For generations, the rhythmic clang of hammers in Awka was the heartbeat of a craft that could mold iron into anything the mind could imagine. But today, that sound is fading into a bitter silence.

In the heart of Anambra State, the legendary Awka blacksmiths, men who once held the secrets of spiritual and technical mastery, feel like relics in their own home. After decades of being used as “local colour” for TV cameras and being bypassed by a government that praises their history but ignores their hunger, the masters of the forge have had enough.

Behind the soot and the charcoal, this isn’t just a story about failing industry; it is about the wounded pride of craftsmen who have watched their legacy being exploited for research and “culture” while they remain in the shadows. From the chairman who started at age nine, to the elders who now charge for their stories to protect what’s left of their dignity, the Uzu Awka are staging a quiet, desperate rebellion to save an ancient art from becoming a ghost.

The chairman of Awka Blacksmiths Association, Obiorah Okafor, agreed that they are not encouraged by the government or organisations to better their skills.

Okafor described the blacksmiths’ organisation as a spiritual body, with the members well grounded in tradition, lamented government and their people’s neglect of blacksmith, which Awka is known for.

Okafor said that due to the unfair treatment and neglect, they decided to charge those who seek information about Uzu Awka, (Awka blacksmithing) N50,000. He explained that they took the decision because they have been deceived for too long by people who tapped their knowledge for personal gain.

“I have been here for over 40 years and have been the chairman for over 25 years. Uzu Awka is spiritual, and those involved in it are linked with tradition. There was an attempt to move it from its present location to Umuokpu Awka, but the spirit behind Uzu Awka resisted it. The then local government chairman, who tried to relocate it to create more space for the present Odera market, experienced the danger of his action and was forced to return it to its original place. He thereafter fenced the place, but we had to remove part of the fence so that people would see what we do here,” Okafor said, stressing the link between the craft and tradition.

The association calls on the government of Uzu Oka Center, where everything pertaining to the Awka blacksmiths will be located.

“We now charge anyone who seeks information from us N50,000, whether you are a TV station or a newspaper house, because we believe people are using the information we give them to make money from investors, while we are here suffering. The oldest man in Awka is our member, and those seeking information from us can only speak with him after payment of N50,000.

“If you don’t pay, you don’t get information from us. A television station came here, and when we asked them to pay, they refused and started filming our shops from a distance, only for the camera to crash immediately,” Okafor added.

Reminded that the information they provide could be an advantage to them as investors will become aware of their needs, the chairman said they no longer care.

Essentially, the blacksmiths make metallic musical instruments (gongs), iron pots, and other items, with customers coming from different states to place orders. Okafor’s greatest worry is that prominent people in Awka have not been supporting blacksmiths, but only attach the prefix, Uzu to their names.

According to Okafor, people come to learn blacksmithing, after which they go to other towns to practise. In fact, SEV sighted many youths at the blacksmith center beside the popular Odera market in the heart of the state capital, taking directives from the chairman. A first-time visitor would think that nothing much is happening there, but a lot is, indeed, happening, and money is exchanging hands, despite the unkept nature of the center.

“There are stringent rules governing blacksmith business, the most important being that guns are no longer made there.

It used to be the major product, but was stopped after the Nigerian civil war to control arms circulation in this part of the country”, Okafor explained.

He said that because the government has neglected them, they therefore look at anyone who comes to make inquiries about their trade with suspicion. Blacksmith used to be somewhat exclusive to Awka people, but things have changed as not only Awka people are in it currently.

Many people in the business say they are still in the trade because they could not find an alternative job to do. The place where the blacksmiths occupy in Awka used to be a beehive of activities, and customers used to come from many parts of the country and even beyond to buy short guns that were synonymous with Awka. However, after the Nigerian civil war, production of guns, the most lucrative of all products manufactured by the blacksmiths in Awka, became illegal, such that security operatives were often carrying out raids in the area. Out of fear, many of them withdrew and learnt other trades.

Over the years, however, those who endured adjusted and concentrated on making items other than guns. But gradually, many of them began to lose interest in the job and finally withdrew. When SEV visited the blacksmith center in the heart of Awka in 2019, not more than 20 people were seen, and most of them were men above 60 years old. The only young people among them were apprentices from other parts of Anambra, as well as Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. However, during a recent visit, many youths were seen, with the chairman explaining that many of them have discovered that the blacksmith business is very lucrative.

Littered at the center were the traditional blacksmith tools like tongs, anvils, chisels, a hammer, and charcoal. Even as ramshackle as the center looks, it was gathered that many tertiary institutions use it for their scientific research. Though there is modern-day form of blacksmith, the Awka blacksmiths still use the traditional tools due to a lack of financial support to acquire modern equipment.

Because of what they described as their ugly experiences with some people who pretended to connect them with the government for assistance, the blacksmiths decided to take their destiny into their own hands by registering Awka Blacksmiths Association with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, as a rallying organisation to protect their interests.

As it stands, only the chairman of the association, Mr. Obiorah Okafor, is permitted to speak for the blacksmiths because they have become disenchanted with people coming to ask them questions about the Awka blacksmith.

Okafor, whose late father introduced him into the business at the age of nine, said the most worrisome aspect of their plight was that all those who came in the name of helping them to modernize the business were only there for their personal interests.

He said: “Before the civil war, blacksmithing was a thriving business in Awka, and buyers were coming for the popular Awka short gun. But after the war, there was an embargo on the manufacturing of guns, and we concentrated on making other items.

“Unfortunately, subsequent governments have not been helping us. Some people would come and claim that they would connect us with the government, not knowing that they were only concerned with their own pockets. It was because of that experience that we decided to register the association. Even after the registration, the help did not come.”

Okafor said that because of blacksmith, Awka was a big market in the old Eastern region because of the products such as gongs, guns, hoes, machetes, keys, pots, among other items, adding that if the right support had been received, blacksmith would have been a big industry in Nigeria. He regretted that many of the items are no longer produced because of a lack of encouragement.

“After the war, government officials started harassing us because they alleged that we were making guns for armed robbers. We then concentrated on making other items, expecting that the government would come to our assistance. Unfortunately, no assistance has come. Now, youths are not interested in learning and continuing this profession, which Awka is known for. After our generation, there will be no one to take over from us.

“At one time, someone promised to assist us, and he suggested that we should mount an exhibition to let the world know what we are doing. We held several meetings with him, and after the exhibition, he didn’t get back to us. We later discovered that his intention was to take over our business and convert all of us to his workers, which we objected to. That is why we have decided not to allow people to come here and ask us questions or to take photographs. We are used to seeing ourselves on television, but that is where it ends.

“Even our traditional ruler is known as Eze Uzu, which is a title derived from blacksmith, but he has not been here to see how blacksmithing works.

The other one that holds the title of Uzu Awka is priding himself that he is from Awka, but he has not been here also and has not done anything to encourage us, he stated.”

Okafor said that although he learnt the blacksmith business from his father, who was very proud that his son took over from him, he does not pray that his son will come here because there is no encouragement. But he admitted that there is a ready market for their products, adding that they do not even meet the demands of their customers.

Despite the complaints and difficulties associated with the business, some of the blacksmiths said they cannot fit into any other trade. “As their chairman”, Okafor said, “I started this from my childhood, and I have done it for more than 45 years. It is a lucrative venture. For instance, it is from this blacksmith that I got married, built a three-storey house, bought cars, and trained my children. I have not done any other business in my life.” (Vanguard)

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