ESSENCE OF NGWA DAY CELEBRATION 2024

The contemporary underdevelopment challenges in Ngwa Land started from shallow mindset of our people. The white man has completely brain-washed us to the level that we don't even have any culture of our own in Ngwa Land, let alone knowing its imperative.

Comically, the same white man has not Jettisoned even a pinch of his culture. The white man told us in his church that we should throw away our  Cultural Artifacts. Our people did that out of ignorance, exposure and functional education.

 My brothers and sisters, Ekpe is not offered sacrificed by Ngwa People. Ekpe is totally different from Nmawo. In Ngwa Land, Nmawo is not also offered sacrifice, let alone being worshipped by Ngwa People. No Ngwa Man or Woman worships Ekpe.

Today, most of the Ekpe, Ekpo, Nmawo, beads, Ngwa Cultural Costumes such Mgbaji, Nkalari, etc that our people were known for in 50s, 60s 70s, 80s and early 90s; are currently exhibited in foreign Meseums abroad by the white man. How did they fly into those Museums? Who sold them to the white man? Some people connived, received money and handed over those artifacts, crafts and creative works of our people (Ejirimara Mba) to the white man.

Currently, the white man has written fake histories/narratives of our stolen Cultural Artifacts(their origins, fabricators, family that developed them, etc), that are criminally exhibited in their museums.

Sadly, our people who live and visit abroad pay in foreign currencies (Pounds, Dollars, Euros, etc) to watch/appreciate our stolen artifacts/creative works) in the white man's foreign museums (foreign land).

If there are those who worship idols, it's we Christians. How? The statues of Mary and so many others are by no mean real and prototype. Today, we kneel before Mary's  Statue, praying, fasting, casting, binding, killing satan, etc; thereby creating nuisance in our communities/neighbourhood. Can any Ngwa Man or Woman kneel down before the Statues of Late Jaja Nwachukwu, Late Chief Ururuka, Late Chief George Nwigwe, among others? Our people won't do this because the colour of the statues of these departed great Ngwa sons are black. Can any white man or woman kneel down to pray and fast before the statues of those Ngwa heroes?

The implications of distortions of our culture by the white man through brainwashing of our people has resulted to unprecedented erosion of all practical skills/crafts that our people were known for.

 If you go to all the urban and rural markets in Ngwa Land today, you will shade tears. Thus, If the Anang people from Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State do not come to market, our Ngwa People cannot buy Ute(mart), Ekete (locally fabricated basin), Mkpasa (shiver used for preparing garri prior to frying it), Onyia Igwe, Onyia Okukpam, Aziza/or Njuju(broom), Avo (locally fabricated basket), 'Garri Turner', our local handkerchief, Ite Aja (our local cooking pot), Udu(our local butter), Otikpo/iko (our local cup for drinking water), Ebele, aguba (our local razor blade), Matchets/Cutlass, kitchen knife, Akwa Nmiri, Ike Mbe, Uta, Egbere Ogu(weeding hole), Mbazii, Ogu Ntuala, etc. 

How did the above practical skills and crafts that our people were known for, go extinct? What do we tell our children tomorrow? Yet, every Ngwa Man and Woman kept quiet. We keep blaming one another and living in great suspicion with one another. Today, most families in Ngwa Land cannot eat in one plate, let alone drink with one cup. Our young children can hardly live peacefully with their siblings. Our relationship and co-existence as a people are fragmented, polarised and characterised by disunity.

Sadly too, you can hardly see any blacksmith in any part of Ngwa Land today. Is blacksmith practical skill not our intergral local technology? Has it not gone completely extinct? How do we develop as a people?What we see today is the proliferation of churches everywhere in Ngwa Land.

Comically, attendance in churches in white man's land hardly exceeds 20 worshipers inside a big edifice on Sunday Service. The people that brought the church are virtually absent, leaving a big edifice empty during Sunday Services.

I crave the indulgence of every Ngwa Man and Woman to re-examine his/herself. We have destroyed and desecrated our land. We need to work very hard. Otherwise, Ndi Ngwa will soon start begging food survival due largely to abandonment of their cultural heritage. We have ignorantly followed the Euro-centric and Imperialistic foreign cultures of the white man. We have done so much disservice to our children, grand-children and our collective well-being as a people; due to ignorance.

NGWA DAY 2024 Is an Ngwa Carnival.

Groups may represent local government areas, communities or individuals.

Come and lets together raise the dignity of the NGWA Nation high.

Venue : Abayi Umuocham Prim. Sch.

Date: 28 December 2024

Time : 10.00am

Chris Nwagboso, PhD.

(Technical Facilitor)