The Ibibio Experience

Visual arts, literature, and music have been instrumental in shaping cultural values, beliefs, and identity throughout history and the Ibibio culture is not an exception. These forms of artistic expression provide a means for us to communicate our thoughts, feelings, and ideas about the world around us the way we see and understand it, and they often reflect our values and beliefs. In this article, I'm going to explore how visual arts, literature, and music shape the cultural values, beliefs, and identity of the ibibio people.

Starting with visual arts, it is a form of creative expression that encompasses a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and film. They have played an important role in shaping cultural values, beliefs, and identity by providing a means for individuals and communities to express their unique perspectives and experiences. Visual arts can also serve as a reflection of the values and beliefs of a particular culture.

The ibibio people of the southern part of Nigeria pride themselves in their graphical abilities to bring imaginations to life through visual elements. They pride themselves as some of the best sculptors and craftsmen in this part of the world. Their works depicts the origins an beliefs of its people through the delicate depiction of its deities like Ekpo nka Owo, and other cultural elements like the ekpo and nnabor masquerades.

Ekpo nka Owo

The Ekpo nka Owo masquerade is believe to be a spirit that is concerned with the monitoring of marriages and punishment of married couples whenever cases of infidelity arises. It is believed that if a woman cheats on her husband, the Ekpo nka Owo will take her spirit at child birth. And if a man found out about her wife's infidelity but refuses to disgrace her publicly and continues to sleep and eat with her, then Ekpo nka owo will take his spirit.

Ekpo Masquerade

The Ekpo society is based on the belief that there's life after death. The masquerade then depicts the spirit of our ancestors, coming back to be involved in the affairs of their people.

Literature is another form of artistic expression that has played a significant role in shaping cultural values, beliefs, and identity. Through literature, individuals can communicate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and the stories they tell often reflect the values and beliefs of their cultures.

The ibibio literature is mainly oral and is mostly concerned with folktales. It is just like many other tribes in Nigeria and involves the wise and elderly having younger ones gather around them especially in the evenings under the moonlight for folktales. These tales could be about just anything, from fiction to nonfiction and could last deep into the night.

Another form of ibibio literature is the Üto chants. Üto chant is a form of poetry that can be rendered even at certain occasions to the enjoyment and education of the people. It has been a functional avenue where the Ütang can use to praise a king or dignitary just to gain favour from them. But mostly, it is a medium where valuable messages and life lessons are espoused in an enjoyable manner.

Music is yet another form of artistic expression that has played an important role in shaping cultural values, beliefs, and identity. Music is often considered a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries, but it is also deeply rooted in the cultures from which it emerges. For example, traditional African music often incorporates call and response, a musical technique that reflects the importance of community and communication in African culture.

This is not different in the ibibio culture, from the ancient times of obodom, ibid, nsasak, etc, the ibibio cultural music is rich and soothing. Music in the community can be used for entertainment and for sending a message. In the case of sending a message, the town crier goes around the village with his obodom to announce important notices from the village head such as market days, ekpo days, the palm fruits harvesting season, marriages etc.

The evolution of time has however brought about some changes and improvements in the ibibio music culture with modern apparatus now being used to produce Indigenous music. This has also aided the diversion of the music into different genres like rap, gospel, and pop. Music is a tool for storytelling and entertainment and both the old and new works for different individuals now, but the core remains.

In conclusion, visual arts, literature, and music are powerful forms of artistic expression that have played a significant role in shaping cultural values, beliefs, and identity of my people throughout history. They provide a means for us to express our unique perspectives and experiences, and they often reflect the values and beliefs of our society and culture.

Though globalization and technology has to an extent eroded some parts of the traditional heritage of our people and rendered some practices extinct, there are many areas that remain untouched. Visual arts, music and literature are an essential part of our cultural heritage, and they continue to influence and shape our understanding of the world around us.

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