Umu oji: Community which has celebrated biblical Pesach for thousands of years

Apr 8, 2018, 11:36 PM

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
Report this post.

An Igbo community called Umu oji just finished celebration of ‘Uzo Iyi’(way/road through sea/water). It was at this same clan that I saw my first Sukkot (‘ima ntu’).

The name of the just concluded festival Uzo Iyi, tells us the full story…didn’t Israelites pass through the sea (iyi) to freedom, with Moshe (Moses)! Its the ancient Passover that these Igbos just finished celebrating without advantage of the Written Torah.

Like every other feast of Igbos, uzo iyi was termed pagan by European missionaries who were part of the gang that colonized Igbos. Even the term for the Igbo religion, Ome na ana, which sits smack in the middle of the Hebrew Bible was demonized.

The inquisitive will learn many things from Igbo culture as this culture gives us additional tools for looking at biblical, and Israelite culture and history.

—

Remy Ilona is an Igbo scholar and author. He is presently in the United States.

About the Author

Remy Ilona is of Ibo or Igbo extraction. The Ibo are among the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.He is a lawyer by training, and is also experienced as a historian of the Ibo. He is also an author who has published 6 books about the Ibos and their connections with the Jews and the Land of Israel.He is among the leaders shepherding the Ibos re-emerging Judaism. Presently he is in Miami where he is studying with the famous Professor Tudor Parfitt, and also working as a graduate assistant at the Florida International University, Miami.