Culture

Nigeria Seeks To Enlist New Yam Festival In UNESCO Cultural Heritage

Published

2 years ago

August 16, 2024

Nigeria Seeks To Enlist New Yam Festival In UNESCO Cultural Heritage

Nigeria is seeking to enlist the Igbo’s ‘Iri Ji Ohu’ (New Yam Festival) as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, during a courtesy visit to her office by a delegation of traditional rulers from the South-East.

Noting that the Iri Ji Ohu festival is as important and prestigious as the Argungu Fishing Festival and the Orisa Festival, Musawa said despite the lack of funding, the ministry “will work towards involving UNESCO experts in the festival and submit it for possible enlistment.”

This is in addition to promoting the festival globally to attract the support of Nigerians of Igbo descent in the diaspora.

Commending the minister’s commitment, spokesperson for the South-East traditional leaders’ delegate, His Royal Highness (HRH), Eze Sylvester Onuegbu of Imo State, urged support in taking the festival to global standards and greater heights this year.

“The festival has suffered a serious setback due to the paucity of funds to enrich its cultural content, and package it to national and international standards. We believe that with the right support, this festival can become a flagship event for Nigerian culture and tourism, and enlisted by UNESCO,” said HRH Onuegbu.

Akonitv reports that, to be listed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the element of the festival must fall within the definition of the UNESCO Convention as a cultural element that reflects the identity of the community it belongs; the nomination file must state clearly how the element may be the basis for intercultural dialogue between peoples’ testifying to the creativity of its community and that of communities comparable to it, and the nomination file must outline safeguarding measures to be taken to protect the element. The latter refers to activities undertaken to identify, catalogue and document the element, in addition to providing research relevant to it, legislations aimed at its preservation, protection, enhancement and promotion via informal and formal education.

There is also the need for the documentation of the community’s involvement leading up to the element’s nomination. How involved is the affected community, individuals or groups, with evidence of their free and informed consent attached in the nomination file. Finally, the element itself must be listed as an intangible cultural heritage in its country or state of origin.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”