Anambra Commissioner attacks unbelievers of newyam festival as his community celebrates newyam festival

From L-R: Commissioner, the PG and others watching while PG cutting the new yam

By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha

The Anambra state Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Hon. Don Onyenji, weekend attacked unbelievers of Igbo newyam festival who describe it as being sin and fetish, saying such people are mad.

Reacting, during the newyam festival of his Akwukwu community, Idemili South Local Government Area, he reiterated that there is no iota of truth in what they said stating that newyam festival is one of the rich cultural heritages of the Igbo race.

"It is our culture, time to thank God for the abundant harvest and for guidance and protection during next season farming for bumper harvest.

During this period also it calls for blessing from God on us and the land. The new yam festival is being observed mostly from August to September after which we plant for next season.

"In some communities it is called Ifejioku, Ilo Mmuo, and so on. So it is not fetish and whoever that says it is sin or fetish may not even know the name of his father. Such a person should be taken to psychiatric hospital," he fumed.

On farming he stressed the need for all especially the youths to go into farming adding that it is a lucrative business and major means of fighting hunger in the land, saying, "We have yam barns and in those days the rich is measured by the number of yam barns he has".

He advised all to emulate Governor Chukwuma Soludo's action by going into agriculture stating that the governor has given out incentives to the people to assist them embark on farming even if it is on small scale just to feed himself if he can't go commercial.

He commended the President General of his community, Chief Udoka Ejiako who Presided over the newyam festival on behalf of the community in the absence of the monarch.

Earlier in his speech while cutting the newyam, the PG, said it was inherited from their forefathers adding that it is an age long cultural heritage that will never go into extinction.

According to the PG during this period of newyam festival there is no enmity among the people, stating." We prepare ourselves for this period to be in good terms with our brothers and sisters. There will be no enemy.

"Yam is the Chief of all crops and it is worshipped like deity. After the newyam we embark on next season farming . Tradition is dynamic and as such can not go into extinction. After my cutting the newyam the eldest man in the community will follow suit by doing same before the entire community," he disclosed further.

He advised those who believe that newyam festival is sin and fetish to repent adding that there is no way they will condemn yam which God made to be bigger when cultivated, to be sin.

Also the youth leader in the community, Chief Peter O. Anamchukwu, said newyam festival is inherited from their forefathers and can't go into extinction.

"We inherited it from our forefathers and it is not fetish as believed in some quarters. It is a cultural festival of Igbo race, he explained.