Oraifite Community Celebrates New Yam Festival, Strengthens Bond of Unity

By Praise Chinecherem

Oraifite kingdom in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State has expressed gratitude to God for fruitful and bountiful harvest for the people of the community.

Traditional ruler of the community, His Royal Majesty, Ogbuefi Stanley Chukwujekwu, while leading his people in the 2025 New Yam Festival, declared the festival as sacred moment of thanksgiving and cultural reaffirmation.

He described the Iwaji as time when Oraifite people commune with their ancestors and strengthening bond of oneness within the kingdom.

He said, “The festival is a sacred moment of thanksgiving and cultural reaffirmation. It’s also a time when Oraifite people commune with their ancestors and strengthen bond of oneness within the kingdom.

“It’s also a gathering that showcased not only unity but the enduring beauty of Igbo heritage.

“Iwaji is not just a feast of yam; it is a reaffirmation of identity, unity, and continuity, a testimony that the traditions of the ancestors live on vibrantly in the hearts of their descendants,”

The Ezeora II, while holding the yam, invoked the Trinity — in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — as his subjects and guests echoed thunderous amen, signifying permission for the people to commence feasting on the season’s yams.

Speaking on the sidelines of the occasion, a cleric, Pastor Josiah Udoji described the festival as long-awaited, stressing that it fostered togetherness and the promotion of cultural heritage.

Another stakeholder, Charles Chukwujekwu reminded the gathering that Iwaji is a legacy handed down by the forefathers, a tradition binding generations of Oraifite people.

For Chief Moses Obi, the festival was a season of joy, the evidence of harvest after the toil of planting.

The event which featured spectacle of masquerades, cultural groups and appearance of the revered Ajofia Nnewi drew indigenes both at home and in the diaspora, traditional custodians, Ndị Nze na Ozo, captains of industry and cultural enthusiasts.