April18

Igbo Women and Feminism

Three Nigerians, and not just Nigerians, but Igbos, and not just Igbos, but two Igbo women and one man! made Time’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the world. I read this on the first day of the Igbo Women’s Conference in London, where I was a panelist on Friday morning. I spoke about inheritance and the role of the ‘female son’. You can read the story I told in my last post.

In the afternoon conference we watched about half of Adichie’s TedXEuston talk, “We Should All Be Feminists,” and listened to a robust discussion after.

Mammy Water

On Saturday afternoon at the conference we watched the film Mammy Water: In Search of the Water Spirits in Nigeria, a documentary film by Sabine Jell-Bahisen. I had to leave before the end, troubled by the discrepancy of the anthropoligist’s voice describing the ritual actions, and my own memories of participating in rituals in my husband’s village, like the visit to the Dibia.

I guess I could never have been an anthropologist, an observer and commentator. I have to jump in and take part. Maybe it’s because I’m married to Clem, an Igbo man, and I have worked hard to be part of the community. I understand the rituals as part of community life, not as something distinct from me.

And I get annoyed by small things. Three things bothered me today. First, the lights in the hall were left on, making the film more difficult to see. Why? It is so easy to turn them off.

Second, during the morning, Yvonne Mbanefo gave a workshop on learning Igbo language. I have looked at her website before: . She does a good job of introducing the Igbo alphabet and simple phrases.

But several people who came in late and missed most of the presentation proceeded to ask questions on topics she had covered in her talk. I wish she had just told them to watch the video instead of answering!

Third are people who can’t observe time limits on their talks! Why? There’s a clock on the back wall which is clearly visible from the stage. And haven’t speakers timed their own presentations so they know how long to make it?

I wil go back for the final part of the panel on “Womanhood and the Igbo Worldview,” and the evening talk by Nnedi Okorafor, writer of fantasy and science fiction.

Other Conference Highlights

I am very happy that I came for the conference.

I met Francoise Ugochukwu who lived in Nigeria longer than I did. She lectures and writes widely on Nigerian and other African issues. She has prepared a French-Igbo dictionary. I met other women who are writing and blogging on Igbo literature and women’s issues. I talked to Ify who is with the Igbo Cultural Support Network in London for people age 18 to 40. They meet monthly. My niece Comet should check that out.

I met a friend of our son’s, Ike Anya, whose mother was at the Federal Emergency Science School when I taught there from 1962 to 1964.

Several presenters talked about the autonomy and authority of Igbo women. One spoke about the work of the British colonizers’ attempts to turn Igbo women into good English-style housewives and homemakers, taking away their role as traders and business women. Another talked about how the companies brought in during British rule took over the trade in palm oil and palm nuts, work traditionally done by Igbo women.

Non-Conference Networking

I had lunch with Margaret Obosi on Thursday at Le Pain Quotidien at the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street, near my hotel. She told me that the Nigerwives London group meets every 2 or three months. Maybe I should offer a talk for their next meeting!

Later I shared coffee and pastry with Ingrid Osunde, the organizer of the London Nigerwives. I hadn’t met her before, but really enjoyed getting to know her.

On Friday evening I had dinner at an amazing Japanese restaurant Roka with my niece-in-law Comet. It was great fun to see her. She cycles everywhere including to meet me.

And I highly recommend the restaurant.

Nigeria Nuggets

Max Siollun posted 10 questions, asking, How well do you know Nigeria? They are fairly detailed, like this one:   In what year was Nigeria’s current national anthem adopted?

I don’t know the answers to any of Max’s questions. Do you?

His guidelines said not to Google the answers! But you don’t have to obey him.