Why we did it
May every way of our lives be light. Most dominant world cultures have a culturally relevant agricultural calendar which served these communities prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. Some calendars were written down, while others passed from generation to generation through word of mouth, particularly in sub-Saharan African communities. Such written calendars include the Hebrew calendar, Mayan calendar, Chinese calendar, Hindu calendar, etc. So the idea of an African calendar is nothing new. What is new here is that we decided to put the African Igbo calendar on paper, something tangible, and present it to the world as food for thought. More often than not, opulent world communities have a common core; they are culturally original. They flaunt, promote, and also export their cultures outside their borders both as a measure of goodwill, and also as a protective mechanism against cultural extermination. Culture is the backbone of any community. Therefore, it is mission critical to promote ones culture as part of the cauldron of human experiences. We are confident that a person will have no interest in traveling to England if the British culture were identical to the culture of his/her homeland; there would be nothing exciting to experience. During agitation for independence in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, part of the strategy for engaging colonial rule was promotion of African cultural and spiritual identity as a prerequisite to independence, and as the backdrop of a new African renaissance. The idea of reestablishing African cultural prowess after years of colonization stress the imperative adaptation of a traditional calendar as a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial or administrative purposes. However, this effort soon lost momentum due to religious and political conflict which pitted the Muslims against Christians, both religions not indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. Soon after came proliferation of Christianism and Islam, thereby derailing any hope of cultural rectitude. The idea behind the African Calendar is to uplift all people of African ancestry by teaching our children the importance and imperative of African centered education used as a tool in reversing the negative perception that people of African ancestry are devoid of original thinking. It is an educational tool that showcases Africa's contribution to world civilizations. Our goal is imperative adaptation of this African Calendar as a uniting medium that celebrates our culture and what we have in common, as opposed to what separates us. The Chinese celebrate the “Chinese New Year” based on their calendaring system which unifies all People of Chinese ancestry all over the world. Jews celebrate “Jewish New Year” based on their calendaring system which unifies all People of Jewish ancestry all over the world. Hindus do the same in India, etc. People of African ancestry ourselves the same culturally identifying instrument of social control and discipline, a culturally relevant Lunar. With the global incursion into the African mind and self-glaring, the time is now. African Igbo Calendar celebrates our uniqueness, our oneness, and zeal to uplift all Africans under a common cultural focus using the African Calendar as a uniting medium. Let's celebrate African New Year all over the world annually. African calendar is a call for unity of people of African ancestry, and also an educational tool for parties interested in African history and culture, both at home, and school environment.