Most of the cultural practices, ideas, institutions and languages are being lost to modern day influence. Onima’s research activities therefore include the identifying and locating the various customs, cultural festivals, traditions and cultural practices including the documentation of these human essence and artifacts of many communities in Africa.

For the sake of human progress, Onima Institute is interested in knowing the origins of many of the customs and their original purpose. We need to know the various ethnic groups that practice or to whom the customs and traditions belong. There are many cultural festivals and there are numerous masquerades that accompanied these festivals. What do the masquerades mean and symbolized in the lives of the peoples of Africa?

Some of the cultural festivals are: Igue, Okhe, Urthuamhi, Ogbanigbe, Aghiea, Akhikhio, Urie, Argungu, Ikpelo, Eyo, Ibaki, Mmanwu, Otsa, Ukpe, Abukpe, Atsanughegbe, Abukpe, Aduikukua, Olomoro, Egugun, Ughu.

There are many more than we have here which is why Onima will research into the subject to locate and identify as much as possible. Some of the masquerades include: Eyo, Oroh, Urie, Idu, Egwighala, Atilogu, Umese, Ebemanwu, Ogbanigbe, Umese, and of course, there are many more masquerades than we have here identified, and hence more investigation and researches will be embarked upon by Onima to identify and document them. Some of the dances include: Agbi, Igboba, Ikoh, Ilo, Ikphebor, Akuete, Agbosowegbe (popularly known as West African Highlife).

These are by no means the only dances known. There are many more to which our research efforts will be geared.

Many words in some form of tenses and sentences, of many African languages that are being lost; the missing words need to the restored and it take for research to do this. In Etsako language and dialects, the word or the verb “vheghor” meaning “call” has almost been replaced with the word “call” which is a foreign word. It is so now at least, in Igbo, and Yoruba which one is quite familiar. In Yoruba for example, the word “okurin” or “ogbeni” is being replaced with “man” in many cases. An example is “nigba ti mo ri “man” niye; and another of such speeches is “how are things” and or “how are you” in English?” which in Yoruba is “ba wo nikan” and “she da da ni?” The response in both cases in Yoruba, is da da ni and or “adupe,” meaning “all is well” and “we thank God.”