UNDERSTANDING ESSENTIALS OF IGUE FESTIVAL OF BENIN PEOPLE IN PROMOTING TRADITIONAL PEACE

Abstract

In Benin Kingdom, African traditional religion predated Christianity. Therefore, culture is a way of life of a particular society connected with its own beliefs and customs. The Igue cultural festival is the celebration of an event associated to specific activity of Benin people for a unique traditional presentation and entertainment. In Nigeria, there are harvest of festival celebrations by different ethnic groups and social organizations that share common cultural traditions for purpose of sociocultural reawakening through art, music, films movies, dance and literature. This study examines the Igue cultural festival, makes a conceptual discourse and as well as includes significance of the celebration. Often a religious one done in days, period of the year, as a special event within the ancestral guidance of Oba of Benin pronouncement. The methodology relies on both primary and secondary sources of its data. The study further show-case the Igue festival as spiritual enrichment of cultural heritage of Benin Kingdom, promoting sustainable traditional peace and tourism in Edo State.