THE FUTURE WE WANT: LEVERAGING

AVHIANWU CULTURE FOR

SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD

Chris Osiomha Itsede, PhD, MNIM

BEING TEXT OF A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE AVHIANWU SUMMIT HELD AT OGBONA
ETSAKO CENTRAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT, APRIL 6, 2015
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Culture in Traditional Avhianwu Society
Exposure to External Cultures
Coping with a Changing World
An Agenda for Cultural Reforms
Conclusion

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1 INTRODUCTION

The objective of this paper is to examine the nexus between Avhianwu culture
and the social and economic development of the society. Over the past decade or
so, development indicators and data on the cultural sector have cast into bold
relief the evidence that culture can be a powerful driver for sustainable
development, with community-wide social, economic and environmental
ramifications. In Nigeria, the entertainment industry has grown exponentially in
recent times that it is now a significant sector in the nation’s new GDP
classification structure. At the global level, lessons learned from the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) demonstrated concretely the
power of culture to respond to such challenging issues as gender, health,
education and environment. What is more, the cultural sector has a high capacity
for employment creation across the whole spectrum of the skills mix in the
economy – absorbing thousands of unskilled, semi-skilled and highly skilled
workers in direct and indirect employment.

What is Culture?
According to Goldbard (2004), culture is the sum total of human ingenuity:
language, beliefs, morals, signs and symbols, systems of beliefs, customs, dance,
arts, clothes, foods and cuisine, tools, toys, trinkets, the built environment and
everything we use to fill it up. Like most concepts in the social sciences, culture
has evaded a universally accepted common definition. Some see it as the sum of
the beliefs, knowledge, skills, customs, festivals and ceremonies, fashion, and
traditions that are available to the members of a particular society. For the
purpose of our discussion today, we define culture as a way of life of a people,
that is to say, the behaviors, knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, art, music,
symbols that they accept, generally without thinking twice about them and that
are transmitted from one generation to the next. In other words, culture is the
collective programming of the mind that sets one group or category of people
apart from another. Culture is a people’s group identity.

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Every culture is characterized by eight basic elements: Language; Daily Life,

Economy; Religion; History; Arts; Social Groups; and Government. These basic
building blocks of culture may be classified into tangible and intangible
components. The tangible elements of culture consist of manmade or man-
modified objects such as tools, clothing, dwelling units, works of art and craft,
means of transportation, and foods. Intangible building blocks of culture include
language, beliefs, religion, morals, ethos, norms, traditions and attitudes. All
cultures include core values and beliefs, such as trust, honesty, integrity, respect
for others, individualism, communal orientation, patience, determination and
family devotion.

Although this is not an academic gathering, I will preface our discussion this
morning with a rapid overview of the recent debate on culture whose importance
has become so compelling such that the United Nations General Assembly
recently passed a special resolution urging members to mainstream culture into
their development policies and strategic calculus. The UN further underscored
culture’s intrinsic contribution to sustainable development.

The Cultural Debate

As culture is dynamic and changes, albeit slowly, over time, so has the notion and
its place in the society’s scheme of things evolved over the years. Sociologists,
anthropologists, psychologists, and economic development experts all agree that
culture has a significant impact on the developmental trajectory of different
societies. Adam Smith, arguably the founder of modern economics, argues in his
1776 seminal book, “The Wealth of Nations” that man is essentially motivated by
the pursuit of his own interests, and contributes to the public interest in a system
that is self-regulating. Smith nonetheless recognized that the "pursuit of personal
interests" involved much more than just making money. Hence, his later work,
"Theory of Moral Sentiments", deals with what today we would call cultural
values. Seventy years later, John Stuart Mill made the same point when he noted
that cultural constraints on individuals could have a stronger impact on them than
the pursuit of personal pecuniary interest.

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Max Weber, the German social scientist, writing in the early 20th century,
outlined how cultural factors, including religious values, could drive economic
output. Weber contended that the Protestant work ethic, spurred by Reformation
teachings that the pursuit of wealth was a duty, inculcated the virtues needed for
maximum economic productivity. Thus, European Protestants were more
productive than Catholics. He drew parallels between Germany and Great Britain,
for instance, compared to the Catholic nations of Ireland, Spain, Portugal and
Italy. Today, development experts have no illusion about the significant
contribution of culture to developmental outcomes.
The Importance of Culture
What is it that makes some countries to do very well, while others fail to make
the mark even when they all have comparable requisite economic factors in
place? Why have countries like Nigeria, Indonesia and the Philippines, despite
their relatively robust resource endowment and a well-educated population,
lagged in development? The theory lists preconditions for economic
development: good governance, a stable political system; rule of law backed with
effective enforcement to ensure sanctity of contractual agreements; an enabling
environment for domestic and foreign investors; an efficient and non-corrupt the
public service.
Quite a robust list, but it still does not add up. What is the role of culture in the
development process? Why do some ethnic groups that are even minorities in
other cultures do so well in business that they leave others in the dust? Amy Chua
raises this question in her book “World on Fire”. She tells us that ethnic Chinese in
the Philippines, accounting for less than two percent of the population, yet they
control 60% of the nation's private economy. This includes the country's four
major airlines and almost all the banks, hotels and shopping malls. Chinese ethnic
minorities also dominate business in other Southeast Asian countries, especially
Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and Malaysia. Chua observes that all over the world,
examples abound of what she calls "dominant minorities"-ethnic groups that have
demonstrated a remarkable ability to succeed in business wherever they may live.
In Russia, six of the seven billionaires that emerged from the privatization of
public assets following the collapse of the Soviet Union were Jewish. Coming

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closer to home, we are all witnesses to how the Lebanese and Indians stump the
West African coast as the ‘resident entrepreneurs’. Clearly, some ethnic groups
seem to be far more successful in business than others. What is the secret?

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Why the Differences?

Culture is colossally important in tracking the inter-temporal and inter-
generational developmental trajectory of a society. Cultural perspectives provide
us insights into values, attitudes, norms and behaviors that shape socio-economic
development. Hence some Chinese scholars posit that politics, economics and
culture are the three gears of any society and it is only when they move in
harmony can the entire society develop on sustainable basis (Xuewen, 1997).
Nobel laurent, Amartar Sen (1997), argues that the values held by a society will

