By Emeka Esogbue
Abstract
Akwa-Ocha as generally known is
the cultural fabric of the Anioma people used to meet their cultural and
fashionable needs. The name literally implies ‘White Cloth’ whereas it is plain
but designed with motifs and other forms of symbols that are made to traditionally
relevant to the people whose need and interest it serves. These symbols are seen
as relevant to the culture and spiritual cosmology of the people and also
explain their history in some ways. It is also fashionably worn to be grand
occasions such as traditional marriages, weddings, house-warming, important
birthday parties and maybe be generally worn important outings. The fabric is
so important to the people that without it several of their cultural practices
remain incomplete. This paper will employ narrative analysis because it will be
useful in characterizing its explanation understandably and will focus on the
use and importance of the fabric to Anioma society as a whole and also its
significance to the people in all aspects of their culture and day to day use. It will also seek to appreciate efforts made
by the people in recent times to market it to the rest of the world in a bid to
preserve it to the future generation.
KEYWORDS
Akwa-Ocha, Culture, Anioma, Identity,
People, Fabric, Empowerment
INTRODUCTION
The Anioma are Igbo-speaking
people geographically located in Delta State of Nigeria, South-South
Geo-political Zone of Nigeria. They comprise the sub-groups of Aniocha,
Oshimili, Ika and Ukwuani/Ndokwa and are for administrative purposes classified
as Delta North Senatorial District in Delta State.Since 1991, they have come to
occupy 9 (nine) local government areas in the state. The Anioma people though
diverse in origin have developed syncretic culture that is rich in varied
contributions. This is so due to the shared meaning and common symbols of human
relations which now commonly exist among the people. The Anioma people are rich
in cultureand have taken greater measures to preserve this richness in their
cultural heritage Osia (2012:4)1.
The region is also
considered to be one of the richest in the country in terms of human resources,
many of who have made impacts in several areas of their endeavor and also
contributing to the socio-political and economic development of the nation as a
whole.
ORIGIN
Since
not much researches have been conducted on Akwa-Ocha of the Anioma people, the
origin of this fabric remainslargely unknown but history has pointed towards Ubulu-Uku,
Issele-Uku and Ogwashi-Uku as its foundational home which is due to their link
with nearby Benin where white fabric is also used on ceremonial occasions and
as their cultural attire. Of the mentioned three communities, Ubulu-Uku appears
more favoureddue to the fact that the palace of the king of
Ubulu-Uku, for instance, still has a role to play before the final coronation
of the Oba of Benin in which case the use of Akwa-Ocha may be involved in the
said ceremony. Despite this assertion, one may not have spoken with finality. What
is well-known is that the production of the cultural fabric is heavy in these
three communities. The Akwa-Ocha cultural attire may have therefore evolved
from Benin where the men also are so known to make flowing garment with white
fabric as a cultural and ceremonial wear.
However, the confusion surrounding the actual place of
its origin led to the below submission by Osuyi (2019:1). He believes that what
should provide a more relevant discourse is that it is the cultural attire of
the Enuani people.
“I would rather say that it is an industry of
Aniocha/Oshimili people, the Enuani people of Delta State. If I say it is from
Ubulu-Uku, some persons may say that it is from Issele-Uku or Ogwashi-Uku, as
the case maybe. These are people living within the same geographical territory with
same culture”2.
Ogoegbunem, an indigene of Ubulu-Uku who has also been quoted
by Osuyi aligns in reasoning with him. For him therefore:
“Akwa-Ocha is part and parcel of the culture of my
people, that is, the Aniocha/Oshimili people, or Enuani, that constitute part
of Delta North Senatorial District (Anioma) of Delta State. We grew up to meet
it, it was handed over to us by our forefathers”3.
We have seen thus far that the origin of Akwa-Ocha is
still shrouded in mystery and it will be very wise if researchers dig into the
root of the cultural material with a view to determining its origin which will
become useful in its further studies.
Nonetheless, there is no doubt that the cultural material has an origin
before its general acceptance by the generality of the Anioma people. It is the
origin of this material which is important to the Anioma people that will make
any study of cultural fabric complete and relevant. This will also aid proper
understanding of the fabric as well as preserve it to the future generation
which is a necessity in sustaining it.
