Kwete Cultural Festival in Adamawa State

The Kwete Cultural Festival, an annual event, which serves as a prayer for the people of Bachama Kingdom for bountiful harvest, has been celebrated in the bid to revive and promote their rich cultural heritage.



It is a common belief, among the Bachama people, that if the Kwete cultural festival does not take place, nobody would be allowed to cultivate their farm lands; therefore, the festival is aimed at marking the commencement of the new farming season in Bachama Kingdom.


The festival gives the youth an opportunity to demonstrate their strength in a wrestling competition, just as the women also compete in traditional dances, showcasing their rich cultural attires; and all these activities are of importance to the Bachama people, because they do not want their rich cultural heritage to go into extinction.


This is also a period where the traditional monarch, the Hama Bachama, associates with the custodians of the ritual houses (sacred palace); the Hama Bachama uses the festival to acknowledge the achievements of his sons and daughters, wherever they are, and also to sanction those that had violated the laws of the land.

The Kwete festival, which draws attention of people from far and near, is divided in to two parts: the first day is for the women to exhibit their cultural artefacts, in a way, demonstrating that women are not relegated in the affairs of the kingdom.

Adamawa is a melting pot of cultural diversity. The over 70 ethnic groups in the state exhibit numerous cultural festivals which are mostly celebrated to mark harvest, memorials and initiation ceremonies.