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This study examines the cultural history of the Api-Opi deity in Opi, Nsukka, Enugu State of Nigeria. The study sets out to examine the re-emergence of youthful worshippers of Api-Opi, despite the penetration of Christianity in the area.

The study employed ethnographic observation and field visits to the shrine of Api-Opi in Opi community of Enugu State, Nigeria. In addition, this study uncovers new information drawn from semi-structured interview questions undertaken in the study area between March and October of 2019.

Against certain claims on the impact of Christianity on Africa's traditional religions, the study found that the Api-Opi deity has withstood these post-colonial changes, growing its followership, particularly amongst the youths. It demonstrated the resilience of Igbo Traditional Worship System even in the midst of culture clash and religious iconoclasm advanced by Christianity in Igboland, Nigeria.

Evidence from this study helps debunk the notions of Eurocentric scholars who say African traditional religions are fetish, barbaric or primitive. It also shows how indigenous communities have protected and preserved their religious heritage despite the wave of modernization and other eternal influences. The study contributes to the increasing conversations about the role of traditional religion in the cultural resilience/revitalization of indigenous communities.

The main objective of this research is to interrogate the cultural and historical significance of deities in Igbo land, using the Ogwugwu Mmiri deity in Okija as a case study. The study presents evidence that the Ogwugwu Mmiri in Okija has helped preserve the Igbo cultural heritage and traditional values, norms and precepts, which counters the narrative that Christianity undermined these aspects of Igbo society in the past.

The research on the Ogwugwu Mmiri deity in Okija centered its discussion on the Okija community in the present-day Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria. The research relied on qualitative methodology through the participant observation method. Primary and secondary sources of data were used to interpret the study area. The researchers visited the research site and maintained the Covid-19 protocol during the interview sessions.

The study reveals that Africans practiced religion prior to the arrival of missionaries and challenges the prevailing notion that colonial religions erased the indigenous beliefs of the Igbo people. By examining the worship of the Ogwugwu Mmiri deity, the research observes that the community has embraced a dual religious system, where both Christian and traditional worshipers revere the deity. However, the study concludes that the deity's existence in Okija was not impacted by the government's invasion in 2004.

The traditions, beliefs, customs and norms of a society reflect past events and guide daily interactions with the environment. This is exemplified by the historical discourse surrounding the Ogwugwu Mmiri deity in the Okija community, where the deity's activities align with Christian beliefs and norms. The research demonstrates how young people and indigenous inhabitants protect and preserve their cultural heritage and traditions from external influences.

The overall aim of this research is to interpret Ikenga and Ofo creativity as it is revered in Igbo societies. Igbo creativity, especially interpreted through material culture, suffers the threat of extinction resulting from the forces of modernity. Forces of modernisation, which appear in the personae of Christianity, education, urbanisation and industrialisation, denigrated indigenous creativity, brandishing them as devious, fetish and primitive. Ironically, in most cases, the drivers of such narratives keep these “fetish” items in their museums and will give a lot to preserve them.

This study centred mostly on several communities in the Nsukka area of Igboland, Nigeria. It relied on both primary and secondary sources of historical enquiry. This qualitative research discussed the nuances of the subject matter as it relates to Igbo cosmos. These approaches involved visiting the study area and conducting personal interviews.

Archaeologists do often rely on material culture to study, periodise and date past human societies. In this study, it is found that material culture, an expression of indigenous creativity, best interprets how society survived or related with their environment. This paper examined two Igbo sculpted artefacts – Ikenga and Ofo – while unearthing the intricacies in Igbo cosmology as regards creativity, spirituality and society.

The shapes, motifs, patterns and designs depict an imaginary history, the intellectualism of the past and even the present. This serves as an objective alternative to the twisted colonial narrative on Igbo material culture and consequently contribute to ongoing efforts to preserve, protect and promote cultural heritage resources in this part of the world.