THE AKWA-OCHA
Onwuakpa(2017: 1) has given a proper definition of
Aka-Ocha in an abstract written by her. She stated that:
“Akwa-Ocha, which
literally means white cloth, is basically an indigenous hand-woven cloth that
is produced by the Aniocha people of Delta state. The cloth which contains
surface decorative motifs and symbols is used for various festive occasions
among the people. Akwa-Ocha motifs and symbols and their
functions reveal the people’s history, religion, and social behaviours.
Nigerian traditional elements such as the Akwa-Ocha motifs and symbols feature in the changing landscape
in the design of fashion accessories in Nigeria. How has Akwa-Ocha responded to global
consciousness in its application of fashion accessories? How well has the
heritage, the motifs, and symbols on Akwa-Ocha functioned as carriers of
cultural heritage and identity of the people? This paper therefore focuses
attention on the use of Akwa-Ocha motifs and symbols for the
design of fashion accessories. The exploration of Akwa-Ocha motifs
and symbols for the design of fashion accessories for obvious reasons include
creating an identity, checking the emphasis already placed on foreign fashion
accessories, creating awareness and projecting one of Nigeria’s rich cultural
heritages”4.
Onwuakpain
her writing may have demonstrated interest in the cultural aesthetics and
tastes of the fabric on the basis of motifs and symbols which translates into
visual form that beautifies Akwa-Ocha and has also described the nature and
substance of the material which is useful in understanding what Akwa-Ocha. All
of these features provided by her will bring about deeper understanding in the
study of the cultural fabric.
For
Alakam, J (2014:1), Akwa -Ocha is the pride of the ANIOMA people and as the
name implies Akwa-Ocha is a cloth that is white or better still white cloth.
Alakam went on to describe it as the traditional cloth worn and used by the
ANIOMA people of Delta State, otherwise known and referred to as “Delta -Igbo.
For
him, Akwa-Ocha is a fabric made from wool and exists in wrapper; this fabric is
worn mostly during important occasions like weddings, marriage ceremonies and
birthday parties. The cloth, which is hand-woven by women, is very strong that
it can last for 100 years as he concluded5
Unlike what may be required in foreign societies, the
beauty of the making of the Akwa-Ocha fabric is such that it does not require
that the producer must be an initiate of any cultto be able to do it. Instead,
it very much about the transfer of skills which is essentially feminine in
nature. However, in recent times, some men join in the production of the
fabric, making the production the job of masculine and feminine. Training
therefore becomes a major requirement in the production of the cultural fabric.
THE USE OF AKWA-OCHA
Akwa-Ocha
means ‘purity’ and is so considered by the people. For the Anioma traditional
users, it has cultural and religious significance which separates it from other
hand-woven clothes of other peoples of Nigeria, making it pure and unique in
the socio-cultural life of Anioma thus its use in carrying out rites Okonji (2001:111).
This
invites purity, sanctity and cleanliness as major significance of Akwa-Ocha to
the Anioma users. The people believe so much in uprightness and that the man’s
society must run a smooth and healthy cause. This is a reflection in ‘Aniocha’
name of the people and also the carefully chosen ‘Anioma’ name of the people in
general. Unlike the various shades of colour other than white now seen in
Akwa-Ocha, if Akwa-Ocha is not white in colour, it is not Akwa-Ocha. It is the
white colour and no other colour that signifies the cultural and religious
significance which it conveys. Put simply, its purity rather lies in its white
colour.
Certainly,
the Anioma people cannot use any colour other than white to perform rites like
‘ituuni’ for the departed or even wear it to fulfil the obligations required
paying final respects to the departed. Such is the significance of the white
colour that it must bear. It is also from colour white that it derives its name
being ‘white cloth’.
Since
evolvement, Akwa-Ocha being a uniform clothing material of the Anioma people has
cultural significance. The local fabric being a ceremonial material was
initially not an everyday wear. It actually represents certain aspects of the people’s
culture, most of which have been already explained in this piece.
