From Uche Chukwu,, Nnewi
The clarion call to ensure that Igbo language doesn’t go into extinction by this year as predicted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has witnessed revitalization of cultural values, objects and expressions to sustain Igbo culture generally and language particularly. To this end, the State government has approved the movement of the venue of celebration of Afia olu Nnewi Festival to a more spacious and befitting facility at Nkwo Triangle, Nnewi in Nnewi North local government area of Anambra State.
Speaking at the end of the fpur-day Afia olu New Yam Festival, Governor Charles Soludo, expressed gladness with the huge turnout, commending the promoting firm, the Life Continental Beer for making this year’s Afia olu. New Yam Festival a top notch. Soludo who was represented by the Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Don Onyenji noted that the bold participation of the brand has elevated the cultural festival to an enviable status of a tourist attraction, leveraging on the massive attendance of people from several parts of the world.
Speaking at the end of the four-day festival which lasted from Wednesday to last Saturday, the Marketing Company of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Sarah Agha said the firm is intentional in its promotion of the Afia olu New Yam Festival, being key to revival and sustenance of Igbo language which was tipped to go into extinction this year. Agha pointed out that, by promoting the Festival with its various segments, the younger generation would see the need to continue with them, thereby sustaining and enlivening the wider Igbo culture.
She said: ”’Life Continental Lager Beer, the beer that celebrates resilience, ambition, and the unstoppable drive of Ndi Igbo, has proudly demonstrated love for the culture of the people by boldly embracing the rich cultural spirit of Ndi Nnewi by audaciously backing the 2025 Afiaolu Festival.”.
She expressed joy that the people of Nnewi, represented by the royal father, High Royal Highness, Igwe KON Orizu III welcomed Life Continental Lager Beer warmly, and made it possible for the brand to boldly immerse itself in the people’s culture.
Thanking all participants for adding colour to the event, she posited that the similarities in the brand proposition of Life Continental Lager Beer and the Nnewi people would always be a source of encouragement for the brand to continually identify with Ndi Igbo and Ndi Nnewi in particular. According to her, ‘Life Continental Beer is one if the leading beer in our portfolio and champions Igbo culture which is rich and beautiful and should be celebrated. We believe the culture and pride of Igbo people should be celebrated beyond the shore of Igbo land and beyond the African continent.
Sarah Agha expressed confidence that the mutually rewarding relationship between Life Continental Lager and Ndi Nnewi will continue and even be bigger next year, assuring of a facelift at the facility that hosted this year’s event. In her remarks, the Corporate Affairs Manager (East), Joy Egolum said she was proud and very honoured because the ‘ Nigerian Breweries Plc, through its Life Continental Beer has always positioned itself as a brand that identifies with the culture and traditions of the people. ‘We’re here to celebrate Afia olu Nnewi Festival and it shows Life Lager has been celebrating our culture, resilience and enterprise as people of the old Eastern Region that it really say what they mean. According to her, Afia olu is a major festival and is very important to the culture of Igbo people, and being here, Life Beer has always positioned itself and identified with Afia olu Festival as part of the celebrations of culture and traditions of Ndigbo..
It was gathered that, as part of the means by the Nigeria Breweries Plc in adopting innovations is to keep the Igbo culture alive, thereby revitalizing Igbo language for benefit of the future generation. To this end, the firm threw insight into its passion for the promotion of the Annual Afia olu Nnewi Festival in which new yam feast is marked, traditional fashion parade, musicals, wrestling and foods are slated for competition among young generation. Also, there were displays of cane-wielding young persons who flogged themselves in attestation of their test of endurance and strength as well as masquerades of different forms, colours and shades to bring to memory the existing traditional link between the dead ancestors and the living members of Nnewi’ community. One of the highpoints of the event was the Cooking Competition among each quarter Chef who battled for the winning prize of N2 million to excel in the task of preparing roasted or pounded yam dish with either bitter leaf soup or oil, ogiri, ugba, etc. In this year’s Cooking Competition, the Chef from Umudim won the first prize of N2 million, folliwed by Otoli N1.5 million, Nnewichi N750,000 and Uruagu N500,000 in the second, third and fourth positions respectively.
This segment was followed by test of strength and endurance inherent in the inter-quarter Traditional Wrestling match in which the defending champion from Uruagu won the coveted belt at stake after defeating the wrestler from Nnewichi while the wrestlers from Otolo and Umudim drew their fight after tough regulation time. These innovationps have turned Afia olu New Yam Festival into an unforgettable period of home-coming for the members of the four quarters of Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewichi at home and abroad as well as their invited friends, associates and wells wishers to celebrate the rich culture in yam, local delicacies, music, dance, wrestling, masquerade displays, and flogging to test endurance as well as maiden outing.
The Festival exemplifies the accommodating spirit of the people from the four quarters as they serve their visitors especially from their maternal side, and other guests the delicacies made of the new yam and its condiments. In his remarks, one of the distributor who simply identified himself as Ken, described Life Beer as an Igbo brand, pride of Igbo land which they should identify with .
