In one of his famous lines, Edmund Burke insists that ‘People will never look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors.’ The attempt to modernize an African without consulting his cultural continuities has backfired. Things are not working; institutions of governance and morals are decaying, structures rust as if the ancestors have pronounced the curse of cultural sabotage on every clan, Izhi inclusive.
Ever before the Whiteman happened to Izhi Nnodo, the clan was at worship, her sons and daughters were at prayer, proudly upholding the customs of their ancestors. Mr C. W Patridge, the then District Officer of Obubra who led a division of West African Frontier Forces that came to Izhi in 1903 burst out his admiration for Izhi culture which in his testament was simply un-barbaric.
With ancestral home at Anmegu, Izhi clan developed well structured institutions of governance and morals under which socio-cultural activities revolve. The consultative position of Anmegu has never been disputed as it remains the apex court of Izhi culture and customs- guarding and fixing Izhi calendar, announcing when Ojiji and Otutara festivals will be celebrated as well as communal activities and sacrifices. Under the traditional high priesthood of Ishi Uke Omelali, sacrifices for maintaining cosmic balance are made to Ophoke Anmegu, the enya-ali Izhi, the only shrine for the entire Izhi.
In Izhi social structure, the oldest son of every woman after fulfilling cultural requirement is installed Uke while the rest are Okoro. This structure helps to solve complex issues like land ownership, disputes, abominations, labour, and gender issues. In addition, it is a base for clan’s socio-economic activities. Known for their farming activities, Izhi believe that good yields come from gods. Even health issues and sickness like leprosy, epilepsy, smallpox, Oke-ejo-onwo, rheumatism, tuberculosis, hernia, madness, guinea worm, jiadijiadi, measles and ehu-ekoko (swelling of corpse) were explained out with religious microscope. As unscientific and primitive as these explanations might have become, they once served their purposes and helped to maintain homo-ecological order.
Long before the arrival of the religions of the cross and crescent, Izhi has developed a religious consciousness that generates admirable values. These are respect to sacredness of life, tolerance, honesty, humility and hard work. The straightforwardness and hospitality of Izhi people has endeared them to visitors more than other clans. Despite the caricature of people that Izhi people are terribly tolerant, the people have remained unruffled.
However, the influx of foreign cultures has been a heavy distraction to Izii cultural pride. With their in-roads, Izhi people were treated as savages whose humanity and spirituality were in question; the Izhi indigenous religion was condemned as idolatry as their ancestors were seen as lost souls having lived and died outside the church; the Izhi feasts and ceremonies were abhorred as immoral; their language was ridiculed as tone-infested cacophonies while their names were unpronounceable and had to be substituted with names of canonized saints and great heroes of Nigeria.
With such consistent intolerant attitude and worse still the imbibing of this attitude by the people, Izhi man began to shy away from his culture. One consequence takes appearance of social turbulence let loose upon a clan. Besides, Izhi has become a victim of divide-and-rule politics which democracy brought to Ebonyi state. There has been rapid sequence of socio-cultural and political shifts in Izhi over the last decades. If the Jews in the Diaspora had scrambled to change their culture as fast as Izhis in their homelands seem to be doing, the miracle of Jewish identity would not have lasted 3 millennia in the wilderness. Many Izhi people seem to be undergoing faster cultural change in a single generation more than Jews underwent in the first 1000 years in dispersal.
Gone with those yesteryears are also superstitions and ugly cultural experiences. Advocating a total return to Izhi past is like seeking a return to early Christian martyrdom in order to produce faith. While the compact of our age has to include sensitivity to wider world of human race as a whole, the fate of those giant Izhi values may not have been irrevocably sealed. Izhi has to look inwards towards ancestry for more systematic investigations into the cultural preconditions for the success of socio-economic and political projects through the intermediary of consulting Izhi usage, custom and tradition.
To this end, the efforts of pan-Izhi socio-cultural group, Ogbo Ohubama Izzi, on promoting Izhi culture are highly commendable. Beyond regular promoting of Izhi major festival like Ojiji, printing of Izzi literatures, Ogbo Ohumbama Izzi is organizing for the second term in a row, Izzi Cultural carnival, Oboiphe Izhi 2014.
As a matter of fact, on Friday May 9, 2014, there will be cultural parade of the 25 communities of Izzi at Abakaliki matching from Nkwegu Ugbala Grand Arena through Vanco to Spera in Deo Junction while symposium, cultural display, and all-night carnival will at same day hold at Izii Nnodo cultural centre. The grand finale is on May 10, 2014, and will feature ecumenical service, beauty competition to select “Nwomarimma” and “Mkparawa” Izzi clan; performances, exhibition of artifacts, fashion parade on “Akwa Nwoke le Nwanyi, Akwa Unwoke nole ubvu, Akwa Nwanyi hee Nwaswa, etc. There will also be prizes for the best and runners-up of beauty competition and others.
Yes, the carnival cannot have come at a better time than now when Izhi unity is under political stress. A carnival of this type will help to rethink Izhi culture and reshape the clan anew, to create a modern and future Izhi that incorporates the best of its own culture and instill Izhi cultural pride. It is going to be unique as Izhi has always taken the lead. The clan, therefore, invites all Ekumenyi sons and daughters, friends, in-laws, and admirers of Izzi in Ebonyi state and beyond to be part of this outing to celebrate Izzi Nnodo Clan.