From
Godfrey Ubaka, another native of Ubulu-Uku, we hear that:
“The men would tie it as they go out. There were also
stages, as a man, when you could tie one across your shoulder. And it is used
during some occasions. During burial ceremonies, it is usually a sight to
behold the Akwa-Ocha contrasting with the Red Cap”7.
Godfrey Ubaka introduced another dimension from which we
can see that like the Urhobos, Ijaws, Ibibios, Efiks, Bini and Itsekiris, the
Anioma man and woman tie wrappers. However, the wrappers that the Anioma men tie
are Akwa-ocha which is their cultural fabric. The men tie it around their waist
and may decide to leave it hanging on their shoulder. Although some Anioma
cultural enthusiasts have warned that it is not an aspect of the people’s
culture for the men to hang Akwa-Ocha on their shoulders during important
ceremonies, finding men hang the fabric on their shoulders during important occasions
is now common.
In contrast to the above submission, another school of
thought has argued that before now, there is an age or stage in life that
requires an Anioma man to tie one around his shoulder. But now, it is fashionable
as anyone can beautifully tailor it to his choice of design depending on the
event at hand. For this reason, it is generally worn to weddings and other
important events. Anyway, what is important in the sense of this discourse is
that in Enuani parts of Anioma, burial rites are incomplete without the use of
Akwa-Ocha and that is now cultural and fashionable to find men hanging one on
the shoulders, a clear demonstration of continued significance of the fabric to
today’s Anioma people of Nigeria. Some of these significances one will find
below.
The Significance
Indeed, the significance of Akwa-Ocha to the Anioma
people cannot be overemphasized. Its use is thus overwhelming from culture to religion,
religion to fashion. First and foremost, it distinguishes the people Anioma
people from several others, giving them sense of uniqueness and identity. It creates national pride in the people and
helps them to appreciate their cultural heritage as others do to their own.Furthermore,
it gets the Anioma people to be appreciated by others in and outside the
country as it is now one of the biggest cultural symbols of the people.
With the various designs and the language that it speaks
which beautifies it, Akwa-Ocha confirms the Anioma people as people of art and
craft initiative. This is because the Akwa-Ocha has motifs and symbols which
comes in various form, in accordance with the cultural choice of the user.
Since it can be artistically tailored to the choice of the user, the user has
choice. Not much researches have been conducted in this area, a situation that
makes its acceptability in the world of arts not fully realized as much as it
ought to.
Emeka Mgbodo, a native of Asaba in Oshimili South Local
Government Area who spoke to Osuyi in the article published by him has also
said that Akwa-Ocha used to be precious gifts for people considered important
visitors. Well, is still so as it is often bought and sent to people outside
Delta State home of the people and even the shores of the country. This
situation has generated greater interest in the making of the fabric and also
its use among the people.
The Akwa-Ocha is more than before the traditional attire
for the traditional marriage of the Anioma couples and after the traditional
marriage, non-Anioma indigenes married to Anioma take delight in wearing the
fabric. This makes it very relevant to the Anioma people of Nigeria. It is also
for this reason that cultural fabric defines the people and their traditional
taste more and more to the extent that it is now a way of life of the people to
be identified in Akwa-Ocha.
It is now also a source of empowerment and employment for
most people within the region. Sowole in his article titled Jibunoh’s Akwa-Ocha Dream for Anioma Rural Women,
Youths published in a newspaper reported the efforts of DidiMuseum in Akwukwu-Igbo, Delta State
in promotingempowerment programs within the area. The Didi Skills Indigenous
Centre aims at empowering the youth and women of the rural areas of the
state. Efforts such as this by Didi Museum help in the provision of
sources of livelihood for the people and also assisting in the preservation of
the people’s cultural heritage8
As Elizabeth Jibunoh argued in the
said article:
”Art and craft are the easiest ways
of alleviating poverty in the rural areas, particularly empowering the girl
child. In weaving the Akwa-Ocha cloth, for example, an average weaver could
earn as much as N40, 000 in a week”.
Now, we have seen that when empowerment
schemes such as this one that has to do with Akwa-Ocha weaving will certainly
engage the practitioners with means of survival thereby getting them out of
poverty as already demonstrated above.
