By: Tonebsky Nesta
The Olare-Aja (head) of Okere Community in Warri South local government, Delta State, Ogieboro E.F. Esisi says the annual Awankere festival which has been celebrated for over 500 years is a fertility festival where women, men and masquerades dance together without any fetish inclination.
The community head made this clarification in an exclusive chat with Fresh Angle Saturday July 3 at the Okere Market Square during the grand finale of the 8 market days event. He noted that the community has sustained the culture from generation to generation due to its believe in the philosophy behind the festival.
The Chairman of Uvwie local government, Hon. Peter Abugewa who was among dignitaries that graced the evening section of the final day of the event, particularly commended the hospitality of the Okere people. According to him, the way the various dance groups danced as well as the way the festival is organized goes to show that the Okere people have attained the height of discipline.
He explained that the peaceful organization of the festival is a way of keying into Governor Uduaghan’s 3 point agenda.
On his part, PDP Chairman, Delta South senatorial district, Hon. Kenneth Efejuku observed that people’s participation in the festival over the years “is dwindling because of Christianization of our culture”. He however quipped that the annual festival has harmonized peace and security around the area.
Hon. Efejuku who was one of the pioneer members of Delta State Waste Management Board expressed delight at the participation of a dance group from Udu and described it as an innovation in the festival. He advised neighbouring communities to try and stick to their culture in spite of modern civilization.
Fresh Angle reliably gathered that Ukpasha, the symbolic weep held by the masquerade and male participants of the festival represents the deity, Okiroro whose life is enacted during the Awankere festival. Community sources also explained that the staging of the festival during rainy seasons is due to the “therapeutic effect on all participants and spectators alike, as it washes off all sicknesses, ailments, curses and ill luck”.
Fresh Angle can also report that there are two different versions to the origin of the Awankere festival.
One version posits that its origin dates back to the later part of the 15th century when Ekpen, the Chief Warrior and founder of Okere introduced it, while the second version avers that a certain woman, named Mogboruko went fishing along the Okere creek, near Ajamimogha and caught a strange object which is a symbol of Okiroro in her fishing basket on three different occasions. Most Okere people however tend to stick to the first version due to the great similarity between the Awere were festival of Benin and the Awere were ritual enactment, an integral part of Awankere festival.
The climax of the final day of the Awankere festival is the ritual race run by the masquerades about 6:30pm when the first shade of darkness has crept in.
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