Every year, the New Yam Festival holds a special place in the hearts of the Igbo people, but this August 29, all eyes will be on Nguzu Edda in Ebonyi State as the Edda clan stages Ike Ji Edda in a grand style.
The celebration is more than just a feast. It is a gathering of heritage, identity, and unity, one that blends the richness of tradition with the promise of tourism and economic growth under the leadership of Hon. Chima Ekumankama, Chairman of Edda Local Government.
August 29 is set aside as a day of culture, fanfare, and the celebration of heritage. It is also a day to showcase the tourism and economic potential of the Edda people. All roads will lead to Nguzu Edda, a community known for preserving its roots.
Although the new yam festival has always been part of the Edda tradition, this year’s celebration is expected to take on a new height as a cultural carnival with deeper integration of heritage. At the centre of this vision is Hon. Ekumankama, who has assured that every effort will be made to make the festival memorable.
In his words,
New Yam Festival is a mark of Igboness. Every part of the Igbo world celebrates the king of food, Ji. Edda is part of that. This eighth month of the year in the common calendar is actually the first month of the Igbo calendar, the beginning of the year and season. We begin our year in a season of abundance when the rains fertilise the earth to yield food, when the harvest of the labour of the people starts to come from their fields and toils. Like every member of society, I am a product of culture, I am a child of my heritage, and it is an obligation on me to make sure that what our people, the Edda Clan, are known for is preserved. This is why I am mobilising our people to roll out fully for a grand new yam festival we call Ike Ji in Edda. The reason the Igbo celebrate yams is that it is indigenous to our people and our world. Wherever you find yams in the world, such a place borrowed it from the Igbo and the West African region.
The history of yam cultivation is deeply tied to human settlement. According to research, the domestication of wild food gave rise to the sedentary lifestyle of early societies. By tending cultivated crops instead of relying on wild harvests, communities secured food supplies and established towns and cities. For the Edda Clan, yams are at the foundation of their existence and stability. It remains the king of foods and a unifying symbol of culture.
Ike Ji Edda is unique because it spans the four days of the Igbo week. Each day has its role and its meaning. It begins on Orie, when the ikoro is sounded to announce a new season. On Afo day, preparations are made, and on Nkwo, the yam is harvested. The evening of Nkwo is reserved for Ichu Afa, where young men dance through the night to send off the old year. The most significant day is Eke Ipo, regarded as the New Year’s Day. Families and kindred come together to eat Ipo, a mashed yam delicacy that binds all who partake in kinship and mutual responsibility. Women and maidens crown the festival with Orie Eyighiya, an all-night celebration of dance and song, which historically marked the time maidens were taken into marriage.
The revival and unification of Ike Ji under a single banner are credited to Hon. Ekumankama, whose leadership has given the festival a renewed outlook. Traditional custodians and community leaders have also aligned with his vision to create a landmark cultural celebration.
For the Edda people, the festival represents more than the celebration of yams. It is a renewal of communal ties, an expression of thanksgiving to God, and a reaffirmation of values such as industry, family responsibility, and moral upbringing. It highlights the significance of women in nurturing virtues and the role of men in sustaining families through farming.
Beyond culture, the Ike Ji Edda festival is seen as an avenue for tourism and economic growth. According to Hon. Ekumankama, “In the quest of my administration to set Edda on the path of economic growth, we have to harness the cultural component and project it to the world to come and see. Such grows the economy, deepens the sustainability of our culture and endows us with pride as a people that have roots. When our Ike Ji starts attracting up to 20,000 external visitors every year, our economy gets better. Ike Ji Edda will make so much progressive sense and elicit multiple benefits to the people in tourism, unity, and the economy.”
Yam remains a central part of the global food economy. In 2020, 75 million metric tons of yams were sold worldwide, with Nigeria accounting for 67 per cent of that production. The global consumption reached 89 million tonnes in 2024 and is projected to grow to 95 million tonnes in 2035, with revenues exceeding 56 billion dollars. Though yam farming in Edda is in decline, the renewed cultural significance of yams presents an opportunity for revitalisation and modernisation of farming practices.
Ike Ji Edda is therefore not just a festival. It is a bridge between tradition and the future, a reminder of identity, and a rallying point for culture, economy, and unity.
