Bonding Through Culture in the Diaspora: The World Igbo Festival of Arts and Culture, Virginia USA

Young Diaspora Igbo girl at the festival
poses with calabash vessel on her head

           
One of the largest group of Igbo people of Nigeria found in the diaspora nowadays reside in the United States of America. During the British colonial era in Nigeria, most educated Nigerians preferred Britain as a destination for further studies, but in the 1920s a radical Igbo chap chose to act differently, he was Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, fondly called Zik of Africa. He graduated from Lincoln University Pennsylvania in 1930 and was to become one of the pioneers and a very prominent figure in Nigeria's quest for independence from Britain. He ended up being the first Governor-General of Nigeria, and subsequently the new Nigeria's first President.

Young Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe

After his studies on returning back to Nigeria, he started encouraging others, his kinsmen and other Nigerians, and West Africans to study in the US as he believed that will open their eyes towards Pan Africanism.
Kwame Nkruma of Ghana was among the young men he influenced to study in America.
From that moment, America became an important destination for the quest for the Golden Fleece, as western education was termed in those days. A great number of Igbo and other Nigerian elites who were founding fathers of the Nigerian nation were trained in the US. This trend continued until 1967 when Nigeria went into civil war.

At the end of the war after the Nigerian government declared 'No victor, no vanquished' the Igbo people who were a major part of Biafran a people that attempted to secede from Nigeria, became victims of all sorts of institutional discrimination when the attempt failed.

Ikpririkpe war dancers

Opportunity for university education was one of the many areas they suffered discrimination as many who qualify for admission were not able to get in due to the quota system and other schemes decreed by the military government of that time, many even had to change their names to that of other ethnic groups to enable them to get admitted into institutes of higher education. In the process of seeking a solution to this problem, many took to applying for universities overseas, and the US became a very popular destination. This resulted to a mass movement of young Igbo chaps to the US in the 1970s and 80s and the subsequent follow up in the 90's due to economic depression in Nigeria, and then the era of visa lottery to the US.

Today the United States can boast of over. twenty-five thousand Nigerian Americans and this number is dominated by people of Igbo extraction. Those young Igbo men and women who left Nigeria to study in America are now in their middle ages and many are grandfathers with grandchildren. Many of them are highly paid professionals, with their children towing the same line.

Being far away from home comes with a lot of challenges, People get homesick as they miss their home environment. They miss the traditional food, music, and other ways of life they have grown up with. The Igbo people are known for their love for their culture, 'Omenala' and with their belief in the philosophy of 'Nwanne di na mba' (There is brotherhood abroad) they often seek each other when they are in a foreign land, and form associations for the promotion and sharing of their culture.
With this in mind, it is not surprising therefore that in the USA as in other parts of the world where Igbo people abound, they often set up an association.

Igbo children dance group relaxing

CISA Ndigbo (Council of Igbo States in America)
CISA is the umbrella organization of all the associations representing people from Igbo states of Nigeria resident in America. The Igbo state associations are made up of Igbo town unions in the USA. With this structure, the Igbo Americans were able to build a large network of its members cutting across the entire United States. They also use the synergy of this union to carry out massive development projects in their various home states in Nigeria, projects designed to help alleviate poverty, healthcare, and infrastructural problems.

The World Igbo Festival of Arts and Culture
Last year, CISA organized it's first major Igbo cultural festival outside Nigeria, The Igbo Festival of Arts which took place at the Igbo Farm Village of the Frontier Museum, Staunton Virginia.

Nkwa Umuagbogho dancer

http://www.frontiermuseum.org/exhibits/1700s-west-africa/

Recently, the second World Igbo Festival of Arts took place at the same venue, it kicked off on Thursday, July 23 through Saturday, July 25. The festival featured symposiums, exhibitions, music performances, cultural displays, and traditional interactive arts, Igbo traditional cuisines, and cultural dresses. Some of the highlights were the 'Nkwa Umuagbogho' maiden dance, masquerade displays, Abriba war dance, Children's dance performance, and more.

During the festival, African Americans who recently found their Igbo ancestry through DNA test were ceremonially given Igbo names in a ritual performed by the Igbo traditional king, Eze Nri, HRH Obidiegwu Onyeso (MFR)

The event was attended by Diaspora Igbo people from all parts of North America and from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Prominent Igbo sons and daughters were also in attendance some of whom were
a team of Arik Airline delegates lead by Dr. Onyeani, the Vice-President of Arik Airlines. Others were Royal fathers Eze Nri, HRH O. Onyeso, HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya. There were also delegates from Namibia, South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Liberia, Cameroon, Canada, Mexico, etc.

In a concluding statement on the festival, Mathias Mgbeafulu, the Secretary-General of Council of Igbo States in America, CISA, had this to say,
"Indeed festivals of this magnitude require a tremendous amount of advanced planning, and CISA's success was made possible in part by the efforts of its leadership and the hard work of the festival planning committee led by professor Paul Oranika, the Frontier Museum management, and staff, students of Igbo school Boston, the Ogene Organization of Virginia led by Hon Emeka Nwosu, The Igbo Council of Chiefs USA, led by Dr, Nwachukwu Anakwenze, the goodwill of the traditional ruler, and of course the support of all who had time to attend."

Igbo people in Diaspora in every Conner of the globe have often used their culture as a binding force within their homes away from home. One very popular Igbo traditional festival that plays this role most is the Iri-Ji Festival, The New Yam Festival, a harvest thanksgiving that is celebrated yearly between the months of September and October.
These cultural activities have recently become the bonding power among Igbo people in the diaspora, helping to strengthen the younger generation by giving them a solid identity with their roots.