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influence its development outcomes. Thus, the argument goes, China’s sustained
economic development was the result of its sticking to Asian values and
institutions, notably Confucianism Herman Kann (1979). Confucianism places a
high value on education, promotes a thirst for worldly accomplishments in various
skills, diligence and family devotion. Culture influences individual decision making
because it serves as a mental model that people use when they act and make
choices that can determine not only individual but also aggregate social
outcomes. DiMaggio (1997), argues that these schemes of meaning function like
tools for enabling and guiding action. According to the World Bank (2014),
poverty is not only a deficit in material resources but also a context in which
decisions are made. It can impose a cognitive burden on individuals that makes it
especially difficult for them to think deliberatively. The import of this is that the
cultural mix in which individuals cut their teeth affects their worldview, beliefs
and the choices they make.
2. Traditional Avhianwu Culture
The Founding of a Nation
Arguably, the biggest challenge confronting students of contemporary history of
any ethnic nationality in Africa is the difficulty of stating with certitude the origin
and historical development of that nation. This is also true of the Etsako people. It
is difficult to pinpoint the beginning of evolutionary process that has culminated
in what we call the Etsako people today as there were no records when it all
started. Writing in the ‘Origin of the Etsako People’, Stan-William Ede, stated that
there is no real authoritative source that can point to the ‘ factum realisimum
(most authentic fact) of the whence of the Etsako people. All the bits and pieces
of historical information about the origin of the Etsako people as we have them
today were constructed from what was passed down orally from generation to
generation over the centuries. In the process, so much has been lost and much of
the story has changed. Not surprisingly, the story now varies from one clan to
another and from one town to another with each version nuanced to confer
primacy or premiership on the progenitors of the narrator. A common thread that
runs through all the versions is the tracing of the origin of the Etsako people to
Benin. This fact has not been controverted by any source.

It is difficult to say precisely when the 12 clans that constitute present-day Etsako
land, emigrated from Benin. The story is that the exodus from Benin took place
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ostensibly in stages during the reigns of the Warrior Kings of Benin - Oba Ewuare and Oba
Ozolua - in the 14th and 15th Centuries, respectively. Nonetheless, one thing is clear,
the Etsako people were among several ethnic groups that fled Benin in several
waves during a period characterized by what Aha Idokpesi N’Avhianwu described
as ‘migration plague’ to seek more congenial living space outside the metropolis
(circa 1300-1700). We also know that when Ivhianwu arrived at the present day
Jattu in the 15th century they met other kinsfolk who had settled there earlier.
They arrived imbued with the rich Benin culture that had informed their thought
processes, words and deeds in ages past. This culture was expected to serve them
as a frame of reference and a coping toolkit for generations unborn as they face
the challenges of life in their new homeland. The culture embodied their
language, beliefs, social organization, customs, technology, values, religion, music,
arts, attitudes, moral code, norms, taboos, philosophy, and governance
institutions.

Who are the Avhianwu?

Core Values of Avhianwu Culture
The core values of the traditional Avhianwu culture in its pristine form, like that of
the rest of the Etsako community, which were passed down from generation to
generation were:
honesty
integrity
hard work
justice and
family devotion.
Strict adherence to and practical expression of these virtues, by the old and
young, ensured a wholesome society that was characterized by a high sense of
communal belonging, family devotion, business ethics, spirit of live-and-let’s-live,
equity, fair play and justice. This homogenous cultural milieu engendered
generalized moral rectitude, low crime rate, peace and social stability. In essence,
the Ovhianwu was an archetypal of honesty, integrity and hard work. He
manifested these virtues as a matter of course like a mammal breathing Mother
Oxygen. Other than petty misdemeanors, heinous and violent crimes were few
and far apart. Abominable homicides such as rape, stabbings and premeditated
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murders (which sadly have almost become the ‘new normal’ in contemporary
Avhianwu society) were a rarity in the past. Indeed, once upon a time, it was a
taboo of the first degree to shed the blood of an Ovhianwu kinsfolk under hostile
or belligerent circumstances. It was also not in our character for an Ovhianwu to
have his kinsfolk arrested by the security agents owing to a dispute. Violators of
extant codes of conduct were promptly apprehended, tried and punished
according to the laid down traditional laws and regulations and by the
appropriate institutions of the community, depending on the nature and gravity
of the offence or crime committed. This traditional system of conflict dispute
resolution have not stood the test of time. Modern governance and diversity of
the society, occasioned by the growing urbanization of the Avhianwu community,
have entailed new mechanisms and institutions of conflict resolution.
Core Values at Work
The traditional Avhianwu economy was agrarian and largely self-sufficient.
Subsistence farming and hunting with crude implements, including hoes,
machetes, bows and arrows and ingenious traps such as ‘uderu’ underpinned the
economy. The people consumed the bulk of the harvested output. They
exchanged the surplus for other goods through a barter system. Agricultural
produce preservation methods included storage facilities and locations that bore
eloquent testimony to the high degree of integrity and honesty that was
emblematic of the Avhianwu society in the past. The men constructed on the
farmsteads and in unsecured locations at home yam barns and corn stacks. The
women used large earthen pots and artfully woven tall baskets called ‘okodo’ to
preserve various crops such as peanuts and melon. Beans of assorted varieties
were preserved in special grass folds called ‘ukhui-opa’ and hung on sticks on the
farmstead or within the compound at home.
Despite their prized contents and easy accessibility, thieves neither looted nor
pillaged these repositories of farm produce. In fact, most people could go to the
farm or even travel without installing elaborate locks on their doors. The
traditional Ovhianwu played by the core values of the society. People were
generally contented with their economic and social circumstances. For instance,
those who reaped a poor harvest generally resolved to work harder during the
subsequent farming season and offered sacrifices to the god of agriculture to

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bless them with a bumper harvest next time round. Resort to looting someone
else’s crops or property for that matter, was not in the character of the
Ovhianwu. Unfortunately, this generalized high level of individual and communal
integrity that used to be taken for granted no longer exists in the Avhianwu
community today. Over the years, most of the core values that were once the
trademark of our culture have been severely eroded to the extent that it would
be foolhardy for one to expose such valuable assets as a whole season’s harvest in
the manner described above all in the name of preservation!
In centuries gone by, fashionable clothing was not high on the scheme of things of
the people of Avhianwu. Most people went about scantily cladded in the only
form of clothing they could make – the hand-woven cloth called ‘egbu’. The
married women sewed the egbu into a miniskirt, called ‘utebe’. The utebe was
designed to cover principally the loins of the women. As the Avhianwu people
interacted with neighboring cultures with relatively more advanced forms of
fashion, the pre-eminent place of the egbu in the wardrobe of the Ovhianwu was
usurped by the dyed linen cloth called ‘osimhogbo’ which was introduced to
Avhianwu by itinerant traders from Oshogbo in today’s Osun State.
Social Architecture
Social organization under traditional Avhianwu culture was elaborated at the
micro, meso, and macro levels. The social system at the micro level was moored
principally on strong kinship relationships. The kinship relationship grew from the
household level into family level, and then to quarters and into village level, and
thereafter, clan level. Elaborate conventions, rules and regulations safeguarded
and strengthened these social bonds. For instance, the over-arching task of
socializing and educating the child was a shared responsibility of the parents, the
immediate relatives and neighbors. All concerned took more than a passing
interest in imparting moral education to the young ones and steeping them in the
art of mutual respect for one another and peaceful coexistence. Respect for the
elders and constituted authority was a directive principle of Avhianwu culture
that was in the blood vessels of the typical Ovhianwu. It was a taboo for an elder
to be assaulted by a younger person. Such infractions were swiftly dealt with
through the elaborate justice system that stretched from the family level through
the kindred, quarter and to higher levels of the society. The Enighie (Council of

