Initiation Rituals in Traditional African societies

Traditional rites to mark the transition of individuals from one stage of life to another are conducted in many African traditional society. Similar rites are also found in several parts of the world outside Africa.  (E. Ikenga-Metuh 1987;197).

Initiation rites have significant implications for the life of individuals and the community at large. They involve different aspects of life, including the psychological, social, economic and political. (Ejizu 2010). The religious dimension is clearly important as traditional African people relies on the supernatural power and divine authority of ancestors and other spiritual being to validate their worthwhile activities and to ensure the lasting success of their initiation proceedings.

Prior to the advent of Western pattern schools in most African communities, initiation rituals provided the most effective avenue for socialization and transmission of key beliefs and values of the community to successive generations. Against the background of the oral culture of traditional African society, people relied on such oral media as speech-forms, dramatic performances, and ritual symbolic forms to communicate their important beliefs and values to members of the community. The sacredness and mystery that often characterized the initiation ceremonies makes it favorable for the effective communication of the accumulated wisdom of the people, including the ideal of harmonious living in the community. 

Benjamin Obeghare Izu

Doctorate Student

University of South Africa

Libation and the Ovwuvwe festival celebrated by the Abraka-Urhobo's

Introduction
A libation is a prayer used in traditional Abraka society. Libations are done with eyes open to see what the ancestors have conveyed to the people. It is performed in significant event in Abraka kingdom, such as child birth, wedding, festival rituals; as a sacred communal custom, it helps to bind families and communities with everything that lives and everything that ever lived. It is also an act of remembrance to keep families linked to their hereditary legacy and to prevent them from going extinct in the society.
Libation and the Ovwuvwe festival

Like the symbolic wine in Christian Holy Communion which signifies the blood of Jesus, liquids are often used in Abraka libation prayers; some families may use water, as a symbol of the continuity of life, and some may use palm wine. Other families may use gin, schnapps, or other alcoholic beverages as a symbols of the ancestral spirits.

There is an order to follow when pouring libations that is strictly followed in Abraka community. The libation closely follows the family ancestry and in many cases, it is a narration of a couple’s links to each family member, living, dead and unborn. Libations can be simple expressions of noble aspirations with refrains of call and response. In Abraka society, every adult is expected to be able to call up the appropriate words at appropriate moments. It may be performed by the eldest family member or by a respected family member or friend. Instruments such as bells (Agogo) maybe used to accompany the officiant. Repetition helps to reinforce feelings and the mood

A libation is one of the most dramatic parts of Ovwuvwe festival celebration. It is done at the ancestral shrines and at the kings (Ovie) palace. It is meaningful and colourful, and offers a moment to reflect on the importance of community. It is an important act of remembrance that helps young people to reclaim their family tradition.

 It invokes powerful emotions and feelings of good wishes. It also offers a way to highlight both families’ ties to one another. The libation can be a way of elevating the event and involving guests and family members in a personal way. And for anyone who has lost a parent or other family member, it can be a moment of emotional reconciliation and celebration.

 Like prayer(s), libations begin with an invocation to invite everyone to participate. It is followed by an introduction where ancestors, elders and family members are named. The prayer asks God for good wishes. The conclusion ends the libation by thanking everyone for participating. It also sends the spirits home. (Tonukare Ochuko 2010).

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By
Benjamin Obeghare Izu
Doctorate student
University of South Africa.

The Igede drum used in Ovwuvwe Festival Musical Performance

Brief origin of Ovwuvwe Festival

Ovwuvwe festival is a re-enactment of the sojourn of Avwaeke, the Founder of Abraka kingdom . It is a yearly celebration ensuing from the triumph over the Enemies forces that got drowned in the Ovwuvwe stream, therefore making it possible for Avwaeke, the ancestral father of the Abraka people to establish his settlement with members of his family in Otoro-Abraka (Abraka traditional headquarters).

The Igede (Drums)

This comprises of the Osi-igede (father drum), Oni-igede (mother drum) and Ini-igede (small drums). These are easily identified by their characteristic structure – the father drum is elegant and the tallest, the mother drum, conversely, is short and plump, and the others are of moderate sizes. Only medium Igede (drums) are used for Ovwuvwe festival musical performance because of their sizes and flexibility. 

They are made out of Logs of wood. The Igede are the most common instruments used in Ovwuvwe festival musical performance. The log of wood is cut to the desired height or length and a cylindrical hole is borne through it from one end to the other. Thereafter, the body is carved, in order to sharpen it to an expected form

picture of the Igede

Celebrant performing with the Igede during Ovwuvwe festival