Let it not be said that women are stifled by traditional society – even though true in some ways, this is not always the case.
What is the August meeting?
The Igbo women from the South East part of Nigeria are not just passive members of the community, but are active in shaping beliefs and policy.
The Umuada and the Otu Alutaradi are the two related levels that made women assume formal leadership positions in Igbo traditional societies.
The Umuadas are the community's women who have married into other villages but have kept their links to their native villages.
The Otu Alutaradi are wives of men of a community who come from different socio-cultural backgrounds. Both clubs uphold the order to foster unity, progress and camaraderie among themselves and the community.
However, the Otu Alutaradi has a unique impact. In many instances, women are put on trial for crimes like stealing, adultery, or overhearing a husband and co-wife's late-night talk. These ladies had the authority to find other women guilty or innocent and make them pay fines.
It is the Otu Alutaradi that holds this August Meeting.
It is a huge homecoming during which Igbo women from the cities and the diaspora return to their matrimonial villages to meet with their local counterparts and discuss
socioeconomic, cultural initiatives, conflict resolution, and community development.
The gathering lasts for three days and is divided into three parts: the first takes place at the village level, the second takes place in the community, and the third takes place in the church, where thanksgiving is conducted to signal the end of the gathering.
Why August?
August should ideally be a month of rest, free from any type of work, schools are on vacation and the new yam festival happens in August.
In the 1940s, the Church Missionary Societies decided to come up with a strategy to offer women a voice in their community. As a result, they established meetings in Port Harcourt, Umuahia, Onitsha, Aba, Owerri, and Calabar in the South East of Nigeria.
The opening up of urban centres made women move away from their traditional communities and it is a way to bring them back home.
Women do not take it lightly and begin preparations as early as June, even those outside the country, travel back to Nigeria or send delegates.
The importance of August meetings
Even though formerly, some women used it to oppress others, it is no longer so with the introduction of a dress code.
Women use these August meetings to help the less privileged among them and society.
Titles like Ezinne (Sweet Mother), Eziada (Worthy Daughter), Mother of Faith, Golden Mother, Patron, Ambassador, etc are bestowed during August meetings. The beneficiary will give the Association a substantial amount of money as a token of appreciation.
Igbo women have contributed in various ways to the construction of civic centres, secondary schools, Skills Acquisition Centers, community health clinics, and other facilities.
Mothers are truly the pillars of the Igbo community and every other society.