TRADITION AND CULTURE COLLIDE AS NKWERRE ABORIGINES CELEBRATE NEW YAM FESTIVAL IN EDMONTON CANADA

On a hot afternoon in August 2024, in a serene and world-class park in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, culture collided with tradition as the descendants of Nkwerre, a small community in Igboland of Nigeria, in this capital city honored a timeless tradition of New Yam Festival which is celebrated anywhere you find the Igbo people of South East Nigeria.

The colors were bold and bright, the music was loud and the smiles were broad on the peoples' faces and a new and light spring was in their steps as they assembled in the serenity of Rundle Park in Edmonton's northeast to dance, drink and make merry, in celebration of a successful harvest season with roasted yam, palm wine and palm oil.

There was an unmistakable air of expectation, even from the strangers to this tradition who had gathered at the park for their own individual relaxation but had magnetically been drawn to the colorful celebration going on in the park. The abundance of food, both traditional and modern made it very much a magical moment to behold as everyone made merry.

When the dancing started with the DJ playing contemporatry Afrobeats music to the delight of all, people started gyrating to the tunes. Then came the women dance group, a circular form of dance where the ladies formed a circle to dance and twirk their waists like no man's business. 

You wouldn't finish a new yam festival without the presence of the spirits in the form of the Nmwanwu masquerade. When the elders and titled men led the Nmanwu into the arena, everyone paid attention as the spirit cannot be contollled by humans and could do anything it wanted, including scaring some faint-hearted people away.

It was a fun day,well spent. See pictures below