Why we are organising Nwa Ada Anambra Pageant show-----Famous Gold

Following the dwindling interest by young Igbo girls concerning their customs, tradition and culture, by preferring European form of life, especially in languages, cooking and dressing code, a group known as Famous Gold has come to repair the narrow minded thoughts of these young ones.  Miss Nwamaka Joy Ononenyi, Chief Executive Officer and vision owner of Famous Gold, a platform with which she intends to lure Igbo girls back to loving their culture, said she is using pageant: Nwa Ada Anambra Pageant 2016, as her stepping stone to bring back Igbo girls back on track of their culture and tradition with a pageant contest in all Igbo affairs pageant show. The 25 years old lady and graduate of law from the Kogi State University, spoke with Emeka Ibemere, on her tirelessly effort in making sure that she achieve her vision.

Under what platform is the pageant being organised?

It is called Famous Gold.

When did the idea of Famous Gold start?

It started last year August, 2015. It started as I told you before, that it came as a result of the need  to restore the dignity of Igbo woman’s norms, values and creativity in cooking and dressing; to add colour to our young girls’ life and make them responsible members of Igbo tribe, in their looks, pride, language, fashion, and character including attitude, so it as I was tinkering on what to do that the Famous Gold came to me, and my mind said to me why not use this name and float a pageant for young girls of Igbo origin in trying to re-fashion them back to their culture.

Why Famous Gold, one expected you to give it an Igbo name; hence it’s all about promoting Igbo culture.

Yes, the name of the pageantry is not in English and that is why we came up with Nwa Ada-Anambra, and the platform Famous Gold was as a result of my name when I was in the University, so I don’t want to lose it that is why I in incorporated it as a name of the platform.

How and when the idea of Nwa Ada Anambra beauty Pageant did come into your mind. 

It started from when I observed the way and manner our young girls dress and make-up this time, I never liked it and decided to think on what to do to bring them closer to our culture, just like the way our mothers were trained by their parents. I discover that there was a sharp difference between us of this age and our mothers in terms of dressing, cooking, speaking and other cultural values imbibed by our parents which is a shift from what we are doing today. So, this motivated me to start thinking on what to do to inculcate those values in our present day girls and in so doing bring our culture back to the modern Igbo girls. We don’t know how to cook, we don’t know how to dress any longer, we based on these English people’s way of dieting-Sppergetti, Indomie, and others; and our girls don’t know how to cook our local foods again.

 Tell an igbo lady to cook Oha soup, or olugbu soup, you will be surprise what she will tell you because she knows only how to prepare suppegatti and Indomie, Cornflex, and those other fast foods and  I so, much believe that wasn’t the way our mothers taught or train us. And its because of all these food junks that are causing us some of these illnesses such as diabetes, kidney problems and all that, so I made up my mind to come up with this pageant to use it as vehicle to revive our culture and bring back our girls to our cultural norms that are lacking presently in Igbo land.  It’s these things that form the bases of the pageant in order to bring them home, so that they will know whom they are and where they are coming from that is why the theme of the pageant is: Mara Onye Ibu.

You have a good vision but I would want to know the category of girls you are looking at for this pageant.

The class of people that we are targeting are the class of ladies and girls who can speak Igbo language fluently without fault, who can interact in Igbo language and write it well, the category of girls who can cook Igbo delicacies without supervision, we are looking at igbo girls no matter where she resides whether in the city of village but can represent Igbo culture by dressing in Igbo attires, knows the Igbo names for different types of wrappers, name igbo foods and cook them, and project Igbo culture, norms and traditions fluently, these are the types of girls that will participate in the pageant. The girls will be able to mention the type of Igbo food she could be able to cook, and mention the ingredients used in cooking such dishes. The pageant is purely Igbo affairs, nothing European about it. The questions to be asked to the pageants are going to be in Igbo language and they are expected to answer it in Igbo language, too.

When is the pageant coming up?

May 27^th 2016 and is happening in Anambra State.

So, what is the level of your preparation, so far?

We are marvellous in our preparation, we are on the move and everything is going well. As God will have it, we have our sponsors and they are incredibly doing well. We also have partners who are partnering with us and we have gone far.

Do you have the state endorsement?

Yes, the Anambra State government is aware and the State Commissioner of Culture and Tourism is also a partner in the programme, even though they have not responded to our letter, they are aware and they are partners.

How many girls have enrolled so far?

We have about 20 girls already and we are still looking for more, and more are still coming.

What are criteria for being a participant?

We don’t look at ages, we don’t look at complexions, we don’t look at height, and we also don’t look at facial appearances or beauty; but said once the person is from 18 years and above, she is qualified. Particularly, we are look at their fluency in Igbo language, their dressing, and their comportment and character behaviours.

How is the dress code like; is it like swim trunk-half naked attires of the world most beautiful girls kind of.

We don’t need that swim trunk pants, and body showing dresses, because it’s not our Igbo culture, its going to be like real Igbo woman dressing and make-up with local make ups.

How many times have you organise this pageants

This is just the first edition and I believe that it will go a long way after this particular show and this is not going to be the last.

Let’s talk on the security of the pageants, what preparations have you on that day.

With the help of my able and hardworking governor, His Excellency, Chief Willy Obiano, security of the pageants are guaranteed because with what he has been able to do in terms of security in the Anambra State, I don’t think there will be security problem. Right now Anambra is safe and I can assure you that it’s the safest state in Nigeria. He has empowered all the security agencies in the state with equipment and logistics and he is still doing more, so security has been taking care of because he has put so many things on ground to checkmate insecurity in Anambra State.

What are going to give the winners that will emerge from the contest?

 We have a car for the first prize, the second prize is Refrigerator and the third winner is going to go home with a laptop.

What would Nwa Ada Anambra State be doing for the Anambra State and Igbos that one year reign?

As Nwa Ada Anambra State, the winner is automatically an Ambassador of both Anambra and Igbo culture. She is always in Igbo attires; speak the language in all her functions in the state. She will also be dressing in Igbo attires always anywhere she is going, either in state functions, local government and cultural events in Anambra State and elsewhere.

Do you believe in the extinction of Igbo languages and culture?

 I don’t believe so because I have strong conviction in the fact that culture is inherent, is not something you borrow or learn. It is born with you and again that sums up our vision and mission in coming up with this pageant, so as to sustain the language and culture and bring back our values to the present generation of Igbo youths.

What is your advice to those young boys and girls of Igbo extraction who have lost their identities?

My advice to them is that they should seat down and reflect on their background, ask questions about their values, where Am I from, Who Am I, they should reflect on their identity, what makes me Igbo and things like that, they should know that exposing their bodies and being naked is a parameter to measure who is a big girl or big boys, they should know that its not also a measure of beauty. They should know that what Igbo men want from a lady is her character nothing more.  Our character matters a lot, they should know how to talk, when to talk and when not to talk, the way we respect our elders, husbands and wives matter a lot.