Festivals are essential for preserving cultural heritage, ensuring that traditions, music, and dance are handed down through generations. The Ipem-Ihihe Festival of the Bekwarra people in Northern Cross River State is a vibrant event that celebrates the harvest of new yams and showcases the community’s deep-rooted artistic expressions. Through traditional dance performances and Indigenous music, the festival keeps the cultural identity of the Bekwarra people thriving.
The Significance of the Ipem-Ihihe Festival
The Ipem-Ihihe Festival is the New Yam Festival of the Bekwarra people in Northern Cross River State. With a population of about 150,000, Bekwarra is one of the state’s most populated local government areas. Often referred to as “Bekwarrians,” the people are known for their warm hospitality and rich cultural heritage. Their unique traditions, including Bekwarra traditional dances and music, are crucial in preserving their identity.
The Bekwarra people, who share a boundary with Benue State, speak one of the most dominant languages in Cross River North. Their cultural attire, featuring black, white, and red stripes, symbolises different aspects of their heritage: black represents fertile soil, white signifies hospitality, and red embodies strength and resilience.
As an agrarian society, the Bekwarra people rely on farming for sustenance and economic growth. They cultivate various crops, including groundnuts, potatoes, cocoyams, cassava, plantains, water yams, maize, and, most importantly, yams (Ipem), regarded as the “King of Crops.” The community is known for its fresh palm wine and pure palm oil. Their traditional dishes include Beniseed soup, groundnut soup, bitter leaf soup, and dry okra soup, reflecting their deep-rooted culinary traditions.
Ipem-Ihihe Festival: A Celebration of Culture
The Ipem-Ihihe Festival is a significant cultural event that marks the beginning of the yam harvest season and showcases the traditional music and Bekwarra traditional dances of the Bekwarra people. Celebrated annually on the first Saturday of September, the festival honours the people’s Bekwarra cultural heritage, strongly emphasising the preservation of traditional performance arts. The event includes various ceremonies, rituals, and communal activities, ensuring the legacy of Bekwarra’s indigenous music and dance remains vibrant.
The Ipem-Ihihe Festival’s Eve: Rituals and Preparations
A day before the festival, elders perform traditional sacrifices to honor the ancestors and gods of harvest. These private rituals, led by village heads, involve thanksgiving offerings for a bountiful harvest. Although modern influences, including Christianity, have adapted these practices, the festival’s significance remains intact, providing an avenue for traditional songs and chants accompanying the rituals.
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The Celebration of Ipem-Ihihe
Photo Source: MichaelOdere/X
On the festival day, households prepare yam dishes, beginning with an ancestral ritual where the head of the family offers mashed yam mixed with palm oil to the deities before the family partakes in the feast. The festival also features gallons of fresh palm wine, reinforcing communal unity.
One of the most captivating aspects of Ipem-Ihihe is the showcase of Bekwarra traditional dances and music. The event includes:
- Cultural Parade – A grand display of traditional attire with rhythmic drumming and singing.
- Traditional Dance Competitions – Various age groups and cultural troupes perform intricate dances, preserving the movement patterns and storytelling aspects of Bekwarra dance traditions.
- Traditional Music Performances—Local artists perform songs that tell historical tales, praise heroes, and celebrate the people’s agrarian lifestyle.
- Masquerade Displays – A fusion of dance, drumming, and theatrical performances, with elaborate costumes symbolising spiritual and cultural meanings.
- Awards and Recognition – Honours given to the best yam farmer, palm wine tapper, and outstanding performers in traditional arts.
The festival is an occasion for feasting and a major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from neighboring communities and beyond. This helps sustain interest in Bekwarra cultural heritage, ensuring that the younger generations continue to learn and practice traditional dances and music.
A Season of Generosity and Cultural Bonding
Photo Source: Paradise/X
In Bekwarra culture, the Ipem-Ihihe season is the most generous time of the year. Village leaders encourage acts of kindness, reinforcing the festival’s role in strengthening communal ties. The event fosters a sense of unity among traditional leaders, political figures, and the general populace, serving as a unifying force that bridges generational and societal divides.
Final Thoughts – Preserving Bekwarra’s Cultural Identity
Ipem-Ihihe is steadily gaining recognition as a significant cultural tourism event in Cross River State. Through music and traditional Bekwarra dances, the festival continues to uphold the traditions of the Bekwarra people, ensuring that their cultural heritage is not lost to modernisation. The performances pass down historical narratives, values, and customs, keeping the spirit of Bekwarra alive for generations to come.
In essence, the Bekwarra Festival is more than just a celebration of the yam harvest—it is a cultural cornerstone that preserves Bekwarra traditional dances and music, ensuring they remain an integral part of the people’s identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Ipem-Ihihe Festival to the Bekwarra people?
The Ipem-Ihihe Festival is the New Yam Festival of the Bekwarra people, celebrated annually to mark the beginning of the yam harvest season.
2. How does the Ipem-Ihihe Festival help preserve traditional dances and music?
The festival features cultural parades, dance competitions, traditional music performances, and masquerade displays. These events provide opportunities for different generations to learn, perform, and pass down traditional dance patterns, songs, and storytelling techniques, ensuring they remain vibrant and relevant.
3. What rituals and preparations take place before the festival?
On the eve of the festival, village elders perform traditional sacrifices to honor ancestors and the gods of harvest.
4. What cultural elements are showcased during the festival?
The festival showcases several cultural elements, including traditional Bekwarra attire, intricate dance performances, indigenous music, masquerade displays, and storytelling through songs. It also highlights culinary traditions with yam dishes and fresh palm wine, alongside awards for excellence in farming and cultural arts.
5. Why is the Ipem-Ihihe Festival important for younger generations?
The festival offers younger generations a chance to witness, learn, and participate in Bekwarra’s cultural expressions, including traditional dances and music. By engaging in these performances and ceremonies, young people develop pride in their heritage and help ensure the survival of their cultural identity in the face of modernisation.
