A FESTIVAL that spreads awareness of the Nigerian Igbo culture was brilliantly celebrated for the second time in Dorset. 

On Saturday, August 27, The New Yam Festival took place at Poole High School hall.

The New Yam Festival, or Iri Ji as it is called in Igbo, is a cultural celebration held in August symbolizing the conclusion of the harvest season.

The Igbo people are an ethnic group found in the southeast of the Nigeria. Its language is one of three major official languages of Nigeria with, approximately 44 million people speaking it.

The festival first happened in Dorset in 2019.

Anthony Uchenna Agwagah is a member of the Igbo Community in Dorset, a non-profitable organisation which strives to promote and help Igbo people in Bournemouth and the surrounding areas.

Anthony said: "Our community is all about promoting equal cultural heritage in Dorset.

"Today we are celebrating New yam the cultural festival. 

"Yam is a tropical food, we are going to roast the yam and show people how to eat it."

The mayors of Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, and Ferndown, as well as the chairman of the council, Nigel Hedges, all attended the event.

Anthony added: "You can see from everyone's faces as they arrive how excited everyone is, everyone looks amazing.

"Everything is going very well I have no doubts today will be another success. 

"We are having a beauty pageant later today to select the first-ever princess of Dorset. 

"All the women are dressed up in costume, even the young children and everyone is going to dance, then later on a winner will be decided. 

"This is all about promoting diversity, selling ourselves to Dorset, this is what we are made of. 

"We look to promote our heritage and help signpost those who are new to the group to help them integrate with society.

"We welcome anyone to come down and join in with the celebrations. 

"We hope everyone here will enjoy the occasion, it's going to be a fun-filled day."