Ogoni: Bori Landlords Mark Biggest Ogoni Cultural Festival

It was big celebration yesterday in Bori, traditional headquarters of Ogoniland, as the landlords, the Bua-Yeghe people (popularly called Yeghe) marked Ogoni's biggest cultural festival symbolizing the end of the 2014 planting season in Bori, Bua-Yeghe.

The festival of Ka-Alu, is usually marked in Bori to commemorate the end of the planting season and involves the most celebrated display of Ogoni culture as the masquerades parade round the Bua-Yeghe territories including Looyoo, Mgbubee Village, Nortem village, Boro shrine near the Bua-Yeghe border with Wiiyaakara, and all other Bua-Yeghe communities in Bori.

An estimated 18,000 persons participated in the event to mark the 2014 planting season in the community.

In a style typical of the Ogoni people, the event went peaceful with no incidences as youths of Bua-Yeghe joined by lovers of Ogoni culture and enthusiastic residents of Bori joined in the celebrations.

The Ka-Alu cultural display takes the form of a carnival display and is essential athletic as the colorful masquerades run after the celebrants to touch them with the banana leaves to show who can run faster.

The event was properly supervised by the Nigerian Police to ensure no incidence of security breaches. In a usual style, the celebrants focus on the event and conducted themselves peacefully round Bori. The event terminated at the Central Village Square, Bua-Yeghe.

The Bua-Yeghe people are spread in to two local government areas of Khana and Gokana in Rivers State. The communities of Looyoo, Ka-Bori, Kemzoo, Ngubee, Banaken, Nortem, Normeh, Dorgbom, Barabe Nukpor, and others are in Khana local government area while Nugbee, Gaagaa, Nukpor, Demeue, Boghor, Kebara, Bara-Nugbe, Bekee-Gbom, Norkue, and several other Bua-Yeghe communities are in Gokana Local Government Area.

Bori became the center of Ogoni activities and is sometimes referred to as the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni people following the persuasion of the Bua-Yeghe people by the Late Hon T.N. Paul Birabi, the first Ogoni university graduate and father of modern Ogoni, an indigene of Yeghe, who requested his people to give up parts of the land for development activities.

Bori has since attracted all parts of Ogoni and is today the center of Ogoni activities.

Yesterday's celebrations captured the attraction of all parts of Ogoni who came into Bori to witness the events of the day.

Warmest Regards,
FEGALO NSUKE
Editor