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Chiefs) are at the apex of the Judiciary. Beneath them are the Oduebhos.
Violations of a severe nature attracted a visitation by the dreaded special
nocturnal groups such as Ikwawa or Ivhiabana, which played a highly regarded
role in the maintenance and enforcement of law and order in traditional
Avhianwu society, sans police force.
At the meso level, the society was structured into a plethora of organizations and
institutions which acting, severally and jointly, ensured a peaceful, orderly, rules-
based and enforcement-renowned society where people’s economic and social
achievements were the products of their identifiable, honest endeavors. Today’s
social cancers – organized crime, robbery, cultism, and violence, were, and
remain alien to traditional Avhianwu culture. Ditto for all cultures in the world.
Otherwise, those who engage in these ignoble and ultimately self-destructive
activities would be encouraged and publicly honored for their troubles. The
sponsors, promoters and practitioners of these anti-social behaviors should
understand that they are roads to nowhere! What does it profit a man or woman
if what all his/her exploits attract to him/her are public scorn and opprobrium?
Now, permit me to share an important secret especially with our youth: crime
and anti-social behaviors have never been known to elevate their purveyors to
enviable and respectable social statuses in any culture. Happily, there are
limitless opportunities and avenues to achieve one’s noble ambitions in the
society without recourse to ugly behaviors. Let those who have their eyes open
see them! Peace, prosperity and contentment shall abide with them.
Age Group
The traditional Avhianwu social architecture was bed rocked on the age group
system. Celebrated biennially, the age group (manhood initiation) was, and still is,
a defining feature of Avhianwu culture and social organization. It is one of the
beautiful and enduring ties or commonalities that bind the Avhianwu, and even
beyond the geographical domain of the clan. All eligible teenagers who were to
undertake the rites of passage into an age group –from Ivhiunone through
Ivhiarua to Ogbona, through Ivhiurakhor to Apana (which is in Uzairue Clan) must
have a common foster ‘father’ or patron. The foster father gives the particular age
group he symbolically births a customary name by which all the initiates for that
year would be identified as the ‘sons of XYZ’ for life. Put differently, the people of

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Avhianwu and Apana have always had a unified age group system that enables
them to determine seniority or eldership if the need arises wherever their people
were gathered.
The Age Group system was the fulcrum of social organization in traditional
Avhianwu society. The age groups performed such functions as communal works,
security and defence of the community. In the past, initiation into the age group
made the young man liable for taxation and payment of tributes to the traditional
rulers and elders. Every initiated age group member was automatically a soldier in
the virtual Avhianwu Army! The Okphe-Ukpi Nokhua or Clan Head is the
Commander-in-Chief of this army. He heads the Defence Council, constituted by
the Inu-Otu or Erotu – the society of the nominal fathers or Grand Patrons of Age
Groups. Every Uki-Ugwhue (twelfth lunar moon of the year), the last initiated age
group and the previous two groups before them would conduct impressive
military exercises by mounting processions round the community, in a show of
strength to assure their audience about how the military sagacity of the particular
age group would ensure the protection and defence of the community.
The qualifying age for males to go through in the rites of passage was about 18
while that for females was 16. All things being equal, the age of a male teenager’s
participation in, and the role played by him during the performance of the rites of
passage, would have implications for his social status in due course. This would
determine his chances of becoming the most elderly person at ad-hoc social
gatherings, in his kindred, quarter, village or the entire clan, with the attendant
functions, privileges and benefits pertaining to that generally venerable position.
Furthermore, Avhianwu custom demands that only males who have performed
the rites of passage of the age group initiation are entitled to inherit their father’s
estate. The downside of the foregoing customs and traditions is that there has
been a growing incidence of impatient parents performing the traditionally
revered age group initiation rites of passage for their grossly under-aged sons or
wards in order to position them strategically to qualify for age-based social status
and recognition in the future. This development led to a skipping of the biennial
age group initiation that was due in 2013 in order to allow for the maturation of
the prospective initiates.

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Okhe Title
Arguably, one of the most significant, exclusive enduring social institutions in
Avhianwu culture is the Okhe title. Its importance and exclusivity are attested to
by the fact of the paucity of public information about what is actually involved in
the initiation rites, details of which are known only to the privileged initiates.
Initiation into Okhe title is the exclusive preserve of males only. Okhe title is so
pivotal to the culture of Avhianwu such that initiation into its hallowed portals is
sine qua non to conferment of any of the traditional titles that culminate in being
an Ukpi drummer – the apex chieftaincy title in Avhianwu culture because you
cannot be a traditional ruler if you are not an ‘Oboh’ – a titled man. The majesty
of the Okhe title is such that the holders even have a special ecstatic dance –
Ikphebor – which is performed only by Okhe title holders!
Largely as a result of the binding constraint to chieftaincy title acquisition,
adherents of various religions who had shunned Okhe title as a fetish practice in
the past had had cause to resort to seeking to be initiated in order to be eligible
for the chieftaincy title they desired. Many of such latter day Avhianwu culture
converts had been caught surreptitiously performing the relevant Okhe title rites
in the wee hours of the morning to avoid embarrassment! I am strongly
persuaded that this practice of nocturnal initiation at the behest of some aspiring
initiates degrades the sanctity and essence of the ceremony. In development-
oriented cultures, events such as Okhe title initiation ceremonies are actively
promoted and given wide publicity to attract tourists to visit the host community.
Discretionary adherence to the norms, mores and ethos of a culture is ultimately
destructive of the integrity and sanctity of the customs, traditions and institutions
of that culture.
Many critics of the Okhe title institution generally anchor their case on a wrong
premise borne out of ignorance about the custom that they had never
experienced in the first place. Unfortunately, tradition does not permit me to
elucidate on the sacredness and mechanics of initiation into the Okhe
titleholders’ community. Nevertheless, it suffices to say that at traditional and
social gatherings of Avhianwu, titled men enjoy certain exclusive privileges,
including a portion of the drinks served at such gatherings reserved for the most
senior Oboh present. In the past, they were completely exempted from playing

