JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

Festivals are a prime example of the richness and diversity of a people's culture. It is often said that the greatness of a culture is embedded in its festivals. Celebrations such as the Ikeji festival, demonstrates the creativity, grandeur and cultural values of the Arondizuogu people and by extension, the Igbo of South-eastern Nigeria. The significance of this festival, touted as one of the biggest cultural festivals in Igboland23, to the Aro community must be enormous, such that every year, thousands of Aro people spread across several cities in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas must return home to their ancestral homeland to celebrate the Ikeji festival with their families. This research investigates the role of tourism and the diaspora connection to African cultural festivals, using the Ikeji Festival of Arondizuogu as a case study. The significance of this study lies in the question - why has the Ikeji Festival retained its relevance and fame, despite the great magnitude of external migrations from Africa to Europe, America, and Asia in the 21st century? Does the Ikeji festival have any tourism value? What role does the diaspora have to play in relation to the Ikeji festival? The study collated primary data from ten (10) Aro communities in Southeastern Nigeria, including Arochukwu, the parent community. Secondary data was collected through books, journals, conference papers, newspaper publications and online articles. The hermeneutic and thematic methods of inquiry were employed by the researchers given the very nature of the subject of research. It discovered that the diaspora have a fundamental role to play for the sustainability of the Ikeji festival.