Despite the security challenges the people of Plateau State have faced over the years, the Nzem Berom cultural festival is still being celebrated. ISAAC SHOBAYO writes about this festival and why it is important to the celebrants.
It was a cultural and traditional extravaganza last Friday when the Berom tribe in Plateau State thronged the Rwang Pam Stadium to celebrate the 2024 annual Nzem Berom cultural festival. The people occupying the four local government areas of Riyom, Barakin-Ladi, Jos South, and Jos North have consistently been celebrating the festival over the years as a means of showcasing their culture and tradition.
The cultural festival has become such a household name that both the natives and the non-Berom often look forward to the captivating cultural festival, which depicts the way and life of the people. The colourful and spectacular festival features music and dance with captivating costumes. It drew enthusiasts and participants from all the nooks and crannies of the Plateau North Senatorial District and the state at large.
A participant told the Nigerian Tribune that beyond entertainment, the cultural festival has become a living archive, preserving tradition for future generations, adding that the festival is also a rendezvous where people meet for cross-fertilisation of ideas and reunion of Beroms both at home and abroad because of its attraction.
Apart from the vibrant display of Berom culture and tradition through magnificent traditional attire that depicted their rich culture and warlike disposition, it was also an avenue to showcase the various cuisines associated with the Beroms.
It is a traditional cultural festival that connects people with the past. The venue of the event, the Rwang Pam Stadium, was well decorated in the colours red, green, and black in sync with the traditional dressing of the people. Nzem Berom is no doubt one of the most glamorous cultural and spiritual festivals in the Middle Belt. The glitz associated with it made it unique and alluring.
One of the centres of attraction is the paramount ruler of the Berom, who is also the chairman of the Plateau State Joint Council of Chiefs and Emirs, the Gbong Gwom of Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba. The subjects from various communities in the four local governments filed out in turn and in parade to pay homage to the paramount ruler.
In demonstration of the prevailing unity and brotherliness among the diverse ethnic groups in the state, other ethnic groups were also invited to take part in the cultural festival, where they showcased their rich culture and also rejoiced and felicitated with their Berom brothers.
In his address, the chairman on the occasion, Senate President, Godswill, Akpabio, acknowledged the rich culture of the people and commended the paramount ruler of the Berom Nation, the Gbong Gwom of Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, for being a great patriot, saying that the Berom has a longstanding tradition of celebrating its rich culture and heritage.
The Senate President, who was represented by the chairman of the of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, averred that because of the vibrancy of the people’s tradition and culture, the Nzem Berom festival has earned the reputation of being the greatest festival on the Plateau and remains a symbol of pride for the entire nation. He, however, added that despite its vibrancy, the great tourism potential of what he described as a “world-class cultural festival” has not been fully tapped.
“We must commit to letting the world know that the treasure we have in Berom culture. No one, like the good book says, lights a candle and puts it under a bushel. It is time to put this festival in the same class as the Brazilian carnival and make it one of the leading items in the world’s tourism calendar.”
The occasion, which also served as the 15th coronation anniversary of the Gbong Gwom Jos, was also used as a platform to unveil the Wurom Legacy Trust Foundation, which is a groundbreaking initiative that aims to fulfill the vision of establishing a technology village that will serve as a hope for harnessing the immense talents and technological skills of the Berom people, especially the youth.
Chairman Nzem Berom of the organising committee of the festival and former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkom, told the Nigerian Tribune that the platform was to develop and contribute to the technological development of the people.
The Senate President, who donated towards the launch, commended the Gbong Gwom for his leadership and unwavering dedication to the Berom Nations in particular and Nigeria at large, saying that the traditional ruler has been instrumental in fostering unity, progress, and development among the Berom land and tasked the people to contribute generously towards the development of the technological village and the empowerment of the youths.
The insecurity ravaging parts of the state was also mentioned in the course of the festival. Recall that the Berom-speaking communities, precisely in Barakin-Ladi, Riyom, and parts of Jos South local governments, have been under a severe siege of killer herdsmen. As a result of this dastardly act, quite a lot of villages and communities have been sacked and occupied by undesirable elements.
As a result of this, farming activities are at an ebb. The Gbong Gwom alluded to this in his speech and solicited for the protection of farmers as rainy season sets in. He declared, “Our people have gone back to their lands to continue age-old traditions of farming. We will appeal that the security forces work with the government of Plateau State to ensure protection for the people so that we can produce the food that we will need to sustain our lives, not only in Plateau State but in Nigeria as a whole.
“The prices of food has been rising. But one will say it is because the demand keeps rising, but the supply is low, not because our people are lazy, but because of the insecurity. And so, we will appeal that security should be improved so that we can continue to farm and feed our people accordingly.”
He appealed to the government to ensure the peaceful coexistence of the people of Plateau, saying that the lands that each ethnic nationality occupies were given to them by God. He ensured that those in the traditional council will surely work with the government to ensure that the boundaries of chiefdoms, districts, and village areas are well defined and well protected.
In the same vein, Governor Caleb Muftwang said that the state government is making arrangements to build up security around farmlands and therefore urged farmers to go back to the farms, adding that security forces will begin to move around to ensure that farmers go to farms and return safely.
The governor, who said that despite all the travail of the years and the attacks, the people of Plateau State have remained resilient. He added that this gives credence to why the contributions of the people of Plateau State to the national food basket cannot be underestimated.
Governor Muftwang therefore emphasised the importance of unity among the diverse ethnic groups in the state and implored the Gbong Gwom Jos to use his throne to bring the ethnic nationalities of Plateau together.
“We are one; we are one. Nothing must come between us. Nothing must divide us. Our strength is in our unity. Therefore, we must hold one another’s hands. What happens to the Berom man must be of concern to the Anaguta man; it must be of concern to the Afizere man; it must be of concern to the Mwagavul man because we are all in this matter together. By the grace of God, we will continue to remain who we are. peace-loving people. People who love to accommodate others. We will continue to open our borders to welcome visitors of goodwill, men and women who wish to live in peace with us. But those who do not wish to live in peace with us, those who seek to trouble us, God will trouble them,” he said.
The governor further took advantage of the occasion to disclose that by next year the state government will hold the Plateau Unity cultural festival, adding that his administration is also putting plans together to organise a unified Christmas Carol in December instead of separate and multiple carols.
The paramount ruler, who earlier said the people would not succumb to the antics of their enemies, added that the people have deliberately continued to host the cultural festival to dissuade their detractors and those who think they can intimidate the people of Plateau State by their evil acts of violence and their desire to take up Berom lands.
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