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undertakers (ikhagba/igbudu) at funeral ceremonies as such functions were

considered beneath the exalted status of a titled man. However, recent cultural
reforms have amended that taboo. Nowadays, titled men may perform the
functions of undertakers, but only in respect of the corpse of a dead titled man.
The funeral of an Oboh usually includes certain special traditional rites that are
not part of the burial rites of the uninitiated ‘ogbhari’.
Some reforms have been carried out on the Okhe title rites in the past to
accommodate the changing times. More may yet be required; but these should
not derogate from the essence of the institution and its importance within
Avhianwu culture. Rather, any further reforms should be geared to strengthening
and popularizing the Okhe institution among the people, especially the urbanized
youth many of who either do not remember to perform Okhe title initiation for
their children or do not see any need for it on the ground of foreign religious
beliefs. Yet such people make it an article of faith to rush to America to celebrate
Halloween and Thanksgiving every year. The one is an annual traditional
ceremony like our … while the other is akin to our Esi festival!
Social justice and equity was a cardinal value of the ancestral Avhianwu culture. It
was based on the need for inclusiveness, fair play, live-and-let’s-live and justice.
This principle of social justice and equity guided the kingship orderly succession
arrangement. Each of the four villages is headed by the Okphe-Ukpi. The most
senior Okphe-Ukpi assumes the position of Okphe-Ukpi Nokhua (Clan Head). The
succession path to the posts of Okphe-Ukpi Nokhua, village Head or Okphe –Ukpi,
Egboise, Ogbikpise and Utoko-Ukpi is well established, codified and known to all.
The title of Okphe Ukpi is not hereditary. Rather, it is rotational amongst eligible
quarters and kindred. Once a person is installed as Okphe-Ukpi, only death can
separate him and the title. When an Okphe Ukpi ‘joins his ancestors’, the holder
of the next senior position in the Ukpi hierarchy (Egboise) moves one notch up to
occupy that vacant position after the final funerary rites of the departed monarch.
During the interregnum, the most elderly person at the Clan or village level
concerned assumes temporary reign of government, pending the final funerary
rites. The holders of Egbo-Ikpise and Utokho-Ukpi Naebho titles also step up a
notch, respectively. At this stage, the appropriate quarter whose turn it is to
occupy the position of Utokho-ukpi Naebho, which is the base of the succession

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pyramid, would be called upon to nominate a candidate from the particular

kindred in the quarter to occupy the vacant post.
The Okphe Ukpi title is not voluntarily transferable to another person either by
the holder or by a decision of his kindred. However, the holders of the
subordinate titles to the Ukpi hold them in trust for their respective
kindred/family. Thus, if the holder of any of the subordinate chieftaincy title
positions becomes incapacitated or deceased, his family is invited to elect another
of its members to occupy that position.
The spirit of social justice and inclusive governance approach informed the
distribution and assignment of common institutions and communal roles by the
Founding Fathers of the Avhianwu Clan. The result was a closely-knit society
where the members were motivated by a strong sense of belonging,
commitment, patriotism, and participation at the family, kindred, quarter, village
and clan levels. Such a sharing arrangement tended to minimize social neglect,
lack of commitment, marginalization and feelings of second-class citizenship
amongst individuals and groups in the community. In furtherance of the core
value of justice and fair play, the Founding Fathers allotted High Places and
functions that bind the Avhianwu, taking into consideration their historical, social
and cultural antecedents and a fair spread (Table 1).

Table 1
Distribution of High Places/Functions and Custodians in Avhianwu Clan
High Place Kindred Custodian Village
Ukpe Ivhiokpolimhi Ivhiunone
Ukwalimhodio Ughiogwa Ivhiunone
Obho Ukpudege/Iviocha Ivhiunone
Iredioko Iviocha/Ivhiadoko Ivhiunone/Ivhiarua
Ikemanedio Ivhiadoko Ivhiarua
Inwu-oraighie Ivhiadachi Ivhiunone
Ugwhue Ivhiodeakhena Ivhiunone
Ituke Ivhiegwi Ivhiunone
Ogbhe 1 (Mother Ivhioroke Ogbona
Shrine) Ivhiapa Ivhiarua

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Ogbhe 11 Ivhiapa Ivhiarua

Utu Ivhiadachi Ivhiunone
Ewo Ivhiabhe Ivhiarua
Adaobi Ivhiebhone/Ivhiokpolimhi Ivhiunone
Agwaire Ivhiapa Ivhiarua
Usapea/Usaegbea Ivhiapa Ivhiarua

Religion in Early Avhianwu Culture

Religious beliefs and practices by the ancestral Avhianwu were essentially a carry-
over from the beliefs and practices they brought from Benin. The ancestral
Avhianwu practiced polytheism, the religious worldview, which the Binis had
brought with them during their immigration from Egypt. They believed in the
existence of a Supreme Being, - Otsanobua or Oghena- (later renamed Osinegba,
under pressure from the Nupe invaders during the 19th Century). They also
believed that their wishes and prayers could be-well received by only Otsanobua
through the intercession of certain deities or Higher Beings. Thus, each family,
sub-kindred or kindred or a larger section of the community established their own
shrine in which they offered sacrifices to various deities for onward transmission
to Otsanobua. They set aside certain days and periods or events during the year
for worshipping the deities, often with fanfare. In addition, each kindred had a
private shrine called ‘Adi’ through which they offered sacrifices to their ancestors
and God of Harvest during the annual New Yam (Esi) and the traditional New Year
(Ukpe) festivals, or upon specific demand by the ancestors or deities.
As a rule, the elders doubled as spiritual leaders of their families, kindred,
quarters or villages. The most elderly man in the four villages, Anwu, was also the
spiritual leader of the Avhianwu people. This social structure was replicated at the
levels of the four villages. In times of uncertainties, troubles and stresses, the
elders would consult the oracles to determine the cause or causes of the turmoil
and identify the appropriate remedies. Necessary sacrifices would then be
prescribed and promptly offered to appease the offended ancestors or deities.
This done, there was usually a return to the status quo ante in most cases. Such

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was the state of religion among the Avhianwu until the arrival of the Nupes and
Europeans in first and second halves of the 19th century, respectively. Enter Islam
and Christianity.
The Arts in Traditional Avhianwu Culture
Avhianwu culture is rich with a potpourri of captivating arts and enthralling
festivals. Traditional Avhianwu arts and festivals served diverse and variegated
purposes. In one sphere, they were a coded means recording, communicating,
and preserving the lives and times of the Avhianwu. On another level, they were a
medium of communicating the Avhianwu understanding of transcendental
knowledge, higher laws and manifestations of nature. They also effectively served
the vital social function of the ombudsman of the moral codes and ethics of the
community. Finally, Avhianwu arts and festivals were also veritable forms and
outlets for social entertainment by the people.
Perhaps no other activity demonstrated the sublimity of traditional Avhianwu
culture like the majesty and context of the various arts and festivals. Solutions to
perennial existential and moral questions were encoded in the grandeur of the
songs, music and dance steps performed at splendid ritual ceremonies and
festivals, which had been elevated to high art. The older men and women
performed the Agbi dance, mainly during the harvest season, as a form of
entertainment. Other colorful dances, festivals and ceremonies were staged
periodically to celebrate epochal events or appease specific deities. These
included the‘Umhomhe’ dance that is performed by the young men during the
rites of passage to manhood; ‘Atsamhukhokho’ that was performed by women
and young girls during Ukpe (traditional New Year) and Esi (New Yam) festivals.
The versatile ‘Uke ‘ was danced by women at virtually all occasions. Some
quarters had flagship dances: the ‘Ogagaigo’ by Ivhiavhia, Ighiagbede by Ivhiapa.
Ughieogwa and Ivhiokhile quarters were leading exponents of Igieoge dance.
Every quarter had the ‘Ilo’ brand for burial and other ceremonies. Various
professions also had their unique songs and dances for specific occasions. The
hunters danced the Isioko during certain festivals and funeral ceremonies of fallen
colleagues.
Traditional Avhianwu culture included artful use of songs and music as positive
and negative cues to either reinforce or discourage certain social behaviors in the

