Nigeria Seeks To Enlist New Yam Festival In UNESCO Cultural Heritage

Nigeria is seeking to enlist the Igbo’s ‘Iri Ji Ohu’ (New Yam Festival) as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, during a courtesy visit to her office by a delegation of traditional rulers from the South-East.

Noting that the Iri Ji Ohu festival is as important and prestigious as the Argungu Fishing Festival and the Orisa Festival, Musawa said despite the lack of funding, the ministry “will work towards involving UNESCO experts in the festival and submit it for possible enlistment.”

This is in addition to promoting the festival globally to attract the support of Nigerians of Igbo descent in the diaspora.

Commending the minister’s commitment, spokesperson for the South-East traditional leaders’ delegate, His Royal Highness (HRH), Eze Sylvester Onuegbu of Imo State, urged support in taking the festival to global standards and greater heights this year.

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“The festival has suffered a serious setback due to the paucity of funds to enrich its cultural content, and package it to national and international standards. We believe that with the right support, this festival can become a flagship event for Nigerian culture and tourism, and enlisted by UNESCO,” said HRH Onuegbu.

LEADERSHIP reports that, to be listed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the element of the festival must fall within the definition of the UNESCO Convention as a cultural element that reflects the identity of the community it belongs; the nomination file must state clearly how the element may be the basis for intercultural dialogue between peoples’ testifying to the creativity of its community and that of communities comparable to it, and the nomination file must outline safeguarding measures to be taken to protect the element. The latter refers to activities undertaken to identify, catalogue and document the element, in addition to providing research relevant to it, legislations aimed at its preservation, protection, enhancement and promotion via informal and formal education.

There is also the need for the documentation of the community’s involvement leading up to the element’s nomination. How involved is the affected community, individuals or groups, with evidence of their free and informed consent attached in the nomination file. Finally, the element itself must be listed as an intangible cultural heritage in its country or state of origin.