Abstract
We are delighted to publish the fifth edition of ARIDON barely a year after the fourth in 2025. This is a signal of the resurgence of the journal following long seasons of 'silence' between 2014 and 2022. This edition may be tagged 'Special' on account of the diversity of subjects and discourses covered. In September 2025, the Conference on "Twenty Years of Urhobo Studies" was held at the Delta State University, Abraka. It was organised by the Urhobo Studies Association (USA), and the Urhobo Historical Society (UHS). The convening of the conference marked a turning point in the annals of Urhobo scholarship. The conference attracted specialists from various academic and socio-cultural institutions; their presentations and engagements highlighted the significance of inter-disciplinary perspectives and discourses on the Urhobo people. The majority of articles featured in this edition of ARIDON are chosen from the harvest of presentations. The conference also revealed that there is a vast body of Urhobo knowledge awaiting diligent research and documentation. This is an auspicious indicator of the bright future for Urhobo intellectual development. We are indepted to various sponsors of the historic gathering of scholars, particularly the Delta State University, Abraka, that offered generous financial support as well as facilities. The Urhobo have a rich experience in the management of convocations of periodic festivals (Ore), a season of the year during which our people review their history and culture, evaluate their socio-economic affairs, venerate ancestral roots and figures, analyse challenges, exhibit areas of achievement, as well as entertain and renew themselves in aesthetic and spiritual terms. The 2025 Conference was an academic version of the traditional festival institution for which the Urhobo have been known and appreciated over the millennia. It is also remarkable that this edition of ARIDON features several studies related to the domains of scientific and technical uniqueness of the Urhobo experience. There are exciting analyses on the technology and economy of fisheries and aquaculture, advances in computer and digital communication and the puzzles it poses for the Urhobo language. There are also insights on microbial and marketing issues in popular cuisines, the science of names and naming, Erinvwin and related cosmic, philosophical inquiries about ethical and moral conduct. From the repertoire of folktales and their aesthetico-ethical concerns, their narratology and egalitarian principles are revisited in this edition. No less significant are perspectives on the infrastructure and management of festival events - ancient and contemporary. In both ukodo and oghwo-evwri formulations, our Editorial Collective is happy to offer these ARIDON festival dishes of diverse and innovative discourses on Urhobo experiences and knowledge sites.