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community. For instance, young girls and women used to organize street plays
called ‘Ughieagba’ during which they would sing and dance, either praising one
another, or casting aspersion on members of the rival groups. In fact, most of the
songs sang during the Agbi, Umhomhe, Atsamhukhokho, Igioge, Ogagaigo,
Ighiagbede and other dances were either songs of praise in honor of the
individual or family for noble deeds and exemplary behavior, or songs of
discomfiture targeted at the lazy, perfidious and morally insolvent members of
the society. Awkward as this practice was, depending on which side of the divide
one placed him or herself, it served as an effective bulwark against unacceptable
behavioral excesses by members of the community as people were mindful of the
song next time!
Entertainment was not all about singing and dancing in traditional Avhianwu
society. After a hard day’s work on the farm, and especially during the moonlit
nights, professional storytellers (Ighaoba) thrilled their audiences of the young
and old, with stories, innuendoes and anecdotes that promoted and underscored
the abiding imperative of the core values of Avhianwu culture, including patience,
perseverance, tolerance, and the consequences of good and evil acts. The
constant moral lesson embedded in these greatly socializing tales, which were
enriched with authentic Avhianwu proverbs and idioms, was that in the fullness of
time, everyone has his day in the court of the Supreme Being. Translation: live a
morally upright, ethical that recognizes the right of other members of the society
to pursue their legitimate aspirations and objectives.
A People and Their Cycle of Life
Most of the economic and cultural activities of Avhianwu are organized within the
timeframe of the traditional year, which is divided into thirteen lunar months. A
noticeable exemption is the male rites of passage, held biennially. That of the
females is an annual event. Every month in the calendar is ear-marked for some
component(s) of the robust economic, social and religious cycle of activities that
sum up the Avhianwu way of life. Space will not permit us to detail out these
exciting and sometimes breath-taking events and activities here. It suffices to
note that the traditional year opens on Adu-Ikukua Day (traditional New Year).
This usually falls in late February or early to mid-March. It is a special day with a
special greeting; a day of forgiveness, reconciliation and rebooting of frosty

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relationships. The day begins with the Ivhiomupke people of Ebadi quarter
marching to the River Obe in the wee hours of day to perform the symbolic ritual
of washing of dirt before people from other quarters could then follow suite after
they returned from the spiritual voyage to the river, announced by the release of
volleys of the traditional canon. The rest of the day is characterized by visits to
relatives and friends, and watching of dances and special shows staged to mark
the historic day, by gaily-dressed and generally cheerful-looking folks.
The build up to the Adu-Ikua actually begins towards the end of the twelfth lunar
month when the women of substance in the community perform the colorful
'Akhe Ikpe-Nokhua’. This is a once in a lifetime elite ceremony, which must be
performed within a window of only two days every year by the celebrants. The
first day is usually reserved for the ‘Amhaya’ while the ‘Idegbe’ take their turn the
following day. Akhe Ikpe-Nokhua involves the celebrants cooking almost all the
types of foods that known to the people of Avhianwu. They convey the foods,
complemented with assorted drinks and good cash, in a colorful procession and
present them to their husbands. Only women whose mothers had previously
performed the ceremony are eligible to do so. For those whose mothers could not
perform it before death, they are obliged to do that of their late mothers before
they could be qualified to perform theirs. Also only women who have attained the
age of menopause are qualified to perform the Ukpe-Nokhua. A woman who has
performed the Akhe Ikpe Nokhua may don the traditional red cap customarily
reserved for only Okhe titleholders. Successful performance of Akhe-Ikpe-Nokhua
confers immunity from divorce on the marriage of the celebrant. In any case, as
role models, celebrants are also obliged to be above board and refrain from acts
or behaviors that can threaten the stability of their marriage.
After the Adu-Ikukua, people then get busy on their farms until July, which is Uki-
Okhuiozibo. From now until the end of the traditional year, it is one form of
festival or ceremony (Table 2).

Table 2

SUMMARY OF AVHIANWU TRADITIONAL CALENDAR

March --------- Uki Aduikukwa First moon of the year

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April. -------------------- Uki- Ozeva. Second month of the year

May. ------------------------ Uki-Ozelai. Third month of the year
June. ----------------------- Uki-Ozejie. Fourth month of the year
July. ------------------------- Uki-Okhuiozibo. Fifth month of the year
August ------------------------Uki-Utu. Sixth month of the year
September. ---------------- Uki-Oghie. Seventh month of the year
October. ------------------ Uki-Aghie. Eighth month of the year
November ------------------Uki-Ogbhe. Ninth month of the year
December -----------------Uki-Ughue. Tenth month of the year
January -------------------Uki- Asiukpe. Eleventh month of the year
February --------------Uki-Ukpe. Twelfth month of the year.

Avhianwu Culture under Pressure: Consequences of Exposure to Other Cultures

For ease of narration, we will classify the infiltration of Avhianwu culture by

foreign ones into two Phases. The first wave of cultural intrusion coincided with
the conquest and occupation of Avhianwu by the Nupes (circa 1830-1897). Four
cultural attenuations stood out in bold relief among the foreign cultural
influences on traditional culture during Phase 1. The relatively short Nupe era
witnessed the Avhianwu first experience with a clash of cultures. By the time the
British dislodged the Nupes at the end of the 19th Century, they had left an
indelible mark on traditional Avhianwu culture. On the religious plane, many
people had converted to Islam. Moslem/Nupe names like Musa, Adishetu, Adiza,
Asana, Zenebu, Momoh, Bello, Kadiri, Usman, etc. had become a prestigious
status symbol among the Avhianwu. The Nupe slave merchants were adroit
practitioners of the notion of catch-them-young: Nupe children were tasked with
subtly changing the long-term social aspect of Avhianwu culture by teaching the
host kids Nupe indoor and outdoor games and songs! The influence of the Nupe
presence threatened the essence of Avhianwu culture for the first time. Scholars

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have continued to debate the amazing ease with which a heavy dent was
embossed on Avhianwu culture over such a relatively short period.

