Age grade is an association of people of equal or about the same age, operating within a given territory or area with the aim of individual, collective, and societal transformation/development. The organization, structure, and activities of age grade practices in most Igbo communities differ.
AGE grades are commonplace in most communities in the Igbo nation of the South-East. It provides the strongest structure of governance among communities in Igboland where they go by several names. An age grade usually acquires a name during its formative stage and it goes by that name until all the members are dead and the age grade ceases to exist.
Age grades are groups of persons who, according to societal norms and values, are regarded as people of the same age. Age grades do vary from one community to the other.
In some communities, using Ufuma as a case study...a village called Enugwuabo in Ufuma is one of the Nine villages that make up ufuma community;
Read Also:
Ufuma has entered the tragic Guinness book of record as fire destroyed shops and goods worth millions of naira.
in Enugwuabo ufuma, Age grade is seen as a source of development/Unity. in this part of the world called Enugwuabo, it's a mandate that every male child must be a member of an age grade for him to stand as a full grown man who's liable of unlimited privilege in the village secondly: each named age grade must live a legacy so that the next generation after theirs will witness and continue from there.
Age grade is formed every 10 years in Enugwuabo Ufuma and 2020 is a year for coronating a new age grade.
In Enugwuabor ufuma both genders are eligible to be part of an age grade... just inline with gender equality and Girls' child right, Girls will cease to be a member once she got married... If she didn't she will continue with her male counterpart. She's as relevant as the male members.
During the formation process, there will be a lot of exhibitions like Cultural dance, Ogene music, Masqureeding, Also, Rice and Stew will be very plenty, Age grade Coordinator, Mr. Onyebuch Nwankwo added.
According to Mr. Onyebuch, there'll be assorted drinks and enough eateries to entertain the villagers and some special invitees, We're trying everything possible to make sure that this year's coronation will stand to be one of the best, if not the best- he said.
