From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
After a two-year hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oreze Arts Series, a group art exhibition promoted by His Majesty’s Chimedie Museum Trust Foundation will feature in this year’s Ofala Festival of Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha.
Chairman of the Ofala Steering Committee Chief Mike Areh, who disclosed this in Onitsha, said the eighth edition of the series will open on Friday, October 21 and run till Tuesday, October 25″.
“The series is designed to provide exposure to budding artists living and practising in the South East of Nigeria. It is also an avenue for multi-talented and well-established artists from various parts of the world to exhibit their works. At least 120 artists will be exhibiting their works at Oreze VIII,” Areh stated.
“They include Alex Nwokolo, Kainebi Osahenye, Edison Ekwueme, Dr Bolaji Ogunwo, Tola Wewe, and Ayeva Nourridine. The special guest will be Professor John Ogene, Professor of Art History and Graphics Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, UNIBEN.”
Areh, the Onya Ozoma of Onitsha, flanked by other members of the steering committee, including Tony Nezianya, among others, also disclosed that Globacom and International Breweries Plc are the official sponsors of the Ofala.
He said Globacom has been partnering with the Onitsha Traditional Council since 2011 while the relationship these bodies have had with the Onitsha community has contributed in no small measure to the growth and development of the Ofala.
The Ofala is the high point of the Onitsha ceremonial cycle. The Obi of Onitsha is the celebrant of this spectacle which is rooted in deep spirituality. The Ofala is an occasion for the monarch to fulfil certain obligations. It is primarily a celebration by the monarch and his subjects, of the monarch’s annual emergence from seclusion, during which period the monarch has successfully negotiated the fortunes of the kingdom. It is also a re-enactment of the joy, which the monarch shared with his subjects, at the discovery that yam is non-toxic, and a valuable source of food.
“The Onicha Ado N’Idu community is looking forward to celebrating the 2022 Ofala in the normal way after two years, during which the Covid-19 pandemic had caused the ceremonies to be held devoid of the usual fanfare.
“Some of you may recall that in 2019, we announced a plan for placing the Ofala on a higher pedestal. The plan had three broad objectives. The first is for the Ofala to attract considerable national, West African, and international attention. The second is for the Ofala to attain the status of a major event in the Nigerian, by extension in the West African cultural/tourism calendar. The third is for the Ofala to become a viable commercial venture, making reasonable contributions to the Ime Obi treasury.
“We took off well in 2019. That year, the Ofala was endorsed by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, the apex tourism regulatory agency in the country, as a major Nigerian festival. NTDC has also issued a specific mandate in its support. However, the Covid-19 pandemic led to a situation in which we could not go ahead with implementing our plans. Now that the pandemic is reasonably behind us, we can now focus attention on our purpose for the Ofala, which in the words of His Majesty is to bring the world to Onitsha,” he said.