion of the indigenous Iwa Ji Festival and modern practices and argued that the reconstructed festival is a reflection of Igbo fractured identity. Using TurnerSchechner Model of performance as social dramas for an explanatory model for this study, the authors argued that the advent of modernity and Christian religion created a breach in the people’s cultural experience. The redressed stage is represented in the reconstruction and repackaging of the festival for more acceptability. Reintegration stage set in as the festival gained more acceptability following its reconstruction, and subsequently, participants experience transformation. An ethnographic approach was employed for data generation. Data were analysed descriptively.