Nigerian Igbos form UK running club to strengthen ties

In London’s famous Hyde Park, around 11:00 on a crisp Saturday morning, runners gather on a few benches: some tall and thin, some wide and sturdy, some logging into the Strava app, but a thread common unites them: most of them. They are Nigerians of Igbo extraction.

This is the Ozo running club, formed by Igbo to celebrate the culture of one of the largest of Nigeria’s more than 300 ethnic groups.

“We wanted to create a space where Igbo youth could connect and reconnect with their culture,” said Chibueze Odoemene, co-founder of the club with Emeka Atumonyogo and Chigo Ogbonna.

In less than three months, the Ozo running club already has more than 300 members.

this fast The growth speaks not only to the deep desire for community, but also to the significant rise of social running clubs in recent years.

StravaThe popular running app said there had been a 59% increase in participation from running clubs globally this year.

But for the Ozo running club, the weekly Saturday meetings aren’t just about running, pace or fitness – it’s a place where strangers become family.

Even as runners wait to join their respective speed groups (fast, medium, slow and walking pace), a buzz and energy cuts through the calm of the park as Afrobeats music plays from a nearby speaker.

“Igbo kwenu!” shouts Mr. Odoemene, his voice echoing throughout the park to capture everyone’s attention.

The group responds in unison with a low, rumbling “Heyy.”

“Igbo kwezo!” he shouts again, his tone both authoritative and warm.

Once again, a unified “Heyy” follows, resonating among the runners and setting the tone for the morning.

This traditional Igbo call and response is more than a greeting: it’s a moment of pride, a reminder of shared roots and identity that run as deep as your commitment to each other and the weekly run.

“The song is used as a call for unity, community and love among all Igbo people,” Odoemene said.

Running clubs like Ozo, which are typically free, have become spaces for people to make new friends, build a community, and possibly even meet future members.

The co-founders, who met at other Igbo social events, laugh at the prospect of a love story blossoming in their club.

“If people meet the love of their lives, that’s great, but the most important thing for us is to build a fun community,” Mr Odoemene said.

For For Francesca Ngozi Ezennolim, 21, the prospect of romance is not what brought her from Reading, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from London, on a Saturday morning, but the promise of community.

“I don’t have many Igbo friends,” he said, adding: “I have many Nigerian friends, but it is difficult to find Igbo friends.”

Wearing a black sports suit, he told the BBC that he hopes the running club will fill that void in his life.

And she is not alone.

Jennifer Iwuamadi, 23, a first-time clubgoer, echoed the same sentiments.

“It is very important to come to an Igbo-run club because we can socialize with our brothers and sisters. “It’s a great way to get fit and network,” he said.

Although the Igbos are one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria and are prominent in the diaspora, many feel their culture is threatened. In 2006, the United Nations cultural organization (UNESCO) predicted that the Igbo language would become extinct by 2025.

However, in the UK, their numbers have increased over the last decade: from around 8,000 to 11,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

By contrast, speakers of Yoruba, the other main language in southern Nigeria, have declined from 15,000 to 10,000 over the same period.

However, some Igbo youth told the BBC that they have struggled to make friends outside their parents’ community.

“I have many Yoruba friends, but I want to meet people from my tribe,” Ezennolim told the BBC.

“When people think of Nigerians, they don’t really think of Igbos. Nigeria is not just one piece, but several pieces,” Mr Odoemene said.

But isn’t having a running club focused on Igbo culture divisive?

The founders shake their heads vehemently.

“You don’t have to be Igbo to come to the running club,” Atumonyogo said.

They add that their sessions have been attended by people from Iran, Italy and the Caribbean, and they encourage others to join in, learn about Igbo culture, ask questions and immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere.

However, behind the joy and camaraderie, there is a darker side to Igbo history.

In Nigeria, many people still associate the Igbo with the 1967-70 Biafra war, which left around a million dead after Igbo leaders in the southeast led a campaign to secede from the rest of the country.

Decades later, the wounds of war remain raw and still influence to some extent how the Igbo are viewed, both at home and abroad.

In his book The Trouble with Nigeria, the late Chinua Achebe, one of the most renowned Nigerian authors, who was Igbo, said: “Nigerians are unlikely to achieve consensus on any issue other than their common resentment towards the Igbo.”

These words reflect – in the opinion of many Igbo – a history of marginalization that continues to resonate.

For them, this story underscores a deeper purpose: the desire to leave their mark and amplify Igbo representation.

Uzoma Ehziem, 34, who moved to the UK almost two decades ago, said she does not believe Igbo culture receives the attention it deserves.

He is one of the club’s leaders and believes that Yoruba culture dominates what many in the UK and globally consider “Nigerian”.

From the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti to the first African Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, and contemporary stars such as Davido, Ayra Starr and Tems, many of the most prominent figures in Nigerian pop culture are Yoruba.

The exception is literature, where Achebe and contemporary Igbo authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Akwaeke Emezi have gained international fame.

Many in the running club feel that the world should know more about the Igbo people.

“If you tell someone you’re Nigerian, the first thing they’ll ask you is, ‘Are you Yoruba?'” Ehziem said.

The club doesn’t just organize running sessions. It has added monthly social outings for community members, from karaoke to dodgeball sessions and even an Igbo gala taking place next year.

But for now, weekly running clubs have become a source of joy and camaraderie for their members.

When the race ends and the entire group gathers again on the benches, Mr. Odoemene rallies the runners with the same unity chant.

Old friends catch up and new friends say hello.

People exchange phone numbers and, as they part, the promise of meeting again next Saturday is a reminder that this is not just a fleeting encounter but the beginning of lasting relationships rooted in community and cultural pride.