ABA DRUM CULTURAL FESTIVAL
‘Etuno’, Igarra is unique in many respects. The language ‘Etuno’ Igarra dialect is alone voice in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, and infact the entire Edo State. It is similar to what is spoken in Ebiraland, Kotonkarffe, Toto, Abaji, Igala land and Wukari in Taraba State.
Over a thousand Rocks/Stones species are found in the area without clear explanation of their origin and this phenomenon is unique in itself. For this reason, students of Geology and Geography from over ten Universities across the country do come to Igarra ‘Etuno’ for their practical or field research work.
Our origin has been traced to Ebira and Oshuku Nationality whose members are found in Ebira land, Kotonkarfe in Kogi State and Toto in Nasarawa State. Our spoken language (Etuno) and the well-structured kindred are enough evidences that we have strong affirmity in origin to these people.
Igarra never had its former rustic origins as group of hamlets but a scattered united village as Ugbogbo, Utua and Uffa. You hardly can distinguish these places now as developments have taken place over time since we came down from Rocky Hills (Ifege) between 1911 and 1917 respectively. Ugbogbo is regarded as senior because they earlier come down before these years.
Igarra ‘Etuno’, the headquarters of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State is situated at the outskirt of Edo North. It is surrounded by Rocky Hills called the KUKURUKU Hills. Historically, the land is called ETUNO, and the Igarra people are known as ANETUNO.
The origin of the Aba Cultural Festival is almost lost to memory due to lack of historical records. It is originally a celebration of victory over the est-while occupiers of the land now known and described as Igarra-Etuno. Eziakuta Family hunting expeditions as Eziobes made them fearless, brave and bold to the extent that ANETUNO’s migration from Kwararafa (Junkun Kingdom) in Wukari, through Idah and Ife to Ebira land and finally in Akoko-Edo were most dependable. They were reliable even when fighting slavery against the Europeans or the colonial masters.
Eziakuta family, the natural originators, inventors of most ‘Etuno’ Igarra Culture and mandators of all farming policies and programmes aside being called Etuno Natural Combatant Soldiers were strong people, kind hearted and hard working. The Aba Festival is the most spectacular/singular event in the celebration of Irepa Festival. It is the highest crowd-pulling of all the Irepa Festival events. Available records show that the event was first celebrated by the ANETUNOS Igarra people in 1789, long before the arrival of the Europeans and the creation of modern day Nigeria. It is an age-long and internationally acclaimed festival adjudged as the sixth most indigenous festival in the whole of West Africa by previously Elf Petroleum and Total/Fina (now Total E&P) in their 2006 yearly publication.
The celebration of Aba festival in Igarra marks the commencement of Irepa/Azebani title ceremony. And it takes place every seven lunar or six calendar yearsand usually on the third day after the ENU – the New Yam Festival of the same Irepa year, and which is usually in the month of August. The New Yam Festival is an annual event. The main event of the 2011 IREPA Festival is on the 13th of August, 2011 – which marks the graduation of the town’s (Legislative, Executive and Judicial) Age Group, called OPOZE (Opa Ometere Age Group) to the highly revered council of Elders called the AZEBANI. The Opoze Age Group is unique in the sense that it is always the center of attraction during the festival because haven been at the helms of affairs of the town by making laws, enforcing and adjudicating the laws for six years, its members are the Chief Celebrants of the occasion.
On the day of the event, no other person is allowed to wear any white attire except the celebrants (the graduating Opoze) who would all climb a sacred Opoporiku Hill in the community’s Cultural Headquarters: OPOPORIKU. This special day is preceded in the evening of the previous day by the shooting of ceremonial guns, first in the compound of the ODOVIDI-leader of the Age Group who must be the oldest celebrant from Eziakuta Opoporiku family by 2pm and followed by all the other celebrants by 4pm.
In the morning of the d-day, all celebrants cook pounded yam for members of his kindred. Assorted drinks go with the eating which could be extended till everybody is exhausted. While Ugbogbo people will concentrate around their quarter, Utua & Uffa will dance to each others quarter respectively. This is later followed by the family gatherings to eat the mounds of pounded yam prepared for each family by the celebrants. By noon the celebrants dress up in complete immaculate white Agbada, white shoes and cap to match – assemble at designated places to dance to Ofumamo at Opoporiku along Somorika road, Ugbogbo. The troupe will commence from Uffa to gather at Uneh, enroute to Ofumamo who are joined by their Utua people and move in the same convoy to Ugbogbo. At Somorika junction (Ugbogbo Central Market) they are joined by the Ugbogbo people then the “Great trek” to Ofumamo begins. At Ofumamo, in Opoporiku, the (Cultural headquarters) of Igarra the Aba drums which must have been set ready at the Iretuba - a stone at the centre of Ofumamo, by the owners and custodians (Eziakuta Opoporiku family), are beaten for the celebrants to dance from where they are specially gathered. They are followed by Opoga the celebrants successors who had specially stayed on the Agidibobo stone. The celebrants dance and descends from where they stand symbolizes their relinquishing of their Legislative, Executive and Judicial powers and duties to their successors. This confirms the ascension of each of the other age group into the age group system of the community. At this point, the Azebanis (Council of Elders) will send message to the celebrants to pay the Irepa fees, and they will respond by paying the fees. This payment qualifies them (celebrants) to take the Azabani/Irepa titles from their various family heads at a later dates.
Although the Aba drum and Irapa are always kept in the custody of the oldest man in ‘Abara’ Onubeji House of Eziakuta Opoporiku Family but every ‘Opoporiku’ man has free access and have the right to beat the drum in every Aba Cultural Festival Day.
The forthcoming celebration is the 37th in the history of the peace-loving and highly amiable Igarra community. Igarra people from all walks of life, nooks and crannies of the globe will come home either to witness or take part in it. The festival has witnessed a huge upsurge in the member of tourists attending the festival particularly the last edition, the 36th series witnessed about one hundred and fifty thousand local and international tourists.
The Aba 2011 Cultural event, the third since the return to civil rule in Nigeria, promises to be the biggest, largest crowd-pulling and most spectacular festival ever as innovations and other activities have been introduced to the festival since it was first celebrated Two hundred and twenty two years ago. With the new repackaging of the festival and Edo State Government endorsement as partner in the Aba project, the number of tourists being expected at the 37th series will be well over two hundred and fifty thousand people, as Opoze Age Group (Opa Ometere) has over five thousand members as celebrants alone.
Aba Festival is becoming a huge tourist attraction and one can only hope that someday it could become something as big and revered as the Iwude Festival, the Osun Osogbo Festival, the Argungun Fishing Festival, the Ojude Oba Festival with international clout and flavour. Therefore, plans are on by the ETUNO YOUTH ASSOCIATION (EYA) to list the festival on the calendar of World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as well as on the World Heritage Festival of UNESCO. Congratulation in advance and see you again in August 2011.
Contact Us
All Correspondence to:
ETUNO YOUTH ASSOCIATION
Email: etunoyouth@yahoo.com
Phone(s)
+234(80)3 4055 340
+234(80)3 3323 169
+234(80)6 7905 540
+234(80)3 4957 006
E.Y.A Contact
President of EYA: +234(80)3 4055 340
Chairman Aba Organizing Committee : +234(80)3 3323 169
Legal/Corporate Adviser, Aba 2011 Organizing Committee : +234(80)6 7905 540
Project Manager : +234(80)3 4957 006
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