Santii-Mumuye Celebrates Annual Yam Festival in Colour and Unity
By Hilary John
The Mumuye people have once again gathered to celebrate the Santii-Mumuye Annual Yam Festival, one of the most prominent yam celebrations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The festival, also known as the Mumuye Yam Festival, remains one of the most vibrant and culturally significant traditions of the Mumuye people.
It marks the harvest and thanksgiving season, a period dedicated to honoring the first yam, a symbol of fertility, hard work and community unity.
This year’s celebration brought together sons and daughters of Mumuye land from across the country and beyond to rejoice, renew family bonds, and showcase their rich cultural heritage through traditional dances, music, and colorful displays.
Beyond its agricultural importance, the festival also serves as a platform to promote identity, pride, and unity among the Mumuye people, while welcoming leaders, dignitaries, and guests who share in the spirit of peace and development.
In her welcome address, the Chairperson of Yorro Local Government Area, Hon. Mrs. Martina A. Anthony, described the festival as a time of homecoming and thanksgiving.
She noted that the Santii-Mumuye Yam Festival continues to strengthen the bond among the people and highlight the cultural wealth of the Mumuye nation.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the event, Mrs. Anthony, also known by her traditional title as Naban Yorro Kwanliyan Kwaji, praised the quality of Mumuye yam, describing it as the sweetest and best in the world.
She commended local farmers for their hard work despite challenges in the market and called on marketers, business partners, NGOs, and other organizations to support yam producers through modern innovations such as processing yam into flour to reduce post-harvest losses.
She also appreciated Governor Agbu Kefas for his continuous support to farmers in the state.
According to her, the governor’s agricultural policies have improved yam production and created an enabling environment for farmers to access their farms freely and safely.
Mrs. Anthony further noted that the Mumuye land is blessed with other crops such as groundnut, millet, and Bambara nut, but yam remains the most valued due to the fertility of the soil and its economic importance.
On youth involvement, she commended the Taraba State Government for engaging young people in cultural and developmental activities, acknowledging the presence of the governor’s Special Assistant on Culture, who actively supported and motivated the youths throughout the festival.
Highlights of the celebration included cultural dances, traditional wrestling, a competition for the biggest yam, and other cultural displays.
Mr. Muhammed Mashi, a local farmer who inherited yam farming from his grandparents, won this year’s biggest yam competition with a yam weighing 20.60 kilograms.
He expressed gratitude to God and appreciated the organizers and the former Governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame for their contributions to the success of the festival.
The 2025 edition of the Santii-Mumuye Annual Yam Festival once again reaffirmed the unity, resilience, and cultural pride of the Mumuye people a true celebration where tradition meets progress.
