Cultural Practices and National Development: The Case of Uparuba Festival among the Isua Akoko of South East Nigeria

The observation and celebration of festivals is central to African cultural heritage with due social, political and economic relevance. This paper examined the celebration of Uparuba festival in Isua Akoko, not just as a yearly festival celebration but Jubilee celebration (Odun Jubili), to appease the deity for the remission of sins and atrocities against the cultural norms of the land and also to request for divine intervention and prosperous jubilee year. The focal horizon for the exploration into the study is to; investigate the historical background of Isua Akoko amidst reasons motivating origin for the celebration of Uparuba, purposes of the festival, modus operandi and its significance to the developments of Isua Akoko. In achieving this, the research made use of ethnographic research which was largely gleaned from primary sources and made use of the Structural Functionalist theory, which explains social stratification. The research argues that, the celebration of Uparuba Festival in Isua Akoko has not only brought development into the community, the celebration also protects the society against both internal and external attacks. It protects them from epidemic situations through the celebration, the role of litigation despite civilization is still not well pronounced as crime related issues are still solved communally. This increases the consciousness of the people of Isua Akoko to the genuineness and unfading nature of her cultural heritage. The research outlines some recommendations for future research, one of which is reduction in the excessive use of local gin to ameliorate one of the preaching of the festival.