Town 8 of 10 · Creeks west of Port Harcourt
Isaka
Ị̀sàkà
The Okrika town that faces Port Harcourt across the water.
- Location
- Opposite Port Harcourt’s marine wharf
- Neighbours
- Bakana and Borokiri
- Among
- The ancient nine towns
- Travel
- By boat to Port Harcourt
History
The story of Isaka.
The dictionary describes Ị̀sàkà as a “town in Okrika division situated nearly opposite Port Harcourt by the marine wharf”. Wakirike USA counts it among the ancient Okrika-speaking towns outside the island, each with its own history, and lists it among the nine towns that each have their own drum name.
Isaka sits apart from the other towns, on the creeks to the west of Port Harcourt, and boats are its link to the city. In October 2021 an old jetty in the town collapsed as mourners at a burial rushed for boats back to Port Harcourt, and many were reported missing.
Isaka’s own founding tradition is not yet recorded in the sources we use. If you know it, we would like to hear from you.
Founding stories come from oral tradition and differ between sources.
Sources
- Sika, L. (1995), ed. Blench, R. (2005). Kịrịkẹnị Ọkụẹịngbọlụ Diri — Okrika Dictionary.
- Wakirike USA — History of the Wakirike People
- Vanguard (2021) — Many feared missing as jetty collapses in Rivers
From Isaka?
Tell us your town’s story.
House histories, festivals, photographs and corrections are welcome. An editor reviews every submission.