SLP First draft Proposal

Thinking about a thesis for my SLP has proven to be difficult as well as exciting for me. After the first project Found and Bound, I considered basing my thesis on the same topic. While I was researching and reading papers for project 01, I came across an article called The Nigerian Indigene by a Nigerian journalist. The article spoke on issues of tribalism and what it meant to be a Nigerian indigene. I really loved the article because I could relate to the issue. I was born and bred in Nigeria to Igbo parents – one of the major tribes in Nigeria. The Igbo tribe is mainly found in the eastern part of Nigeria. My parents gave birth to me in a western state and I spent almost all my life in the western region of Nigeria which is primarily made up of the Yoruba tribe. While I was beginning the tenth grade, I moved to Abuja, the capital, which is considered part of the middle belt region of Nigeria and comprises of mainly the Hausa and Fulani tribes.

Growing up, I went to elementary, and secondary school (equivalent to middle and high school together) with mainly Yoruba kids. I heard a lot of Yoruba walking down the streets or in the market but came home to hear and be imbibed to the Igbo culture. I rarely visited my state of origin except during Christmas period – this period is usually considered the Igbo migration because most Igbos go “home” to celebrate Christmas with extended family. As a young child, I could not speak my language and did relate to the Igbo culture other than the fact my parents were Igbo and I knew some of my relations. I knew little of the Igbo culture, I rarely experienced any of the Igbo festivals and when I saw my grandmother, could not communicate or relate with her because I knew little about her and the environment she grew up in. However, I knew a lot about the Yoruba culture, though I could not speak their language, I had what Nigerians consider as the “Yoruba tongue” – my accent reflected that I had lived in that region. Nevertheless, I would not be considered Yoruba or be accepted as one. Since, I can’t speak my mother tongue, and know little about my tribe’s history, I am also not entirely Igbo.

This question of identity was what the author of the article The Nigerian Indigene discussed extensively but from a different perspective. He was Yoruba but had spent majority of his life living amongst the Efik tribe – one of the many minor tribes in Nigeria. The author spoke about whether as a Yoruba man if he had any voting rights in the region where he lived though he could speak the language fluently and would even consider marrying a girl from the tribe. Would he be accepted as an Efik man though his name is of Yoruba origin? So the author wrote that as Nigerians, we should not be bounded by our tribes, instead we should strive to be a Nigerian indigene. That is, a Yoruba man can claim to be from the Hausa tribe and an Igbo woman can marry from the Edo tribe without any retribution or disregard.

Now as an adult, I still need to prove my identity as an Igbo lady. Before reading this article, I had made a decision to first acknowledge myself as a Nigerian before stating my tribe as much as I can. So I wanted to base my photobook on what a Nigerian indigene should be using the article as a reference and a guide. However, because the topic is very specific, I think it would be very hard to describe a Nigerian indigene in pictures – the pictures would have to be found images and I would be confined to the photographer’s ideas which may not be exactly mine. Writing about this idea makes me feel that it can be accomplished but I still feel constrained by what I am limited to and also if my topic would be able to be interpreted by non-Nigerians. I have considered adding family photos that I have including old pictures but I still find it hard going about this project.

As a backup plan, I have thought about having another thesis based on how my friends, St. Mary’s and myself have changed over the time that I have been here. I really liked the idea of showing how time changed by taking an existing old image and going back to take the same picture at a different timer period. I have a lot of pictures all the way from orientation week as a freshman till now. There are some old pictures of St. Mary’s on the walls of the Schaefer hallway and I thought about going back to the same places and taking pictures of the exact position. I could also go to the archive and look for old pictures and take the picture of what the place looks like now. So My photobook would be about the before and after and how my friends, St. Mary’s and myself have changed (in looks, thinking dress sense) over the years be it 30 years or 4 years.