Igbo communities across the United Kingdom have expressed their pleasure for the incoming celebration of new yam festival organised by the Igbo Council of Elders UK. The event, Iri Ji Ndigbo UK Festival 2025 is stated to be held on 9th of August 2025 in London.
A renowned custodian of Igbo culture, Chief Ifeanyi Umeh described the event as a ground to foster peace and understanding for Igbo families.
He said, yam is a special gift from God, and it plays a vital role in Igbo society. According to Chief Umeh, he said, yam is more than just a food; it is a standard by which one’s wealth is determined culturally, saying, in Igbo tradition, a man’s wealth is determined by the number of yam barns he owns.
Chief Umeh said, yam is not something to be grown and consumed without a special ceremony, but stated that cultural ceremonies and rituals must be performed to express gratitude to God for the protection given to them during planting and harvesting of the yam.
He reiterated that Iri Ji Festival is celebrated to begin the harvest of yam and also a time to pray for a bountiful harvest, Chief Umeh said.
He expressed his satisfaction for the incoming Iri Ji Ndigbo UK Festival 2025 organised by the Igbo Council of Elders UK (ICE), saying, as a member of the prestigious Ozo title holder in Igboland, every Igbo family should find tranquillity in Igbo culture and tradition, he concluded.
Chief Ifeanyi Umeh lives in the United Kingdom and also known as Ozo Akudinabe Na Eke.
