Pictures from 2022 Opleka festival of Etulo nation

The importance and relevance of the Opleka Festival among the Etulo people cannot be overemphasized. This is because culture remains sacrosanct and the sacrosanctity of cultural preservation is what give a people a social standing, belonging and identity. The process and constituents of the Opleka festival is such that usually soon after the harvest of new crops such as yams, millet, maize etc; there is usually a ban on drumming throughout the entire community for three months. This is literally or culturally referred in Etulo as Ofe-anga Tukwu (meaning an embargo on drumming has been put in place).

Usually within this period of preparation for Opleka festival, the local and traditional beer referred in Etulo as ebyie-angya is brewed purely from the new millet for the occasion during which the Otse and his Ato (members of cabinet) will perform sacrifices to the Almighty God also called Mgbasho and their gods on behalf of the people in appreciation of the love, peace, blessings and bounty harvest in the land before the people can eat such harvest.

The Opleka festival is no doubt an interesting, joyous and eventful event. This is because it is a medium of encouraging the learning, speaking and propagation of the Etulo local dialect. It would interest you to know that within this period of the Opleka festival, no one is expected or permitted within the land to speak, sing, or talk in any other language or dialect, except the Etulo languuage; hence it is considered not just abominable but a crime against the ancestors if anyone flaunts or disobey this law, the offence which is punishable by law is sanction and a fine to appease the gods and ancestors of the land hence it is believed the gods are only willing to listen to Etulo language alone and nothing else.