An Enugu-based cultural organisation, Centre For Memories (CFM), says it has begun compilation of Igbos’ undocumented history, tradition, and culture for preservation and reference purposes.

The centre’s executive director Iheanyi Igboko disclosed this on Sunday in Enugu in an interview.

Mr Igboko explained that the essence of the centre’s establishment was to document the history, tradition and culture of the Igbo people handed over to it from one generation to another.

“We built the centre to document, preserve and tell the Igbo history for the people of the region to identify their culture,” he said.

According to him, the centre is working to bridge the gap between the Igbo’s undocumented history, tradition and culture being handed over to them from one generation to another.

“The centre is taking it upon itself to do some documentation of them in terms of preservation and promotion of Igbo identity. We do not want a situation whereby the next generation will have to travel to other lands to look for how their forefathers lived,” he added. “Some people thought that Igbo cultures were fetish and useless, but that is not true; come and ask your questions and we will be able to provide the answers at the centre,” Igboko said.

Mr Igboko, however, said a group of like-minded individuals, burdened with the desire to build an Igbo historical centre, pooled their funds together to reposition Igbo culture, history and excellence in 2017.

“For instance, the evolution of the Igbo people does not have one story. We have Nri, Arochukwu, Okigwe and Jewish angles,” he noted. “The centre is also trying to bring all of these stories together for people to see and going into exhibitions, we try to profile icons, stories of Igbo origin in their iconic moments.”

According to him, many do not know about the Ekumekwu war, the Arrow Angle war in 1901, “or even Nigeria-Biafra war.”

(NAN)