UMUNNA CULTURAL GROUP

The World Village Festival 2006, Caisa Cultural Centre in Helsinki, Finland

UMUNNA CULTURAL GROUP

(Gathering of brothers)

The first Nigerian cultural group in Finland

From Old Imo State, established in 1997

UMUNNA performs in festivals, intercultural and cross-cultural gatherings, seminars, company parties, wedding parties, Easter, midsummer celebrations, Christmas, anniversaries, funerals, and other occasions.

UMUNNA has performed in all festivals organized in Helsinki and in major towns in Finland: Mailmakylasässä festival, all  Caisa organized cultural exhibitions and displays, in  Svenska Teatteri, Pori, Porvo, Tampere,  Turku, Yväskylä Karjala, Espoo, and in so many other places to mention but a few.

Villages in Imo State in Nigeria have chiefs (pictures 4 and 5), kings and queens or council of elders, but everyone is expected to contribute to the day-to-day life of the village.

A child’s job is to sound the ogene (instrument 4), to let everyone in his age know that it is their turn to sweep. He enjoys his work so much that he goes on playing, long after the children have all arrived with their brooms. A woman sings sweet songs while holding her ishaka (instrument 5), a beautiful musical instrument which she loves to play.

Boys wear painted boxes over their heads and pretend to be grown-up MASQUERADERS. They dress up and chase the girls, just for fun!

At the end of every year, MASQUERADES (pictures 6 and 3) are presented to celebrate the new planning season. MASQUERADES are costumes and masks which are made to honor the spirits of ancestors.

When a very old person dies, for several days before the burial, people celebrate the things that the dead person liked best. If, for example, the person loved the sound of drums, their friends will bring out the drums to be played. After the burial, the friends sing and dance to help the relatives in their sadness.

The instruments UMUNNA play:

1. Drum (Nkwa)                                 2. Small drums (Igba)

3. Wooden slit gong (Ekwe)                4. Metal gong (Ogene [o-gay-nee])

5. Maracas (ishaka [ee-shar-ka])        6. Wooden flute (Oja)

7. Bell (Ngberinba)                             8. Ceramic pot (Udu)

9. On the leg (Ija)                               

UMUNNA consists of 10 to 20 persons, amongst them are:

DANCERS                                        WOODEN FLUTE/SINGERS

Christopher  Isiguzo                           John Enwerem

Joseph          Nwamkpa                      Kelechi Obinna Ansel

Valentine     Obuegbe

DRUMMERS                                    WOODEN SLIT GONGS

Mckinzie  Emmy Nze                          Innocent Opara

Chinedu Egbejinba                              Lucky Emenalo

Joseph  Ozumba

Chika  Abudu

Vincent Daraojimba

METAL GONG                                 CLAY POT (UDU)

Henry Chukwuemeka                          Harry Ukeje

Mechi  Amaechi Edmond                    Emma Suale

DRESSERS/MARRACAS

Tom Ahaiwe

Sunny Ngharam

UMUNNA organizes workshops for day-care centers, primary and secondary schools, camps, colleges, and other organizations.

UMUNNA organized a well appreciated workshop for children and adults in Caisa Cultural Center in the World Village Festival 2006.

Contacts:

Fatima Usman                                                Aria Arai

+358 40 811 99 77                                          +358 40 864 11 99

fatima@afaes.net                                           aria@afaes.net

Some of the pictures from UMUNNA’s album, what they put on and what they hold:

Picture 1: Greetings with the Sticks.

Picture 2: Holding a mechanical fan. On head is (Okpu Agoro) the traditional shirt, and (njoji) the dress.

Picture 3: The player with (Oja) the wooden flute directs the mask dancers and the drummers.

Picture 4: To greet you, the Chief will wave the (Odu Enyinya) in his right hand over your head.

Picture 5: The Chief with a walking stick in his right hand: the Staff of office.

Picture 6: The Mask Dance from (Ebuebu) song.