OUR CULTURE, TRADITIONS IN EBONYI can empower youths and promote tourism devt.-------Ogbonna

Our culture, traditions can empower youths and promote tourism devt.—Ogbonna

While some people are fast abandoning their culture and traditions to westernisation, thinking nothing good could make out of it, Onicha Igbo Eze has seen better reasons to revive its own culture and traditions  simply to empower youths, attract tourism and boost the economy of the community and Ebonyi State through the transformation of agriculture, among other benefits.

In this interview with  Chairman of the 12 man committee elected to drive this development, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, a prolific artwork collector, culture activist, Chief Executive Office Agune Art Foundation and Real Estate developer, said one of the easiest ways to bring about development in any society is to develop  culture and traditions of those people. Excerpts:

What is the focus of the 12 man committee?

The committee is to revive the culture and traditions of Onicha Igbo Eze, which showcases Who- Is-Who in Onicha Igbo Eze. Again, it makes us know where we belong culturally and traditionally, so that no matter how long you have spent in a place, you still know your origin.

How does the committee tend to empower  their youths through this means?

The committee is going to be organising activities such like carnival, skill empowerment programmes for youths. Most of them will be taken to some part of Africa, Europe for excursion that would promote their interest in culture and traditions of the community. This will also help them to develop their personal lives and as well sustain the culture and traditions of our people. This  will definitely attract tourism and development. A lot of countries developed practising their culture and traditions. In my community for instance, we have different kinds of cultural dances like Ikpa, Ojuonu, Kokoma music that can be showcased around the world. These are wonderful traditional dances and music the world would like to see in display that can impact on youths positively.


Solomon-Ogbonna

We want also to revive the culture of agriculture among our people and this we all know can boost the economic of the people and create jobs. My people are good farming like the  Benue and Cross Rivers.

More so, the atrocities happening these days are as a result of people abandoning culture and traditions that checkmate evil doing in the society. You see people marrying their relations because they  are ignorant of  culture and traditional implications. When culture and traditions are observed, it brings sanity, blessings for the people, increase in farm produce and people now live freely.

Peace and unity…

Culture and traditions promote peace and unity in communities and that is why a leader in any society must understand the culture and traditions of the people.

What are the benefits?

There are a lot of benefits following it. First, we are going to organise carnivals which will attract people from different walks of life; Kings and Chiefs will be invited for chieftaincy titles; diplomats, ambassadors will come. We want to make Onicha Igbo Eze a centre of attraction that will create opportunities for the people especially youths. Some of them will be privileged to study in abroad, others will gain skill acquisition for self reliance. The good aspect of it all is that foreigners like some of the African cultures and traditions while some of us are abandoning our traditions for westernisation.

So, we will be using it to unite our people and reposition them future leadership. It helps communities to retain their native names and identity.  Today, some  Nigerians can’t trace their origin. With cultural festivals like New Yam and Nkwo festivals that preaches love and giving to one

vanguard




your comments needed