Ejagham Calendar Continues to Inspire a Genuine “WOW Factor”

A Calendar That Awakens Identity

The Ejagham Calendar continues to generate a genuine “WOW Factor,” and each time I witness that spark of excitement about Ejagham identity, my heart is full. Even if it touches just one Ejagham soul, the impact is meaningful. Recently, that spark came from a new EjT member, Nta Anjor Akonjor, whose enthusiasm for encountering Ejagham Calendar for the first time echoed the joy we all felt when the Calendar was finally completed. In his excitement, he remarked, “Wow! This is interesting Sir. I celebrate you greatly Sir.”

The Ejagham Calendar

His words were heartfelt and deeply appreciated. At the same time, they offer a gentle reminder of something important: the Ejagham Calendar is not the achievement of one individual. It is the product of collective effort, shared knowledge, and community synergy.

Synergy: The Engine of Communal Achievement

One of the values I hold most dearly is the power of synergy. The Ejagham Calendar did not emerge from the effort of one individual. It is the product of collective wisdom, shared labour, and community spirit.

Today, it may appear effortless for me to select a month and publish a new calendar page. But as I often say: if you do not deposit, you cannot withdraw. The Calendar exists because many people deposited their knowledge, skills, and time. Among them:

• Rev. Ayamba Nkiri, whose historical knowledge of the Ejagham game Obae Mbup Nkak shaped our understanding of the days of the week
  
• Nna Bridget Nkor, who provided Ejagham Etung’s interpretation of the months of the year
  
• Nta Ekem Festus Egbe, who sourced photographs and Ejagham bird names
  
• Nta Ben Ntui, who offered calendar graphic design and IT expertise
  
• Additional consultations that helped validate and refine the narrative

My role was simply to coordinate the process.

Clockwise from top: Rev. Ayamba Nkiri, Nna Bridget Nkor, Nta Ekem Festus Egbe and Nta Ben Ntui

So, when I read comments like “I celebrate you…”, I am reminded of the saying: “Don’t shoot the messenger.” In this case, I ask: don’t celebrate only the messenger. Celebrate the team. Celebrate the synergy. Celebrate the collective achievement that brought the Ejagham Calendar to life.

Bridging Tradition and Global Relevance

It is true that the Ejagham Calendar adopts a Western-style structure – days, weeks, months, seasons, and cosmology. This differs from traditional Ejagham systems. However, the global world operates on this framework, and aligning with it strengthens the mission of EjT.

This alignment does NOT mean abandoning Ejagham concepts. Instead, it means presenting them in a format the world can readily understand. It is a strategic bridge between heritage and global relevance.

The Power of Language Infrastructure

When I was in primary school, I learned the days of the week in Efik. Why? Because Efik had an established orthography and curriculum. Today, people earn university degrees in Efik.

This is what language infrastructure makes possible.

It took five years to develop the Revised Ejagham Language Orthography (RELO), which now forms the foundation for the Ejagham Language Curriculum. Yet, after more than ten months of fundraising, only 33 Ejagham people worldwide have contributed to the initial ₦20 million needed for the Ejagham Language Curriculum Development (ELCD).

Thanks to these 33 individuals, we have just crossed the 50% mark, after more than ten months.

This is not a statistic.
It is a call to action.

Phonetic Consonants in Ejagham

The Mirror We Must Face

We often speak about the need to “fix the broken.” The truth is, the time for action is long overdue. The Calendar is proof of what synergy can achieve. Imagine what more we could accomplish if we all leaned in.

Let us begin with the Njagham in the mirror.
Let us choose identity.
Let us choose responsibility.
Let us choose synergy.

Ekup na nkad.

Engr. Chris Anom CEng, CMarEng, FIMarEST, FRINA