OBIORA/IWAJI OBOSI
By George Chukwuka :
Obosi town was agog over the weekend with festivities as the indigenes celebrated the 13th Obiora/Iwaji Obosi Festival 2024 at Obosi Central Stadium on Saturday, October 26.
The colorful event, presided over by His Royal Majesty, Igwe Chidubem Iweka III, attracted illustrious sons and daughters of the town from far and wide. High chiefs, as well as titled men and women, turned out resplendently in their white regalia.
Traditional music filled the air, and the climax of the event was the formal cutting of the roasted new yam (Iwaji) by the traditional ruler.
Igwe Iweka III reminded his subjects that Obiora/Iwaji, in line with the precepts handed down by their ancestors, is not only a time to celebrate the new yam but also a “period for the compulsory practice of peaceful coexistence, a time to share with the less privileged, a time to show love, and a time to care.” He stated that anyone caught fighting or bickering during this period would be liable to pay a fine of one goat, along with drinks, kolanuts, and alligator peppers.
His Majesty noted that this year’s Ito-Ogbo festival, celebrated with exceptional pomp and pageantry, had gained new recognition toward being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage event.
He proudly announced that the significance of the Ito-Ogbo festival had inspired six communities in Anambra State to emulate Obosi.
He disclosed that the security system in Obosi had been revamped and reorganized. He therefore urged families and kindred to pay their security levies promptly to sustain this renewed effort.
With the conclusion of the Obiora/Iwaji Festival by His Majesty, other high chiefs and families were free to hold their individual new yam ceremonies. One such ceremony witnessed by Anambra Times on Sunday was that of Chief Michael Ajaegbo, Ede Obosi, and chairman of Minaj Television/Radio.
By midday, Chief Ajaegbo’s house was already a beehive of activities. Women’s groups in their uniforms, youths, titled men and women, and special guests from within and outside Obosi graced the occasion.
