Ikenna Okafor Foundation in partnership with UDAN on Tuesday 24th December 2024 hosted the maiden edition of Uturu Arts and Crafts Festival.
The one-day event attracted a celebration of vintage crafts, cultural heritage, creativity, and community for which the Uturu people are known.
The event brought together the Uturu community, friends, enthusiasts, and the public to celebrate the dynamic intersection of vintage Uturu crafts, cultural heritage, and creative expressions.
The event which was held at the Uturu Unity Hall, is not just about celebrating The ancient Uturu craft, it’s a platform for reliving cultural heritages, boosting tourism, creating opportunities for artisans, education, capacity building, history, and engaging the youth through arts and crafts.
The maiden edition of the Uturu Arts and Crafts Festival provided an immersive experience that transcended the conventional culture of arts and crafts for which the indigenous people of Uturu are renowned.
In his opening remarks, the coordinator of the program Mr Azubuike Madubuezi said, “Today marks the beginning of a remarkable day, culture is the way of life of our people, and arts and crafts are an integral part of our heritage” he urged the guests to relax, enjoy and celebrate the creativity of the Uturu people.
During his address, the traditional ruler of the Uturu Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Dr. Uwadiegwu Ogbonnaya, narrated the history of Uturu. He stated that the Uturu people were highly enterprising and emphasized that traditional arts and crafts were significant sources of revenue long before the arrival of colonial powers. According to him, people came from across Igbo land to buy mats, baskets, and other crafts from Uturu, making arts and crafts an essential part of the community’s identity.
Dr. Chidi Mba, The President General of Uturu Development Association (UDAN), expressed gratitude to Chief Ikenna Okafor for his vision in initiating the festival. He urged the need for its sustainability, noting that if maintained, the festival could become a strategic avenue for boosting tourism, revitalizing Uturu’s cultural heritage, and fostering youth development and historical awareness.
In his speech Chief Ikenna Okafor, Chairman of Constance Energy Group and Founder of Ikenna Okafor Foundation noted that for centuries crafts and arts have been an integral part of human culture playing a crucial role in shaping our cultural identities and preserving heritages insisting that we must encourage the next generation to take up traditional crafts and arts, he stated that Ikenna Okafor Foundation is self-funded he noted that the event is valued at over 30 million Naira, Chief Okafor thanked all those who came to honour the event while promising to sustain the tradition by making it an annual event.
The event witnessed a colourful display of various crafts and arts, Participants were rewarded with cash prizes totaling 1.8 million Naira. The overall winner received 200,000 Naira, the second runner-up was awarded 150,000 Naira, and the third-place winner received 100,000 Naira. other participants also received consolation prizes of 50,000 Naira each.
The highlight of the event was the distribution of 10 kg bags of rice and cash gifts to over 600 families across the 24 autonomous communities in Uturu. The festival attracted notable personalities from the state and beyond.
