African Gist and News

On March 29 th    2014, the atmosphere was filled with excitement as the people of Nembe couldn’t wait for the festivities to begin. The ‘’event of the year’’ as it was tagged was the House Opening Ceremony of the Waridaalamo of Nembe, High Chief Bioblomoye Wright the custodian of the Ogidiga Deity,   a man of pedigree with a strong military background (having attended the Nigerian Defense Academy), one who is feared and respected with strong political allies. The atmosphere of the moment and the exquisite array of ancient relics carefully placed to decorate the community of NEMBE culturally, indicated that the people of this land still had high regard for their traditional values. It was a sight to behold. Picture of High Chief Bioblomoye Wright   It was the House Opening Ceremony of the first Waridaalamo of Nembe in generations. The House Opening Ceremony was a thrilling event that felt like a festival of some sort. They were all gathered to celebrate the Waridaalamo and his much-

The long juju slave route of Arochukwu still remains a perfect destination for tourists around the world. The Long JuJu Shrine of Arochukwu [Grand market square] After the cities of  Aba  and  Umuahia,  Arochukwu, which is sometimes referred to as Arochuku, or Aro-Okigbo is the third largest city in  Abia State , Southeastern  Nigeria . It is composed of 19 villages with an overall leader called  Obong Aro . Interestingly, there are several historic tourist sites that exist in the city of Arochukwu. And among them are the mystic Ibini Ukpabi shrine, the slave routes and other relics of the slave. Prominent for its sacred sense of mystic beauty is the Ibinu Ukabi or the long juju Shrine that was used to judge the perpetrators of crimes. Tales have it that back then in the kingdom of Arochukwu, Ibini Ukpabi at the height of its powers was the most powerful deity in Igboland. And this was during the Trans-atlantic slave trade era. Being a kind of supreme court whose judgment was final, th

Google Search honors Nigeria as she celebrates her 55th birthday today by changing its doodle.   Nigeria's Independence Day is an official national holiday in Nigeria, celebrated on the first of October. It marks Nigeria's proclamation of independence from British rule on the 1st October 1960.   Happy Birthday Nigeria!!!

The 2016 edition of the annual World Sango Festival provided an opportunity for Sango devotees to observe their age-long ritual but beyond this, culture was exalted . Since it was rebranded as World Sango Festival in 2013, the festival has grown beyond an ordinary Oyo ritual as its tentacle as spread to other countries especially south America and the Caribbean. The 10-day programme attracts visitors, devotees and tourists from more than 42 countries all over the world as this has propelled the Yoruba culture to a global state. The 2016 edition of the UNESCO-recognised festival began on Thursday, August 18 and from then till Friday, August, 25, different rites were performed while the Sango of each Yoruba state and towns were exhibited. These formed the build-up to the grand finale of the festival which took place at the Alaafin’s palace on Saturday, August 27. The legend of Sango recognizes the Alaafin of Oyo as a descendant of the former powerful king while the Sango Koso is consider

A mentally-disabled man and woman were spotted somewhere in Edo state celebrating Valentine's Day.    In the photos posted earlier today on Facebook, the couple shared a kiss in full view of spectators before walking away, with the man holding her possesively by the waist.    More phoos below...

A suspected herbalist has been apprehended with fetish items inside a bush at a Naval base in Sapele area of Delta state.  The suspected herbalist after he was caught The unidentified man after serious beatings claimed to be from Anambra state. He reportedly confessed that he is not mad and that he has been in the bush for more than three weeks without the knowledge of the naval authorities. A shrine was found in the bush where he lived as the young man appeared very neat with some clothes and five mobile phones seen in his possession. It was gathered that a Naval officer who wanted to take the suspect to the main naval base for further interrogation let him go after collecting money from him See more photos:

As if in home movies, the Obi ( traditional ruler) of Nsukwa kingdom in Aniocha South local government area of Delta State, HRM Kenneth Ezegbune 1, on Wednesday pulled down several shrines including a very powerful idolatry statue of “Nneoma” bequeathed to the kingdom, and replaced same with the statue of Jesus Christ in his palace. The monarch was said to have been disturbed by strange faces and voices in his palace and was strongly advised by his pastor to destroy and do away with all forms of idolatry and shrines after he claimed to have given his life and those of his children to Christ some time last week. Sources said the monarch’s passionate hatred for idolatry made him destroy the symbols, which attracted bad blood from his subjects including the palace chiefs who confronted him that he has committed a sacrilege. One of the chiefs, who spoke to DAILY POST on condition of anonymity, said, “the king has defiled the land. He has destroyed several years-old shrines. He said he is n