Tonna Okei and the Quest to Preserve Ika Heritage in South Carolina

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

The present drive by Grand Knight Emeritus Sir Tonna Okei, popularly known as Ikuku Oma, to establish the proposed Nkonyeasua Ika Village in South Carolina, United States, represents more than an attempt to erect another cultural facility. It is an effort to transform cultural consciousness into a permanent institution capable of preserving history, strengthening identity, connecting generations and creating new relationships between the Ika people in Nigeria and communities in the United States.

According to reports on the initiative, the proposed village is envisioned as a living cultural institution where the history, traditions, music, food, clothing, arts, stories and identity of the Ika people and the wider Edo-Delta cultural region can be experienced rather than merely read about.

This distinction is important. Culture survives not simply because people remember it, but because institutions deliberately preserve, teach and practise it.

From an idea to a living institution

For many communities in the diaspora, maintaining a connection with ancestral culture becomes increasingly difficult as generations are born and raised outside the homeland. Children may inherit surnames and family stories without necessarily understanding the language, customs, traditional values or historical experiences behind them.

This is where a cultural centre can become particularly relevant.

The proposed Nkonyeasua Ika Village could provide a physical environment where Ika culture is not treated as something belonging exclusively to the past. Traditional music and dance, indigenous food, clothing, historical photographs, artefacts, storytelling, language and cultural ceremonies could all become part of a continuing educational experience.

Reports indicate that the proposed project could include exhibitions of Edo-Delta cultural artefacts, traditional attire, historical photographs, artworks and traditional musical instruments. It is also expected to accommodate cultural festivals, lectures, arts and crafts demonstrations, food showcases, music and dance performances and other cultural programmes.

Such activities would give culture a physical home.

Preserving the Ika language

Among the most important responsibilities of any cultural institution is the preservation of language.

Language carries history. It preserves expressions, proverbs, names, songs, humour, traditional knowledge and ways of interpreting the world. Once a language becomes disconnected from younger generations, an important part of the culture can gradually become inaccessible.

The importance of language preservation is already reflected in diaspora initiatives. For instance, an Ika version of the Lord’s Prayer was presented to American audiences during an event associated with Sir Tonna Okei in South Carolina, demonstrating how language can become an instrument of cultural diplomacy.

A permanent cultural centre could build on such efforts through structured language classes for children and adults, storytelling sessions, cultural publications, recordings of elders and digital documentation.

In this regard, the centre could become an archive of Ika memory.

Giving younger generations a place to belong

Perhaps the greatest beneficiaries of the proposed initiative could be younger people of Ika descent born or raised in America.

For them, Nigeria may be a country they know primarily through family stories. Ika may be a name they hear at home without fully understanding its history. A cultural village could help close that distance.

A child who learns an Ika song, tastes traditional food, sees traditional clothing, hears an elder explain the history of an Ika community or participates in a cultural festival is experiencing heritage in a way that textbooks alone cannot provide.

This is why the proposed project should be viewed as an intergenerational investment. Its success should ultimately be measured not simply by the size of the physical structure but by how effectively it transfers knowledge from today’s elders to tomorrow’s generation.

A meeting point for Ika people

The proposed centre could also provide a permanent gathering point for Ika sons and daughters living in South Carolina and neighbouring communities.

Diaspora communities often need institutions through which members can maintain relationships, organise programmes, discuss community development and support one another. The proposed centre could provide space for meetings, family-oriented programmes, youth activities, cultural celebrations and community networking.

Existing Ika diaspora initiatives demonstrate that the desire for organised cultural engagement already exists. The Ika Association Berlin, for example, describes its mission as promoting good relations among Ika people, cultural awareness, international relations and development among Ika people and their communities.

IKA Association Berlin

The South Carolina project could therefore become another significant expression of an increasingly interconnected Ika diaspora.

The importance of Tonna Okei’s wider activities

The present cultural-centre initiative also fits into Sir Tonna Okei’s broader engagement with cultural diplomacy and community development in South Carolina.

As President of the South Carolina Organisation of African Unity, Okei has been involved in engagements with government and community leaders. In July 2026, for example, OAU-SC under his leadership undertook courtesy visits to South Carolina leaders and presented a 10-point agenda focused on community relations, cultural inclusion, economic opportunities, youth development and collaboration with public institutions.

