Ikwa Ozu means “celebrating the dead” and in Oguta this event is a cultural carnival that will definitely interest any tourist visiting the town. This is also called second burial because it comes up after the deceased has been buried through the usual burial ceremony. Ikwa Ozu must not happen immediately after the burial. It can come up days, weeks or even months after the burial, depending on when the family of the deceased is ready.
Ikwa Ozu has a process that is very exciting from the beginning to the end. You can call this the business of Age Grades because various age grades in the community play major roles in the Ikwa Ozu traditional rites. Children of the deceased invite their age grade members to join them in this colourful occasion which begins in the morning and ends late in the evening. This edition of Rural News Tourism provides sights and sounds of Ikwa Ozu cultural ‘carnival’ in Oguta land.