By Joshua Olomu
Stakeholders, including women leaders, cultural advocates and thespians, have called on women to preserve African cultural and family values to ensure they remain vibrant and sustained for future generations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they made the call during a panel discussion as part of activities for the ongoing 13th edition of the Nollywood Cultural Heritage Festival in Abuja.
The 2025 festival, with the theme, “ The Role of African Women in Preserving African Culture” is began on Thursday to end on Saturday.
The panel discussion organised by the annual thespian and cultural fiesta in collaboration with UNESCO, brought together culture enthusiasts, and representatives of relevant institutions.
According to the panelists, Women often serve as the first educators within families, and are primary custodians and transmitters of values and traditions across generations.
They urged modern Nigerian Women to assume their roles in safeguarding both tangible and intangible heritage to ensure they are not eroded in a fast-changing world ,
Josephat Ngene, traditional leader of Akwuke in Enugu state, said in Africa, women have always played central roles preserving traditions and other intangible cultural elements, including local languages, cuisine and age-long values.
He said that many women in the 21 century paid little or no attention to age-long traditions that made the African culture unique because of western influences.
“The upbringing of children is largely in the hands of the woman because she spends more time with them, and this apply to passing across our values and traditions to them,” he said.
Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, said women should mentor the younger generation who are supposed to be future ambassadors of culture and tradition.
She called for cultural education, effective deployment of social media in promoting African traditions, including its cuisines and fashion.
“Enough of us trying to mimic the western curriculum in our schools, because our children in that sense have been ‘westernised, and they are no longer interested in learning their culture.
“They need to speak their dialects, they need to know their cultural value systems and we need to also give the same enthusiasm being given to the Western ideas to our cultural identity,” she said.
Also speaking, Ebele Ukatu, President, Women Wing of Umuoji Improvement Union, Abuja Branch, said women of today faces a lot of challenges in balancing their traditional roles with modern influences.
“Women are often expected to uphold traditional values while navigating modern societal expectations.
“For example, in Nigeria, women face challenges in balancing their traditional roles as homemakers with the demands of modern careers and education.
“So we need that support from our husbands, our men, because we need this country to be good for everybody,” she said.
Mr Kayode, Aiyegbusi, Director, Blackbones Theatre Company, said film was a veritable tool for preserving values and traditions, if deployed effectively.
He urged filmmakers to tell stories that showcase and put African rich cultural heritage in good light to the younger generation.
According to him, if you don’t deliberately promote and protect your culture, others will erode it.
In his goodwill message, Emeka Rolas, National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria(AGN) said African women were the heartbeat of its heritage and custodians of traditions, values and communal values.
“As mothers, educators and cultural ambassadors, African women embody the grace, the strength that preserves our identity amid global change.
“Today we celebrate their unwavering role in nurturing unity, safeguarding our tradition and inspiring new generations to remain as Africans,” he said.
Earlier in her address of welcome, Head of Office and Representative of UNESCO Office, Abuja, Jean-Paul Abiaga, lauded the organisers of the festival for focusing discussions on issues that affects women.
According to her, culture lies at the heart of UNESCO’s mission, as it protects heritage, nurture creative industries and safeguard living traditions.
“We are particularly pleased with this symposium that is dedicated to exploring vital intersection of women, culture, and creativity, three pillars that shape the soul and identity of Africa and of Nigeria in particular.
“We are here today to support women, also to reaffirm the central role of women in preserving, transmitting cultural heritage, because women are the keepers of our stories, rituals, and artistic expressions.
“I wish to commend our partner, the Nollywood Cultural Heritage Festival, for championing African heritage through film and for expanding its vision this year with this timely panel,” she said.
In his remarks, Agility Onwurah, President, Nollywood Cultural Heritage Festival, said the preservation of culture should be taken as a collective responsibility.
“However, through women leadership and nurturing influence, we can find inspiration to do more, to tell our stories better, and to ensure that Africa’s voice continues to resonate powerfully across generations.
“This event is to reflect, to dialogue, and to honour those women — filmmakers, artists, educators, mothers and leaders who continue to carry the torch of our heritage with pride and grace,” he said.
Onwurah told NAN that cultural ambassadors, especially women , would be celebrated during the festival for preserving and showcasing Nigerian rich culture to the world.
According to him, the grand finale of the festival scheduled to hold at the Exhibition Pavilion, will feature Pan-African food session, and present Youth Cultural Festival Arts Exhibition and awards to relevant stakeholders.
“The 13th edition is a celebration of African culture, uniting Africans and the global community in cultural exchange, while highlighting the pivotal role of African women in preserving African heritage,” he added. (NAN)