Consider, for instance, the impact of the introduction of Western education on

Avhianwu culture, and hence, the social, economic and political development of
the people. The introduction of Western education to Avhianwu in the 19 th
Century brought in its wake salutary and deleterious effects on Avhianwu culture.
For instance, the establishment of schools spiked literacy rate among the people.
Many of the graduating students had to travel to distant towns and villages to
take up jobs in the public and private sectors of the economy. They earned
incomes and remitted proceeds back home, thereby boosting the local economy.
The increasing literacy and workforce participation rate of young couples changed
the nature and role of parenting in the society. Socialization of the child moved
from the parent to the house help at home, and the teacher in the school, most of
whom invariably had a different cultural orientation. Furthermore, many
Avhianwu youths left for other places outside the clan to study, thereby missing
the opportunity to imbibe the rudiments of Avhianwu culture at their formative
stage of social development. Thus, while many of our youths acquire impressive
qualifications in modern education, they emerge with a below average score in
Avhianwu culture with its dependable moral compass to navigate the charted and
unexplored waters of the ocean of life.
In traditional Avhianwu culture, girls were initiated into adulthood at about age
15 or 16. It was a taboo for an unmarried girl to be pregnant. This is no longer so.
Girls spend many years in the education system these days before they
contemplate marriage. Nowadays, regardless of whether teenage girls are
betrothed or not, they can be initiated into female adulthood. This reform of the
female rites of passage to adulthood obviates the scandal and shame that was
associated with being a pregnant unmarried woman. In general, the values of the
present generation contrast sharply with the traditional values held by our
ancestors. We can attribute this situation to differences in the environment and
conditions of living, improvement in education and material wellbeing,
globalization, technology, internet, and other factors. Secondly, freedoms that
were largely unavailable to older generations have influenced the values of the
contemporary younger generation. These include freedom for women to work

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and regulate their own reproduction, freedom of mobility for both sexes and to
define their own style of life.
The puberty age of 18 for boys to perform manhood initiation is no longer
observed. Rather, adolescents, some as young as 9 are now stampeded through
premature initiation. This practice has a positive correlation with the rise of
education and affluence of young parents, increasing individualism with the
attendant weakening of kinship relationships. People also want to ensure that
their first son inherits their estate. Otherwise, the right of inheritance goes to
their younger brother as Avhianwu custom stipulates. Now this practice of
juvenile manhood initiation is a mockery of one of the core components of
Avhianwu culture. It is high time the Council of Elders proscribed it and restore
this pivotal aspect of Avhianwu culture to its old glory.
Nowadays the Umhomhe and Atsamhukhokho dances that usually heralded
adulthood initiation have been discarded, ostensibly to avoid litigation for libel as
the ceremonial songs were essentially sang to embarrass, denigrate or insult the
targeted individuals or kindred. The downside is that the moral restraint that the
fear of the next Umhomhe song had on people’s conduct is gone! Also gone is the
great entertainment function of the initiation ceremonies. To my mind,
jettisoning the dancing of Umhomhe as an integral part the manhood initiation
process owing to the content of the songs is tantamount to casting away the baby
with the bathwater. Rather, the content of Umhomhe songs should focus on the
contemporary developmental strides of the community, promote and popularize
the values, vision and aspirations of Avhianwu Clan from time to time.
The introduction of these two religions marked a seminal moment in the annals of
the religious and spiritual life of the Avhianwu. The Abrahamic religions,
themselves that are fundamental elements of the Arabic and European cultures,
brought in their wake many irreversible harmful and helpful cultural, social, and
economic ramifications that have markedly changed the worldview, cultural
integrity, self-awareness and character of the Ovhianwu. The effects permeate
virtually every aspect of our lives. These include the language, names, clothing,
folklore, arts and entertainment and, wait for it, food of present day Avhianwu!
We are talking about a near total change of identity!

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To what do we attribute the seeming feeble resistance offered by traditional

Avhianwu culture to the invading cultures of Nupes/Islam, European/Christianity,
and of recent, globalization and all its trappings? Did Avhianwu culture succumb
to a superior firepower or more effective organizational competence on the part
of the intruders? Did the ancient Avhianwu culture that encapsulated our
ancestral moral code surrender to a higher moral order? That is a moot point.
What we do know today is that traditional Avhianwu culture has undergone
almost irreversible mutation by the combined effects of its exposure to other
cultures over time. Sociologists and anthropologists argue that the most plausible
explanation one can reasonably proffer is what the Moslem scholar, Ibn Khaldun
(1332-1406) called ‘weak group feeling’ may have been prevalent in traditional
Avhianwu culture which made it possible for foreign cultures with strong group
feeling to dominate and overwhelm it.
Whither the Avhianwu Language?
Language is the spinal column of a people’s culture. It is a medium of expression
in distinct vocalized or written form as social interact that gives the cultural
identity. The ancient cave dwellers realized that language was the only effective
means of forging greater understanding among one another and moving forward.
Language is integral to cultural identity that even in multicultural societies with a
dominant language, the minority cultures make every effort to preserve their
cultural heritage intact by conversing with one another through their native
dialect. The Avhianwu language is a legacy passed down to us over centuries as a
heritage. Unfortunately, the language is now an endangered species as young
parents, even if father and mother are Etsako indigenes now socialize their young
children and wards in English and other Nigerian languages. The illiterates are not
ready to be out-done in this inexplicable race to the bottom: speak English and
any other local language at the expense of the Avhianwu language in an effort ‘to
belong’. Indeed, one can safely bet that the Avhianwu language is trending
inexorably towards a gradual, but assured extinction over the next century or so,
unless something is done urgently to reverse the frightening trend.
Now let us examine briefly the religious impact on Avhianwu culture. Churches
and mosques of almost all hues of Christian and Islamic denominations and sects
today dot every nook and cranny of the Avhianwu religious landscape. In stark

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contradistinction, our traditional places of worship, sanctuaries and spiritual

purification have all but vanished – herded off the ecclesiastical highway by the
combined blitzkrieg of the Abrahamic religions’ juggernauts. The names of the
traditional deities and sacred places of worship that effectively served the
spiritual and moral needs of our people in the past hardly get a mention where
two or more Avhianwu people are gathered these days. The traditional breaking
and sharing of the kolanut at organized social events – a symbol of peace and
oneness in Avhianwu culture - is now observed in the breach. Many people have
convinced themselves that it is a ‘pagan’ practice!
Today, an alarmingly growing number of persons can no longer speak the
Avhianwu language fluently without flavoring it with some English words. The
proverbs and idioms (igbo in Avhianwu language) that used to be taught to kids in
tales by moonlight and in everyday socialization of the youth by parents and
elders are no longer a given factor in Avhianwu language. In fact, the tales by
moonlight sessions that were a popular pastime with the youth and their
mentors, have been displaced by the television and lately, home videos.
Should it be so? No. It is perfectly possible to take advantage of modern
technology to record these tales and idioms in videos and similar media that
people can watch in the privacy of their homes all over the world. The point I am
stressing here is that we can leverage modern technology to enhance and
perpetuate some aspects of our culture to tackle of the biggest challenges facing
the community today. This is how to create wealth and employment for our
youths. Instead of abandoning the memorable and educative tales by moonlight
under the guise of ‘old school’. Consider the amazing commercial opportunities
lurking in the idea of recording, mass-producing and marketing of just the tales by
moonlight and local idioms in home videos and similar modern day
communication and storage media!

