SLC33-W5: My Community, My Story – Festivals, Culture & Traditions

In my state, there are a lot of tribe which all these tribes have their own culture, traditions, and festivals that they celebrate. Even in the school environment, there is usually a special day for cultural activities.

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What is the name of the culture, festival, or tradition that is celebrated in your community? Tell us where it usually takes place and share the Google Map, Steematlas, and Google Plus location.

The name of the culture is Mada culture. In Nasarawa State, Mada is a specific culture that belongs to the Mada people, which is a prominent ethnic group in Nasarawa State. The Mada people are mostly found in Akwanga and Konkona local government areas and other parts of southern Kaduna and the Middle Belt.

The good thing about Mada culture is that it is rich in vibrant music, traditional governance, farming, and communal festivals. When I was in school in Akwanga, my school hosted a cultural event, and the tribe that won was the Mada people.

In Mada town, anything that has to do with festivals, culture, and traditions usually takes place in the King's palace or the market Square. There is a big place at the King's house and also a big space at the market Square which most of these activities usually take place. However, the recent cultural activities of Mada culture that I attended were the ones in my school in Akwanga.

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In your community, why is this festival or tradition important to your community?

In my community, Mada festival, tradition, and culture are important because they reflect a lifestyle that is shaped by respect for Mada ancestry, kinship ties, and farming. My people are known for farming, as I wrote last week, and we are blessed with fertile land. My Community identity has been preserved through ceremonies, language, and artistic expression, making my culture, Mada, one of the most important cultural pillars in the whole of Nasarawa State and the Middle Belt.

Community unity is the heart of my culture, which connects extended families together. Also, this culture, festivals, and traditions are important in the Mada community because it makes elders play a vital role in decision-making and conflict resolution in the Mada community. The best and easiest way to recognise someone from my community is their Mada traditional attire.

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What activities do they like: music, dance, food, ritual, clothing, etc.

They dance to Mada music, wear Mada traditional attire, and do some rituals like playing with fire and carrying a pot on their head, and showcasing farming activities where people bring farming tools such as a hoe, cutlass, etc. The traditional food of Mada is beans, but not the regular beans; it is a very big bean which is shared with audiences.

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Tell us what you enjoy the most about the tradition or celebration.

What I enjoy the most about my tradition is the dance, the traditional attire, and the kind of music that is usually played.

The dance and music usually pull my legs makes me feel like dancing also, and each time that I attend such a celebration or event of my mada tribe, I feel so happy about how people dance to my traditional music and how they are dressed.

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Share with us how it brings people together in your community, and tell us if you would recommend visitors experience it and why

This tradition and these events bring people in my community together to celebrate as one big Mada family through organising competitions, dances, and displays of cultural activities, which people from across the state and other parts of the world come to witness.

Yes, I would recommend visitors experience it, and the reason is that as visitors get to experience it, that is how the Mada community will become popular and best known in the world.

Google plus	6FWCW93J+69
Google map	https://goo.gl/maps/y4cwf3Jj7RkV2GmPA?g_st=ac
Steematlas	[//]:# (!steematlas 8.9030625 lat 8.3809375 long My culture d3scr)

I am inviting: @saintkelvin17, @jasminemary, and @wuddi
Cc:- @josepha