Igbo Woman
Ezinma Okwonkwo 1900
Rev.Sister Mary Uzoamaka Okwonkwo 1930
Adanna Bridget Okonkwo 1940
Nneka Clara Okonkwo 1950
Maryann Ginika Okwonkwo 1960
Amuchechukwu Gloria Okwonkwo 1967
Alexandra Daberechi Okonkwo 1972
Adaure Augustina Okonkwo 1981
Regina Ifedimma Okonkwo 1990
Claudia Onyeka Okonkwo 2015
This series was inspired by Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe which traces the evolution of family identity from pre-colonial, through colonial and post-colonial times. In a series of self-portraits, in which I performativity explore women from various periods of history. As fictional characters, I construct their identities through costume, performance and the act of naming and dating the images
The decision to highlight Igbo women is rooted in my belief that she has been grossly misrepresented.
To be more precise, I personally feel that history has not portrayed the Igbo woman in her rightful perspective. She is usually shown in images that correspond to a supposed African man's world and the idea of feminine submissiveness to the man. The series is a way to challenge this mistaken notion and to show how colonialism has further removed feminine freedom from the Igbo woman.
The portraits depict the colonial experience and the effect and impact of Christianity on Igbo women. It shows the female transformation from a virile, half-clad, war-like Igbo damsel to a mundane, all covering and meek-looking woman. This transformation shows both a radical departure and complete alienation from traditional dressing modes. Their lives changed irrevocably when the British invaded the Igboland. Colonization changed not only the religious, social and political institutions. It also enforces policies that diminished the roles and statues of Igbo women making them look like second class citizens.