Current Research Bulletin

Ibegwu is an annual festival that is usually celebrated to mark the beginning of the harvesting of yam. It is celebrated to honor the spirits of the ancestors and appease them for the release of blessings. The Ibegwu festival is a socio-cultural festival that plays significant roles in the Agbeji community. It is an important aspect of the people's cultural and religious beliefs. Ibegwu, which is also known as the spirits of the ancestors, are believed to have the power to influence the present and the future. The Igala people believe in the afterlife and in their ability to communicate with their ancestors' spirits through ceremony and ritual. It serves as a medium for the preservation of culture and spiritual reawakening; it also binds people together in the community. The study explores the role of the Ibegwu festival in the social, cultural, and religious life of the Agbeji community. A qualitative approach, secondary form of data collection and participant observations were used. The findings reveal that the Ibegwu cultural festival provides community bonding, enables preservation of cultural beliefs, and purifies the people and the community. It concludes that the Ibegwu festival is central to the people's lives, as it continues to preserve the cultural beliefs and positively transform the lives of the people, regardless of the various challenges that confront it. The Ibegwu festival should be revitalized or sustained to bring peace, harmony, and cultural continuity to the Agbeji community. 

Ibegwu, Festival, Socio-cultural, Agbeji Community, Women

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Journal Articles

1. Ayegba, A. A. (2023).Egwu-AfiaIgala Cultural Practice among the Indigenous Igala People of Onitsha, Anambra State and its Role in Peace Sustainability in the Society.International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, 10(3), Pp. 288-291. 
2. Awodi et al. (2022).Culture and National Integration: a Study of Cultural Festivals among the Igala Speaking People of Kogi State, Nigeria.  International Journal of Advanced Academic Research, 8 (11), Pp. 18-29.
3. Daniel, R. O. (2023). Dynamics of African Traditional and Cultural Practice as a Social Control Mechanism: A Deterrent Theoretical Analysis on the Alekwu Belief System among the Idoma People in Nigeria”. Wukari International Studies Journal, 7 (3), Pp. 141-151.
4. Essienn et al. A Study of Species Composition of the Derived Savanna Vegetation at Agbeji, Kogi State, Nigeria”.Journal of Biological, Pharmaceutical and Chemical Research, 1 (1), Pp. 7-16, 2014.
5. Matthias, Olufemi D. O., Funmilola, Aduke A., and Deborah,IbechoneP. (2024).Ibegwu: Ancestors on the Mission of Prevention and Punishment of Adultery among Igala People of Nigeria. International Journal of Law, Politics and Humanities Research, Vol.5 No. 6, Pp. 23-38.
6. Oyintonyo, Michael O., and Esther B. (2018).The Socio-Cultural Significance of Traditional Festivals in Nigeria, A Study of Odi-Ogori-Ba-Uge Festival, Odi Kingdom, Bayelsa State. Journal of Economic, Management and Social Science, 4 (4), Pp. 140-152. 
7. Okpe Nicholas Ojoajogwu.  (2018). “An Assessment of the Socio-Religious Roles of Women in a  Traditional Igala Society”. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE). 5 (8),  Pp.  187-192.

Internet Sources                             

1. Isaiah, Negedu A. (2025, January 9).  “The Igala Traditional Religious Belief System: between Monotheism and Polytheism”.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/og.v10i 1.7.
2. Mbiti, J. (1988). “The role of Women in African Traditional  Religion”. Published in Cashiers des Religions Africaines afrikaworld.net/afrel/atr-women.htm.