Cultural artefact
By Oghenevwairhe Evueta
It is deeply concerning that our culture our heritage is increasingly reduced to mere online debate, often distorted and unfairly demonized.
Traditions that have existed for generations are now being judged without context, stripped of their meaning, and misrepresented to a global audience that may not fully understand their origins or purpose.
Take, for instance, the cultural practices in Ozoro. For time immemorial, festivals in this community have been part of a rich cultural heritage, observed at specific times of the year and deeply rooted in indigenous belief systems.
These festivals are not arbitrary gatherings; they are structured events tied to deities, communal identity, and historical continuity.
They often involve dance, music, storytelling, and symbolic expressions including playful or satirical exchanges between groups which are part of long standing cultural performances.
However, what we are witnessing today is a dangerous misinterpretation driven largely by segments of social media.
Some content creators, in their quest for attention, have chosen to sensationalize and misrepresent these traditions, making careless and damaging claims.
The recent incident in Ozoro, where criminal elements allegedly attempted acts of sexual violence, has unfortunately been wrongly attributed to the festival itself labeled misleadingly as a “Rape festival” that encourages such behavior.
This narrative is not only false but harmful. It unfairly condemns an entire cultural heritage based on the actions of a few individuals who exploited the occasion to commit crimes.
Criminal acts such as rape have no place in any society traditional or modern and must be unequivocally condemned.
Those responsible should be identified and brought to justice.
But it is intellectually dishonest and culturally destructive to conflate criminal misconduct with cultural practice.Culture, like any human institution, evolves with time. There is nothing wrong with re examining traditions and making necessary reforms to align with modern values, especially in areas concerning human rights and dignity.
However, such reforms must come from informed dialogue within the community not from external misrepresentation or social media outrage driven by incomplete understanding.
It is also important to highlight the double standards that often exist in global cultural discourse.
Many societies around the world celebrate festivals with themes that, to outsiders, may appear strange or even controversial festivals involving costumes of witches, devils, or other symbolic figures. Yet, these are rarely subjected to the same level of scrutiny or condemnation. Why then should African traditions be so quickly judged, ridiculed, or mischaracterized?
We must begin to take responsibility for how we present ourselves to the world.
Social media is a powerful tool, but it must be used with caution and responsibility. It should not become a platform where we project distorted images of our heritage for validation or engagement.
Instead, it should serve as a medium for education, cultural pride, and accurate storytelling.
Let it be clear: I stand firmly against rape and all forms of sexual violence. Such acts are crimes.full stop.
But I also stand in defense of our cultural identity, which should not be dismantled or discredited because of the actions of a few misguided individuals.
This is a call to content creators, commentators, and the general public: be mindful of your narratives. Understand the weight of your words. Not everything is content, and not every story should be told without context or responsibility.
Africa must not become a marketplace where its own people sell distorted versions of its identity to the outside world. It is time we educate ourselves, preserve what is valuable, reform what is necessary, and present our culture with the dignity it deserves.