Acculturation of the Avhianwu

Human nature being inherently malleable, culture is bound to change over time,
albeit gradually but assuredly. Experts have identified drivers of cultural change to
include, but not limited to the following factors: exposure to other cultures,
demographic changes, urbanization, government policy, technological
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advancement, globalization, the information superhighway, internet,

improvement in literacy rate, economic dynamics; etc. The Avhianwu cultural
experience has not been an exception. Over the centuries, these powerful drivers
of cultural change have buffeted Avhianwu culture severally and jointly. As it
were, not long after their arrival from Benin, the Avhianwu started coming into
contact with neighboring communities and found themselves picking up some
aspects of their neighbors’ cultures. In fact, there is nothing inherently wrong
with adopting the salutary aspects of a new culture, especially if the adoption
would help to ennoble the pre-existing one. This is the notion of guided
acculturation.
The resultant synergy usually leads to a relative up-scaling in the way of life or
culture of the receiving people. On the other hand, laissez faire acculturation
whereby a foreign culture is permitted free space to assert superiority over the
host culture, generally occasions a distortion or destabilization in the way of life
of the receiving culture or people. In severe cases, laissez faire acculturation can
lead to almost a complete loss of the language, religion, beliefs, traditional values,
arts, customs, music, dances, mores and taboos of a people and hence, their
identity, in the long run. Against this background, let us pause for a moment and
identify which aspects of traditional Avhianwu culture have been ennobled,
degraded, diluted or completely wiped out since we have been intermingling with
other cultures down the ages. If we recall that there is nothing wrong in exposure
to other cultures, it then follows that the challenge is essentially about managing
change. Is it helpful and sufficient to demonstrate unbridled hostility and outright
rejection toward a new culture all in an effort to protect the indigenous one?
What safeguards or mechanisms do you put in place to insulate effectively your
traditional culture from being over-run or swamped by a foreign culture on a
sustainable basis? What strategies should a society adopt to ensure a beneficial
interface between its culture and another one? We shall attempt to answer these
queries below.
A Universal Group Identity
Recall the Avhianwu core values – integrity, honesty, trust, and hard work. What
do they really mean? Have they been our guide in ages past? Can they serve as
our hope in years to come? The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines

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integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”. It
defines honesty as “always telling the truth – never stealing or cheating”. The
same authority informs us that trust is the “belief that somebody or something
will do what you hope or expect of them, and will not try to harm or trick you”.
Finally, our source tells us that hard work is “putting a lot of effort into a job and
doing it well”. Earlier generations of Avhianwu who went study or work outside
the community an embodiment of these core values, and hence, good
ambassadors of the community. Most people who encountered them as teachers,
employers and business partners praised them for being hard working, loyal and
dependable. That was generally the universal public profile of the typical
Ovhianwu. The result was steady progression in their chosen careers and fields of
endeavor in the public and private sectors of the economy.
These values were so identical with Avhianwu that the inimitable Avhianwu
musical icon – General Bolivia Osigbhemhe – of blessed memory, had no
hesitation in immortalizing this group profile of the Avhianwu in one of his 1979
popular albums. Do not make the mistake of thinking that fraudulent, unethical,
immoral and other socially deviant behaviors were not rampant in the society
when the Ovhianwu was a personification of virtue. All forms of vices did exist;
the Ovhianwu chose not to be part of the monkeyshines. Why has the present
generation been unable to maintain the high standard set by our ancestors? How
did we arrive at almost a state of anomie before anyone saw it coming? How do
we get back on track? Who will initiate and implement the Avhianwu Cultural
Reforms Initiative (ACRI)?

Avhianwu Core Values as Enablers of Modern Business

Almost everyone is fascinated by the idea of a good understanding of culture. It

impacts politics, economics, and even the ways we live our daily lives and define
what we are as human beings. If we can tamp down the usual reflex of viewing
culture in abstract terms—this way of thinking about culture can be comforting,
awe inspiring, empowering, and in harmony with sustainable social economic
growth and development. This way of looking at culture will permit us to use the
acquired or learned cultural capital to cope with the challenges of the modern
world.

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We have argued above that our revealed (inherited) ancestral core values of trust,
integrity, honesty, hard work and justice are getting scarcer and scarcer in
contemporary Avhianwu society. This should give the elders and leaders of the
community serious cause for concern. Why? These values are intrinsic to
humanity. Cultures all over the world recognize and cherish these values. Little
wonder then that the Founding Fathers and Mothers of Avhianwu embedded
these values in the behaviors that underpinned interpersonal and communal
relationships. In modern times, the relevance and importance of these values are
such that they loom large in the diplomatic, economic and commercial relations
among individuals, firms, and nation states in a globalized world. In fact, the
modern market economy operates smoothly on a seamless flow of credit from
creditors to borrowers. Creditors and lenders extend credit facilities to capitalists,
borrowers and entrepreneurs believing that they would honor the contractual
agreement by repaying as and when due. That is to say, the lender or financier
convinces him or herself that the borrower is a woman or man of integrity who
can be trusted to honor the terms of the trade agreement. Indeed, trust, integrity
and honesty are the ingredients that underpin modern business combinations.

These business combinations include partnerships, cooperative societies, limited

liability firms, publicly quoted companies and conglomerates that drive the
production, distribution, and marketing networks of the global economy.
Financiers and investors increasingly see the model of sole proprietorship as a
business formation strategy fraught with enormous risks. A sole proprietorship
business entity cannot meet the increasingly demanding and complex conditions
for accessing most of the incentives, schemes and intervention funds regularly
rolled out by governments and donor agencies. Yet, this is the dominant structure
of most businesses in Avhianwu Clan.

Do not be deceived by the phrase suffix – “Nig. Ltd” – usually tagged on to the
company name. Some questions: why are we passionate lovers of solitude despite
the obvious advantages of teaming up with others to incorporate a modern
business entity? Is this due to a general diminution in the perceived level of trust,
integrity and honesty amongst the present generation? Could this attitude be
indicative of an underlying weak group ties in Avhianwu culture – unlike the
strong group ties inherent in the Chinese and Mexican cultures? Note the marked
differences in the relative success or failure of these cultures in dealing effectively
with exposure to foreign cultures. While diligently preserving the core elements
of their cultural heritage, they have never hesitated to embrace, with alacrity,

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non-traditional approaches to modern business organization to create

employment, wealth and incomes in their rapidly modernizing societies.

