Igbo leaders to storm Asaba for Ikemba festival induction

Chimamanda Adichie, award winning novelist, Chimalum Nwankwo, Africa’s celebrated poet and professor of World Comparative Literature, and Nollywood’s Pete Edochie, will be performing at the December Ikemba festivals in Asaba during the induction of Ogbueshi nabu Emma Okocha as the Ikemba Ahaba.
Daily Sun gathered that the festival is targeting the recovering and revival of the dying Igbo dancing music and putting back on the world stage the glorious magnificence of the Igbo masquerade.
Already, Director of the National Troupe, Tar Ukor, has extended his hands and would be sending experts to professionally teach and aid the local performers.
On his part, Okocha said: ‘’I cannot be expected to go and be inducted without the programme telling my story as an anti-genocide advocate for more than 30 years; without bringing along the people who stood by me when the road was a perilous gallop to the precipice; that programme would not be complete if we don’t show the world the golden fabric of our civilisation, by the way we dance, what we eat, how we dress before the advent of the white man, his churches and his English language.
“We must say it, tell the world the spiritual meaning of the Ikemba.’’
Meanwhile, Emma Iwuanyanwu, the Ahaejeagamba Ndgibo, described the conferring of the Ikemba title to The Sun franchise columnist as “more than well deserved and praised the Asagba Asaba for selecting for the Igbo another great Ikemba, the Igbo will live to revere and respect.’’