Ugonna Victor Okeke, a 2025 MPP student from Ehume in Obowo Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria, started his studies at KDI School in Fall 2025. He obtained his first degree in law from the University of Nigeria. Additionally, he is an Igbo, a major ethnic group in southeastern Nigeria, one of the winners of the "Share your family gathering" event.

While asking about what inspired him to participate in the event, he replied,

As soon as he heard about this event, the “New Yam Festival” instantly came to mind. They call this festival 'Iwa Ji' or 'Iri Ji' in the Igbo language, which is one of their biggest harvest celebrations, happening every August or September. The New Yam Festival holds a significant place in Igbo culture as it marks the beginning of the harvest season and is a time for giving thanks to the earth and their ancestors for a bountiful harvest. During this festival, the family or clan head cuts the first yams with prayers and offers portions to the earth and their ancestors before anyone else eats. Yam is the star of the New Yam Festival, and they are prepared in every way imaginable. Yam pepper soup with plenty of spice, yam porridge with vegetables and palm oil, pounded yam (which they eat with different soups), and roasted yam with palm oil and pepper. Other complementary foods, such as Ukwa, Ugba, and Abacha, are also served on this day.

The scattered family members travel to be together on this occasion, even if only for a day. He shared what family truly means in his culture by stating that-

"Family gathering is about wholeness. In Igbo culture, there is a saying: "Igwe bu ike," which translates to "Community is strength." It's not just about being physically present; it's about reconnecting to something bigger than ourselves. It is about love, sharing, and community. When all the family members gather together, it feels to him like, "These are my people.”

"I realised not everyone knows about this beautiful tradition we have, and I thought, why not use this platform to show people how we celebrate, how we connect, how we honour both the living and those who came before us?"

He expressed his special moment from the family gathering, which is when everyone finally sits down together under one roof to eat. The cousins he hasn't seen in months, aunties who travelled hours to be there, and there they are, all eating yams prepared in different ways. Nothing fancy, just yams, either roasted, pounded, in pepper soup, or as porridge. But in that moment, all the noise quiets down a bit, and he can almost feel the weight of it: "we're together. We made it back to each other another year."

Family gatherings, especially during the New Yam Festival, are a significant part of his culture. This is about how they pass down their traditions, language, and stories, and how young people learn to respect their elders and ancestors. Through the festival, they maintain their identity in a rapidly changing world. Without this gathering, they would probably drift apart, and they could lose the thread that connects them to their past and guides them into the future.

When he was asked how often his family get together, he replied that the New Yam Festival is their major annual gathering, but apart from this, they also gather during the Christmas and New Year holidays. They also gather on occasions such as weddings, the Iwa the Akwa festival (an Igbo rite of passage), and funerals. During those gatherings, they eat together, catch up on each other's lives, settle family matters if necessary, and the elders share wisdom and family history.

Finally, he wants to share about family and togetherness with everyone by stating-

"I want people to know that in our busy, scattered modern lives, we need these moments of gathering more than ever. We need to create spaces where families can become whole again, where stories can be told, where the young can learn from the old, and where we can be together. It doesn't have to be elaborate. It's about intentionality, the commitment to showing up for one another. Because family, in the end, is that annual promise to return, to reconnect, to remember. And that is something worth protecting, no matter where in the world we find ourselves."