By: Aherhoke Okioma

The Anyama Fe Atei Oge festival will take the centre stage in Bayelsa State this month as the Anyama Ijaw community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state has called on the state government to grant the annual celebration recognition and classify it among the state’s foremost festivals.

The appeal was made by the paramount ruler of Anyama Ijaw community, King Amen Sariki, members of his council of chiefs, chairman of the 2026 Anyama Fe Atei Oge festival, Mr. Dasime Jerimiah, and chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr. Taribaowei Elemokumo, who described the festival as a 57-year-old tradition rooted in the community’s history during the Nigerian Civil War.

The community leaders said the festival differs from the New Yam celebrations, held in many communities as it commemorates what they described as God’s protection over the people during the three-year war.

They recounted that during the conflict, two Biafran Army units, one stationed in Anyama and another advancing from Yenagoa by river, mistakenly engaged each other in a fierce gun battle after each side believed it was confronting federal troops, adding that the gunfire forced residents to flee into nearby forests for safety.

Although casualties were reportedly recorded among the soldiers, the community said that when residents returned after the fighting, they found that none of the people, their livestock or other living creatures had been harmed. Convinced that their survival was a divine miracle, the elders proclaimed August 1, as Anyama Fe Atei Oge Festival Day, a tradition that has been observed annually since 1967, and evolved into a week-long cultural celebration.

Speaking on activities lined up for this year’s edition, the festival chairman, Mr. Jerimiah, said the event will feature a boat regatta, canoe races, traditional wrestling competitions, a novelty football match, Amungo Aru, the ceremonial presentation of yams to the paramount ruler, and other cultural displays.

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He added that the celebration will attract Nollywood actors and actresses, the reigning Miss World, while evening entertainment will feature performances by Mr S. Smooth, Alfred Izon-Ebi J. King, and Hyperman Solowizzz.

Jerimiah described Anyama as a peaceful and hospitable community, and invited visitors from across the country to participate in the celebration of its rich cultural heritage and enduring legacy.

Also, CDC chairman Mr. Elemokumo assured prospective visitors of adequate security, disclosing that members of the local vigilante group will work alongside the Nigerian Army and the police to safeguard lives and property throughout the festival.

He urged the state Ministry of Culture and Tourism Development to upgrade the Anyama Fe Atei Oge festival to first-class status and accord it official recognition as one of the state’s major cultural festivals.

Elemokumo disclosed that invitations had been extended to Governor Douye Diri, the deputy governor, senior government officials, politicians and captains of industry to attend the week-long celebration.