Olieoma: Asagba Azinge Calls On Asaba People To Honour Departed Mothers
By PAULINA NZERUBE
A Day of Remembrance in Asaba
ASABA Kingdom is marking Olieoma, a traditional observance dedicated to remembering and honouring mothers who have died, with Asagba Prof. Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge urging sons and daughters of the kingdom to preserve the custom.
In a message issued on 30 September, the Asagba extended greetings to Asaba people at home and in the diaspora as families observe the annual tradition.
He described Olieoma as a deeply significant cultural practice centred on remembrance, thanksgiving and the continuing bond between the living and departed members of the family.
For many Asaba families, the occasion provides an opportunity to remember the sacrifices, prayers and nurturing roles of mothers whose influence continues to shape successive generations.
More Than a Family Meal
At the centre of Olieoma is the preparation of chicken and okra soup, known locally as Ofe Okwuru.
However, the tradition goes beyond food.
The meal functions as a cultural symbol through which families express gratitude and affection for deceased mothers. Relatives gather, prepare the traditional dish and share it with members of the wider community.
According to the Asagba, the practice reflects an Asaba understanding of motherhood as a foundation of family and community life.
Within that worldview, mothers represent light, sacrifice, home and continuity. Their physical absence, therefore, does not erase their place within family memory.
Keeping Ancestral Memory Alive
Olieoma also creates a link between generations.
Children and grandchildren who participate in the observance are reminded of the lives and contributions of women who came before them. Through family stories, prayers, traditional practices and communal meals, memories are passed from older generations to younger ones.
That process gives cultural traditions a practical role in preserving identity.
Rather than existing only as historical customs, such observances allow communities to continually reinterpret their heritage within contemporary family life.
The Spiritual Dimension
The observance carries a spiritual element as well.
Families may offer prayers, pour libations and call the names of departed mothers while expressing hopes for peace and prosperity among the living.
The Asagba said Olieoma is marked with what he described as solemn joy, as families gather to remember their mothers and reaffirm the bonds that connect relatives, neighbours and the wider community.
He prayed for the continued rest of the departed and for their remembered legacy to inspire peace and progress in Asaba Kingdom.
Motherhood at the Centre of the Tradition
The emphasis on mothers gives Olieoma a distinctive place within Asaba cultural life.
Motherhood is presented not simply as a biological relationship but as a source of care, sacrifice, discipline and continuity.
That interpretation explains why the festival focuses on remembering individual women while simultaneously celebrating the broader institution of motherhood.
Consequently, the occasion can bring families together around shared memories and values.
A Message to Asaba in the Diaspora
The Asagba’s message also extended beyond residents of Asaba.
He called on sons and daughters of the kingdom living elsewhere to observe the tradition with reverence, joy and thanksgiving.
That appeal reflects the changing nature of cultural communities.
Asaba families now live across Nigeria and in different parts of the world. Maintaining traditional observances outside the ancestral home can therefore become an important way of sustaining cultural identity among younger generations.
Festivals such as Olieoma provide one avenue for that continuity.
Cultural Preservation in a Changing Society
Traditional festivals inevitably face the challenge of adapting to modern life.
Migration, urbanisation, changing family structures and the influence of global culture can alter how younger people understand inherited customs.
Yet cultural preservation does not necessarily require communities to reject change.
Instead, traditions can remain relevant when families understand their meaning and transmit their values to younger generations.
Olieoma’s emphasis on remembrance, gratitude, family and communal solidarity gives the observance themes that extend beyond a particular generation.
The Communal Meaning of Food
The role of food in Olieoma also illustrates the relationship between culture and community.
The preparation of chicken and Ofe Okwuru is not presented merely as a culinary activity. It becomes part of a ritual through which families remember deceased mothers and share their remembrance with relatives, neighbours and well-wishers.
That communal dimension turns an intimate family memory into a collective cultural experience.
In that sense, the meal becomes both symbolic and social.
Remembering Through Values
The Asagba’s message ultimately connects remembrance with the values attributed to the departed mothers.
He highlighted love, industry, sacrifice and unity as qualities that families should remember and carry forward.
That emphasis shifts the meaning of Olieoma from simply looking back at those who have died to considering what their lives leave behind.
The festival therefore becomes an opportunity for younger members of the community to ask how inherited values can continue to influence family and community life.
A Tradition Built Around Continuity
Olieoma demonstrates how cultural traditions can keep the memory of the dead present within the lives of the living.
Through food, prayer, family gatherings and storytelling, the observance creates a recurring opportunity to remember mothers and reflect on their contributions.
For Asaba Kingdom, the tradition also provides a cultural space in which identity can be reaffirmed across generations.
As families observe Olieoma, the central message remains one of remembrance: honouring departed mothers while carrying their values into the future.
The Asagba’s call therefore places the festival within a broader effort to sustain Asaba’s cultural heritage and strengthen the communal bonds that connect its people at home and abroad.