His organisation has also used cultural events to create interaction between African communities and American society. A reported Jollof Rice Competition in South Carolina, for example, brought together members of the African community and prominent guests, including Ghana’s ambassador to the United States.

These activities are relevant because they suggest that the proposed Ika cultural village is not an isolated idea. It emerges from a broader pattern of using culture as a platform for dialogue, community engagement and international relationships.

A bridge between Ika and South Carolina

The proposed village could become an important bridge between the Ika homeland and South Carolina.

Its programmes could create opportunities for historians, educators, artists, students, entrepreneurs, community leaders and researchers from both sides of the Atlantic to interact.

Educational institutions could potentially participate in cultural research and exchange programmes. Artists and traditional craft practitioners could demonstrate their work. Young people could participate in heritage programmes. Entrepreneurs could explore opportunities connected with cultural tourism, food, fashion, arts and crafts.

There is also precedent for Okei’s interest in creating educational connections. In 2023, he reportedly facilitated discussions involving Delta State institutions and the University of South Carolina around possible educational relationships.

This illustrates how cultural engagement can potentially open doors to broader educational and developmental partnerships.

Culture and economic opportunity

Cultural preservation and economic development do not have to be separate objectives.

A properly managed cultural village could generate activities around tourism, exhibitions, traditional cuisine, fashion, crafts, festivals, publications, cultural performances and educational programmes.

It could provide opportunities for artisans and cultural entrepreneurs from Ika communities. A craft maker in Nigeria, for example, could potentially find a new audience through exhibitions or cultural events in South Carolina. A researcher could use the centre as a point of contact. A visitor could encounter Ika food, music or history for the first time.

In this sense, cultural heritage can become an economic asset without losing its authenticity.

The significance of the Camden recognition

The initiative has also gained momentum in the context of growing public recognition of African culture in South Carolina.

Reports indicate that the Mayor and City Council of Camden declared August 17, 2026, African Unity, Culture, and Heritage Day, with the recognition highlighting efforts associated with African unity, cultural understanding and community development.

For the proposed Nkonyeasua Ika Village, developments of this nature provide an important environment for cultural dialogue.

They demonstrate that African heritage is not confined to Africa. It is part of the cultural landscape of communities where Africans and people of African descent live, work and raise families.

A responsibility that belongs to everyone

While Sir Tonna Okei may be driving the present initiative, the long-term responsibility cannot belong to one individual.

If the project is to become a sustainable institution, it will require the participation of Ika traditional institutions, community leaders, professionals, businesspeople, academics, young people, women, cultural practitioners and members of the diaspora.

It will require transparency, proper governance, credible partnerships and a clear sustainability model. The centre must also remain inclusive enough to attract people who may not necessarily have direct Ika ancestry but have an interest in African history and culture.

Most importantly, the initiative should establish mechanisms for documenting authentic history and ensuring that future generations inherit accurate cultural knowledge.

Ultimately, the significance of Sir Tonna Okei’s present drive lies in the possibility of turning cultural pride into institutional memory.

The proposed Nkonyeasua Ika Village is still at an early stage, and its eventual form will depend on land, funding, partnerships, governance, programming and sustained community participation. Current reports describe ongoing consultations and efforts to develop the concept.

But the idea itself addresses a genuine challenge facing many diaspora communities: how to remain connected to one’s roots while fully participating in a different society.

The answer cannot be nostalgia alone. It must involve institutions that preserve, teach and celebrate heritage.

For the Ika people, such a centre could become a repository of language, history and tradition. For younger generations, it could become a classroom without walls. For South Carolina, it could offer another window into the diversity of African cultures. For Nigeria and the United States, it could create opportunities for cultural, educational, social and economic exchange.

Sir Tonna Okei’s vision, therefore, should be understood beyond the construction of bricks and mortar. At its heart is the attempt to build a bridge – between generations, between continents, between heritage and modernity, and between the Ika homeland and its growing diaspora.

If successfully developed and sustained, the proposed cultural village could preserve yesterday’s heritage, educate today’s generation and create a foundation upon which tomorrow’s Ika sons and daughters can continue to understand where they come from. That may ultimately be the greatest relevance of the Nkonyeasua Ika Village: not simply to remember the past, but to ensure that the past continues to speak to the future.

Jerome-Mario Utomi, a media specialist, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. He can be reached via [email protected]  or 08032725374