August meeting


August meeting is an annual congress held by the Igbo women in the month of August, it is a massive homecoming whereby Igbo women in diaspora and the cities travel back to their matrimonial villages to meet with their local counterpart to discuss matters pertaining to the community development, Conflict Management, human development, and other socio-economic and cultural initiatives.
The meeting is a three days ritual and it is divided into three parts, the first is held at the village level, the second within the community while the third is held in churches where thanksgivings are held to mark the end of the meeting.

History

Challenges

In the early years of the August meeting, the rich and influential women used the avenue of the August meeting to intimidate other women by wearing expensive clothing, wrappers, and jewelry. This act made a number of women to lose interest and discouraged them from attending and consequently the turn out for the meeting dropped in various communities. A lot of marriages also failed as wives mounted pressure on their husbands to get the latest clothing and wrapper for the August Meeting.
This issue was addressed when the decision was taken that women should appear in prechosen uniforms, which put an end to the pressure and competition.

Cinematography

A stage play titled “August Meeting” was performed in 2018 at the Lagos Theatre Festival, the stage play tour continued to other states in the country such Abuja and Anambra.
A movie titled "August meeting" was also released in 2014.