Movement away from one person or family-centric business structures is the

winning strategy, ceteris paribus, of constructing enduring, modern economic
institutions and structures that enable individuals and communities participate
actively in the local, national, and global economy. All over the world, different
cultures have found that the adoption of this modern approach to business
organization is an efficacious and participatory way to unleash their economic,
social, and political capabilities to create employment, wealth and incomes,
thereby enhancing their economic and social wellbeing on a sustainable basis. It is
high time the Avhianwu cultural dynamic keyed into this successful formula. First,
we must realize that a precondition to the success of this desired approach to
ramping up our community’s take in the national and global economic space is to
return to basics. The Ovhianwu must once again embrace and live by the
traditional core values of honesty, integrity and hard work. He was proudly
associated with these characteristics in the not so distant past. The Ovhianwu
youth in particular, must eschew the mentality of get-rich-quick by any means,
fair or foul, which appears to have eaten deep into the fabric of Avhianwu society.
We must return to the basics of our culture and mainstream its core value into
the social economic aspirations of the Avhianwu people.

Going Forward – Avhianwu Cultural Reforms Initiative (ACRI)

A cultural reform agenda that aims to effect attitudinal and behavioral changes in
members of the community is a difficult, but surmountable proposition. Like most
other cultures, Avhianwu culture has been influenced by the customs and
traditions of other cultures with which has interacted either through person-to-
person contact or other media of communication over the ages. Unfortunately,
there was no coordinated framework for dealing with phenomenon. In the
process, the language, core values, basic customs, traditions, mores, and ethos of
Avhianwu culture have been diluted to the extent of changing the character of
the Ovhianwu. There was nothing wrong in embracing some elements of other
cultures. Rather than swallowing them hook, sinker and line, they should have
been accepted selectively within a coordinated, strategic framework to ensure
that potentially corrosive aspects of foreign cultures were prevented from
overpowering Avhianwu culture.

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We have seen how culture influences a people’s attitude and willingness to

embrace emerging ideas, practices and technology to boost their economic
performance. Specifically, we observed how the Avhianwu culture of
individualism tends to be out of step with the best practice of modern business
organization such partnerships, company limited by shares, public limited liability,
(PLC) etc. Going forward, Avhianwu must now take deliberate steps to strengthen
and reform some aspects of its culture with a view to synchronizing it with game-
changing modern knowledge, institutions and technology to drive economic and
social development on a sustainable basis. In what follows, I shall attempt to
outline some areas of Avhianwu culture needing urgent reforms and
reinforcement within the context of a globalized world. The list is by no means
exhaustive. It could serve as a working list for a broad-based coalition of
stakeholders that should be constituted by this Summit to consult widely and
identify those aspects of Avhianwu culture needing reforms, to align them with
the economic and social development aspirations of Avhianwu Clan in a dynamic
global environment:

An Agenda for Reforms

1. Stick to the Distribution of High Places by the Founding Fathers of
Avhianwu in order to ensure social justice, which engenders a sense of
belonging and lasting peace in any society.
2. Allow rule of law backed with effective enforcement: suspects
apprehended by the police to go through the full process of the law to
deter other lawbreakers.
3. Restore and enhance the celebration of Adu-Ikukua, Uruamhi Emo, Esi,
Ugwhue, and other traditional festivals to their old glory
4. Unify the celebration of the Esi festival.
5. Preserve the sanctity of the Okhe title institution; reform the procedures
to be Abrahamic religions-friendly
6. Make demonstrated high degree of integrity, honesty, trust, and hard
work necessary preconditions for the award of chieftaincy titles.
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7. Honor only persons with identifiable sources of wealth, if wealth must be

a criterion for recognition
8. Community cemeteries should be built by villages or the local government
council to discourage house burials
9. The practice of compelling a widow to remarry her late husband’s sibling
should be discarded
10. Reform the inheritance system in line with modern legal stipulations
11. The estate of a deceased man or woman (less family assets he/she held
in trust) should be inherited by the spouse and children, without regard to
the gender of the children
12.The minimum age for adulthood initiation should be pegged at 18 years
for boys and 16 years for girls
13. Avhianwu language should be taught compulsorily in primary schools
14. Preserve iconic institutions, places and traditions: Inwato, Ogbhe,
Ukwume, Aki-Ugba, Utagbabor, Ukwalimhodior, Aloukoko Shrine, Ifi,
Edaogbake, Adaobi, etc. as cultural heritages.
15. Revive and reform festivals and dances such as – Ugwhue, Oghie, Agbi,
Umhomhe, Atsamhukhokho – reform the songs to inspire people to
positive achievements; record contemporary history
16. Purge burial ceremonies of Anawis of the destructive component – bring
in something inspiring the departed was identified with.
17. Institutionalize Avhianwu Day to celebrate our culture heritage, among
other activities
18. Patronize and encourage Avhianwu-owned businesses
19. Avhianwu youths should unleash their entrepreneurial acumen to
commercialize the production and sale of Tales by Moonlight
20. Fundamentals of Avhianwu culture should be promoted with vigor,
including printing and distributing them as aides for young parents.

Conclusion

Development practitioners have no illusion about the significant contribution of

culture to developmental outcomes. Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Philippines have
lagged in development despite their abundant resource endowment, partially
owing to failure to mainstream culture into the national development paradigm.
On the other hand, the Chinese and Mexicans, who have embedded their cultures

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in their development strategy, have a different and salutary experience. History

tells us that modifications to culture take place slowly; but when they happen,
they trigger changes of seismic proportions. The Avhianwu culture is ripe for
positive changes. First, we must return to the basics, that is to say, once again
living by the tenets of the core values of Avhianwu culture. As a group, it
behooves us to mainstream these core values into our growth and development
model thereby allowing the Avhianwu societal gears of politics, economics and
culture to move harmoniously to achieve sustainable development.

REFERENCES

1. Okhaishie, N’ Avhianwu Aha Idokpesi, The Descent of Avhianwu

2. Etsezeobor, S. The Effect of Modern Civilization on Avhianwu/Fugar
Culture - the View of a Youth.
3. Ede, Stan-William, The Origin of the Etsako People
4. European Council Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on Cultural
Industries and Employment in Europe (2000/C/8/7)
5. Exploitation and Development of the Job Potential in the Cultural Sector
in the Age of Digitalization, European Commission. DG Employment and
Social Affairs, Munich, 2001
6. Hatto, Fisher, From Productivity to Creativity – the Cultural Economy in
the Making.
7. UNESCO, 2012. Culture: a Driver and an Enabler of Sustainable
Development

Dr Chris Itsede, Avhianwu Summit 2015