Abstract

Many African traditional festivals  still exist today in spite of the influence of western civilization. The reasons for the survival of these traditional festivals have been presumed by many scholars to include good management. Others have argued that these festivals have survived mainly because of other factors like love for the preservation of the people’s cultural heritage and a growing interest in African tradition and culture. The first school of thought has always argued that without proper management even things founded out of the love for preservation and sincere interest cannot last long. With the argument for good management becoming stronger, it becomes very imperative to appraise the management techniques, skills and theories adopted in the management of these festivals. This work is therefore aimed at achieving this aim of good appraisal. It examines these techniques, skills and theories as adopted in the management of the Ekeleke festival by the Obi Orodo people of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION

The Ekeleke festival is one of the traditional festivals with which the Obi-Orodo people of Mbaitoli can be identified. Its nature and origin confirm with Oyin Ogunba’s definition of a traditional festival. According to him, a traditional festival is,

an indigenous cultural institution, a form of art nurtured on the African soil over the centuries and which has therefore developed distinctive features and whose techniques are sometimes totally different from the borrowed form now practiced by many of our contemporary artists. (4)

The Ekeleke festival is rooted in the Obi-Orodo people’s culture and portrays their cosmological worldview. It is for the entertainment, information and education of the people. It is their spokesman and mark of the people’s identity amongst the Mbaitoli people. It provides avenues for socialization and mobilization and also serves as a tool for the identification of the segments of the people’s yearly calendar. The reason for its existence from time immemorial to our contemporary time calls for a good and meaningful research. A brief history of the community that nurtured and still sustains this festival would reveal part of the reasons for its continuous existence.

A BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND  OF OBI-ORODO

Obi-Orodo is one of the autonomous communities in Mbatioli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. It is located at about sixteen kilometers to the North of Owerri, the capital of Imo state. Obi-Orodo shares a common boundary with autonomous communities like Afara, Ofetata-Orodo, Ubaha-Orodo, and Ogwa, all in the same local government area.

Just as it is bounded by Afara in the west and Ofekata-Orodo in the east, we also have Umuaka to the North. The traditionally held belief of the origin of Obi-Orodo follows A.J. Fox’s assertion that all Igbo villages and towns are supposed to have been founded by individuals. Such towns and villages are sometimes named after their founders (25). This assertion holds true of Obi-Orodo which was founded by Orodo, the son of Omeome and the grandson of Akatam. There is no knowledge of any possible migration by Obi-Orodo people to the present homeland. Tradition, myths and legends are silent on the issue. This means that Obi-Orodo is among the people who have occupied their present positions since the dawn of humanity. Profesor E. Isichei spoke about such people in A History of Igbo People when he opines that “human inhabitants have been living in Igbo land for at least five hundred years since the dawn of humanity, (3).

The religion of  the people is basically African Traditional religion, Christianity and Islam and for the Igbo-speaking race, of which Mbaitoli is a part, the three basic objects of religious belief are God, Spirits and the Ancestors (Francis Arinze 1970:48). While God is believed to be the creator of the universe, spirits are believed to be the life essence in man. Ancestors are believed to be termed spiritual beings. According to Osuamadi Ukagha,

the ancestors are people who led good life here on earth, died, and were given full burial rites. They make the good ancestors. However wicked ones exist and these are people who were lazy, or childless, or those who died abominable death and were consequently not given full or decent burial (6).

Reporting on a similar Igbo belief among the Ngwa society, J.N Oriji in “Transformation in Ngwa Society” observes that: “Even though the ancestors were dead, they were living in the world of spirits (Ala Muo) and were concerned with the affairs of the living members of their lineage” (27). This concern influences the lifestyle of the people so much that nothing, not even theatre practice, is done without relating with them-and consulting them. G Parinder in his research on the Igbo race, observes that among the Igbo speaking Nigerians, “the ancestor spirits are the most intimate gods: they are part of the family and are considered and consulted on all important occasions”(63).

This intimate relationship accounts for the majority of the differences between the Mbaitoli traditional theatre practice and western theatre practice. This intimacy has also created a big room for many religious observances and rituals most of which have, with time, yielded their ritual and religious contents and become mere entertainment. The two new religions of the people, Christianity and lslamism, have enhanced theatre practice in the area by providing both religious oppositions and varieties which have, quite unexpectedly, created a new interest and involvement in Nigerian traditional theatre practice. The socio-cultural life of the people also enhances the projection of the people’s theatrical tradition. In all Igbo communities, the social unit is the group of patrilineal relations who live in close association (C.K. Meek 1963:62). The high level of interaction occasioned by this association enhanced the development of Ifo (Story Telling) sessions that constituted a repository of knowledge and now serves as a bearer of Igbo folk music, customs, beliefs and morality (Asonye Uba-Mgbemena 1982-53). These sessions popularized the use of proverbs and riddles which are ready tools for thinking and communicating, not only for their aesthetic exquisiteness, but also for being a good way of life in Igbo culture (R .N Egudu 1972:101). The numerous festivals of the people also manifest the distinct conventions of the people. This history reveals the fact that the Obi-Orodo people have a good cultural heritage that must have enhanced the development of the Ekeleke festival.