CHALLENGES
POSED TO AKWA-OCHA
In the first place, it must be
understood that Akwa-Ocha, the age-long cultural material of the Anioma people
is currently in dire need of preservation. This invariably means that lack of
use of the fabric by the people is sending it to extinction. It is for this
reason that the culture enthusiasts among the people and those who understand
the relevance of the fabric to culture and art world are fighting so hard to encourage
its preservation. The threat of extinction is therefore the first aspect of
challenge that Akwa-Ocha suffers from.
Again, it would appear that while
the mothers skilled in the art of production of this material are not handing
the skill down to their successors, the young ones of this generation are not
willing to learn the trade for several reasons. This is one of the reasons the
fabric is dying a natural death.
Another
challenge is that producing Akwa-Ocha can be laborious with time-consuming
processes. It may take over two weeks to produce just a yard of the Akwa-Ocha
material and as Emeka Mgbodo added:
“If you go to where they are doing it and drop a million
naira, it cannot give you Akwa-Ocha by tomorrow morning, it goes through a
process. It is about creativity. You need to book it ahead of time”.
In these modern times, most people
still consider Akwa-Ocha to be a custom of burial ceremony, a reason most
people do not identify with it on ordinary days. This requires enlightenment for
the people to understandthat it is also fashionable to wear on ordinary days to
occasions.
CONCLUSION
It will be observed that Akwa-Ocha is
has always been with the Anioma people longer that known to memory and that it
has always been a cherished cultural material unique to the Anioma people being
that it is useful in their religious and cultural rites such as burial
ceremonies and traditional marriage. Beyond this, it has some significance and
importance that are so relevant to them that it is difficult to identify an
average old man from the region without a piece of the fabric in his home. Since
it is required for the fulfilment of certain aspects of the cultural life of
the people, the fabric remains precious to Anioma people.
However,it also faces some
challenges, all of which have combined to threaten its existence though the
people are in recent times putting in certain measures to preserve its
existence so that it can be passed to the coming generation. Now, in recent
times, people from the area have started torevive interest in the fabric. Workshops
and skill centers are being organized by the people to revive the use of the
material. There has also been consciousness among the youths who in bids to
preserve the materials have started to put together events like Akwa-Ocha
fashion shows, the most prominent being Miss Teen Anioma organized by Yinki
Entertainment and an initiation of Mrs. Kate Ifeyinwa Igbodo-Odoe, an indigene
of Ibusa and another often put together by Mrs. AnthoniaOguahwho hails from
Ogwashi-Uku community of Anioma. This is also aimed at encouraging the youths
to adorn in the local fabrics even as public figures from the region are now
seen wearing the attire to important occasions, prominently His excellency, Dr.
Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of the state.
However, more conscious moves are
required to push the material to other people in other parts of the country
where it should also be appreciated by them. One of the ways to achieve it is
to make it attractive to the young ones who will eventually inherit it from the
present generation of users. Only with this, will the cultural fabric of the
people be passed down to the generations that will come after them.
References
Kunirum, O (2012), “Anioma
in Contemporary Nigeria: Issues of Identity and Development”, Ibadan:
Bookbuilders Editions Africa, pg 4
Osuyi, P (2019), “The Making
of Akwa-Ocha”, The Sun Newspaper, May 29, pg 1
Ibid
Onwuakpa, L (2017), “Design
of Fashion Accessories Using Akwa-Ocha Motifs and Symbols”, African Research
Review, An International Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Bashir Dar, Ethiopia, Affrev
Vol. 11, (4), Serial No. 48, September 2017:123-133, pg 1
Alakam, J (2014), “Unique weavers: Preserving art of
AkwaOcha making”, Vanguard, April 14, pg 1
Okonji,
A (1978), “The Uniqueness and Beauty of Akwa-Ocha, the Cultural Attire of the
Anioma People”, Pulfarts Publications Ltd, pg 23
Ibid
Sowole,
T (2010), “Jibunoh’s Akwa-Ocha Dream
for Anioma Rural Women, Youths”, This Day, August 10, pg 2
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