Ikoli victor
Doha
The Isuikwuato Community, under the auspices of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), recently celebrated, for the first time in Qatar, the New Yam Festival, a colourful event that aimed to raises awareness of Nigerian Igbo culture.
The festival witnessed high turnout of Igbo indigenes and culture lovers from across Qatar.
The New Yam Festival, known as ‘Iri Ji’ in Igbo language, is a cultural celebration held in August to mark the end of the harvest season. The Igbos are a Nigerian ethnic group who live in the country’s southeast. Its language is one of Nigeria’s three major official languages, spoken by approximately 44 million people.
According to Henry Maduabuchi Ohabuike, chairperson of the Isuikwuato Community, the celebration aimed to bring the people together to display their cherished and rich culture and traditions.
“The epic and first-of-its-kind Iri ji Festival of the Isuikwuato Community in Qatar was a way to unite with families and friends and to thank God for His kindness and protection even while sojourning in a foreign land,” he added. “I thank the Almighty God on behalf of the community for a bountiful harvest this year 2022 and for giving us grace to witness another New Yam (Iri Ji) celebration.”
“Everyone is excited and looks amazing,” Chukwudi Clement Uguru, a community member, said. “Today is all about promoting diversity and heritage, introducing ourselves culture to various communities and demonstrating that this is what we are made of.”
Notable Nigerian community members at the event included Chief Raymond Bob-Ume, Adindu Chuta, Peter Nonye Awurum, Chukwudi Okwu, Godwin Chukwu, Chief Kaycee Orji (Chairman Oha-Ngwa Community in Doha-Qatar), Chief Emeka Agbo - Chairman Nsukka community Qatar and Lawrence Ikechukwu - President of Nzuko Ndi Igbo Na Qatar.
The Iri ji festival has been celebrated in Igbo land for centuries, and its celebration has spread to the diaspora by Igbos living in various countries around the world.
The celebration featured presentation of roasted yam with sauced red oil after prayers was conducted by Chukwudi Uguru, followed by dancing, thanksgiving and fashion parade.
According to Michael Ihekwaba, a member of the community, the next edition of the event in Qatar will be more colourful than this year, as the organisation plans to float some of her cultural displays during the event.
