PRESERVING IBUSA IDENTITY: A CALL TO PARENTS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS

 PRESERVING IBUSA IDENTITY: A CALL TO PARENTS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS

By Emeka Esogbue

I find it difficult to understand why so many of our Ibusa youths, particularly those living outside the community, cannot identify the Idumu or Ogbe to which they belong in Ibusa.

It is deeply saddening that we appear to be sitting back and watching our children gradually lose touch with our collective identity, heritage, and cultural roots. Recently, it became increasingly difficult to admit some of our Ibusa youths into the Ibusa Singles Meet WhatsApp group simply because they could not identify their respective Idumu or Ogbe as a means of verifying their connection to the community.

This raises a fundamental question: How can our children meaningfully identify with their community if they do not know the very roots that connect them to it?

I have observed that some parents, do not sufficiently encourage their children to interact with other Ibusa youths. Consequently, these children become disconnected from the social networks, relationships, and community platforms through which their identity and sense of belonging could be nurtured. This has contributed to their limited presence in community WhatsApp groups and other Ibusa social forums.

I have also previously expressed concern about the growing tendency among some parents not to travel to Ibusa with their children. When children are not brought home, they miss valuable opportunities to experience our traditions, understand our communal relationships, visit their ancestral homes, and develop a personal connection with their heritage.

If we allow a situation in which our children grow up without knowing their Idumu or Ogbe, we risk severing the connection between the present generation and those who will inherit our community tomorrow.

Ibusa is more than a geographical location. It represents a shared ancestry, a collective history, a cultural identity, and a living heritage passed from one generation to another. The continuity of our homeland depends not only on the physical existence of our community but also on our ability to transmit its history, traditions, values, and collective memories to succeeding generations.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a growing disconnect in this process of cultural transmission. If we fail to address it, we may eventually raise generations of Ibusa descendants who have little knowledge of their ancestral roots or meaningful connections to their homeland.

This is a challenge that requires the attention of parents, community leaders, traditional institutions, and youth organizations. We cannot afford to remain indifferent while the cultural consciousness of our younger generation gradually diminishes.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Give our children deliberate cultural education.

Parents must make it a responsibility to educate their children about Ibusa, including their Idumu, Ogbe, family lineage, traditions, history, and cultural values. This knowledge should not be left to chance or acquired only when children become adults.

Bring our children home regularly.

There is no substitute for firsthand experience. We must make conscious efforts to bring our children to Ibusa so they can see their ancestral homes, meet their relatives, interact with other members of their community, and experience our cultural life. A child who grows up visiting home is more likely to develop a lasting sense of belonging.

Encourage our children to participate in Ibusa associations and community forums.

Our children should be encouraged to join Ibusa-related social groups, youth associations, and community organizations. These platforms provide opportunities to build relationships, learn about their heritage, and develop a stronger sense of communal responsibility.

For instance, how many of our children are actively involved in the affairs of the Ibusa Community Development Union (ICDU) and other community organizations? If our community platforms are dominated by adults while our children remain absent, we must ask ourselves whether we are adequately preparing the next generation to sustain these institutions.

Establish youth-oriented NGOs and organize meaningful youth programmes beyond politics.

We need to create platforms that deliberately engage Ibusa youths in cultural education, leadership development, entrepreneurship, community service, sports, education, and other productive activities. Our youth engagement initiatives must go beyond political mobilization and provide opportunities for young people to connect with one another, understand their heritage, and contribute meaningfully to community development.

Make cultural preservation a collective responsibility.

This responsibility should not rest on parents alone. Traditional leaders, community leaders, town union, kindreds, religious institutions, and Ibusa associations must work together to develop sustainable programmes that preserve our history and pass our cultural knowledge to younger generations. We can organize cultural orientation programmes, intergenerational dialogues, community homecoming events, and initiatives that document the histories of our various Idumus and Ogbes.

A FINAL THOUGHT

The preservation of Ibusa identity cannot be achieved through words alone. It requires deliberate action, consistent engagement, and a shared commitment to the future of our community.

We must remember that a community that fails to teach its children where they come from risks losing its connection to where it is going.

Our children are the custodians of tomorrow's Ibusa. If they do not know their roots today, how can we expect them to preserve our heritage, sustain our institutions, and transmit our collective identity to future generations?

The time to act is now. Let us reconnect our children to their roots before the bond becomes too weak to restore.

What practical steps can we collectively take to ensure that every Ibusa child, wherever they may be in the world, knows their Idumu, their Ogbe, and the community to which they belong?

Emeka Esogbue, a distinguished son of Ibusa, is the founder of Ibusa Singles Meet Worldwide (ISM) and ISM Alumni Network. He writes from Lagos, Nigeria