SCOREline: THE 2024 OTAMPA CULTURAL FESTIVAL: A BIENNIAL EVENT THAT SHOWCASED THE RICH CULTURE OF OTAMPA MASSIVELY

By Nnabugwu Chizoba

Culture is described as a means by which man adapts to his environment and also that aspect of man that distinguishes him from other animals. It is for this reason may be that some people have declared that Man is the only animal that has culture.

Similarly, Cultural Festivals which are periodic celebrations that mark significant events in the life of humans and their communities constitute a remarkable aspect of man’s culture and have existed for several years.

Cultural festivals are used to transmit ideas, aspirations and philosophies of the older generations that make life meaningful to the new or younger generation. Consider cultural festivals as the collective re-enactment of indigenous historical, religious and traditional events that the people of a particular cultural environment have created and developed over a period of time. They serve as factors of interactions, cohesions and mobilization of the new generation of community members towards deepening their understanding of who they are, what they represent and what is expected of them as ambassadors and defenders of their root.

Chief Richard Harrison, Aka ji ugo 1 of Otampa

Until recently (two years ago) when an illustrious son of Otampa, a United Kingdom (UK) based former Commissioner for Finance, Abia state, international banker and finance expert and Consultant, Chief Richard Harrison, the Ocheaku 1 of Isuikwuato, a committed and passionate lover of his people and community, prompted Otampa through sponsorship of a Cultural Festival by Harrison Goodness Foundation (HGF), Otampa though reputed for her very rich and noble cultural activities, has not been organizing cultural festivals.

Bosco Oleh, Eze Okonko and Chairman, 2024 Otampa Cultural festival, leading from the front

On Monday, January 1, 2024 Otampa, a community in Isuikwuato Local Government Area, Abia state organized her second consecutive cultural festival sponsored by the HGF. January 1, 2024, was a day that the ordinary works of the people were set aside to showcase and exhibit the tangible and intangible heritage and cultures of Otampa, which enabled the people, especially the younger generation, in particular those that were given birth to outside the community, some in faraway countries to troupe out massively to be practically oriented in a religious nature sort of about the way of life of their ancestors, and how they indulge in them, which were part of the day’s celebrations. The 2024 Otampa cultural festival featured through exhibition and in diverse ways the religious, social, cultural, and psychological life of the people. These were conducted in a manner that facilitated understanding and assimilation of the key ideas intended for transition to the younger generation to keep them on track and to show them how the past generation, their ancestors practiced and lived their life.