Efua Oyofo Tells Powerful Stories of Women’s Triumphs in “Udamalore”

Through the power of installations and multisensory storytelling, cultural storyteller Efua Oyofo celebrates womanhood and African cultural symbolism in her debut show called Udamalore, says Yinka Olatunbosun

Efua Oyofo’s solo art exhibition had a private showing at the Whitespace Gallery, Ikoyi. The product of six years’ intense study of Nigerian and African cultural heritage, this installation highlights the role of women in history, and testifies to Africa’s rich cultural heritage.

Oyofo played multiple roles in this exhibition: a researcher, a cultural custodian, a narrator and an artist. Udamalore articulates the stories of courageous women – across various tribes and times – namely, Moremi Ajasoro, Ahebi Ugbabe, Buchi Emecheta, Margaret Ekpo, Queen Amina and Queen Idia, in accompanying audio-visual and tactile stories. At the opening show, the Lagos audience had the first taste of a story told in a first-person narrative. 

Udamalore is old-Yoruba for ‘sword of the well-born’. “It’s a ceremonial sheath, fashioned to indicate the wealth of the owner; usually high-ranking chiefs, or court officials.

“As women, much of our identity has been annexed to this same idea. We’re portrayed as a demonstration of men’s wealth. Whereas, women exist beyond any limitations. These women’s stories remind us that the only thing a woman needs to be, is her own kind of woman.” 

By using the arts to examine the idea of womanhood and culture, Oyofo deconstructs cultural ideals, and asks critical questions about the roles women have played in the advancement of societies, irrespective of the tools made available to them at the time.

The artist also showcased different tribes’ dressing and jewellery, and used textiles that speak to Nigeria’s rich and varied cultural heritage. 

Through each tableau, Oyofo showed her interpretation of these women, the themes they represent – and provided additional context to the humanity behind these historical figures.  

With Moremi, the display spoke to the theme of sacrifice; however, she also questioned the definition of courage that women often have to display: the theme endurance and suffering as part of the identity of womanhood. Ahebi’s story shone a light on what happens when women subvert those expectations of how they ought to rule. Buchi’s multilayered narrative puts a spotlight on the issues of motherhood, child marriage, agony of domestic abuse survivors, alongside other marginalized voices. Margaret’s story of creative leadership and empowerment was buoyed by the artist’s witty wordplay with the word: Salt. 

With Amina, Oyofo celebrates a truly independent woman and a formidable female warrior. The story details Amina’s conquests and expansion of the Hausa Kingdom, paying homage to the preservation of her memory. Lastly, the artist told the tale of how Idia achieved immortalization due to her role in the 16th-century Benin Kingdom’s civil war. However, details of her valour may elude anyone who has not studied history as closely as Oyofo demonstrated with this exhibition.

Oyofo revealed the impact she intends to make with this body of work, which is scheduled for a public exhibition in October. Incidentally, the opening show coincided with the period of resurgence around the colonial discourse on social media.

“You cannot have a conversation about colonialism and not about nationalism,’’ she argued. “How much do we know about ourselves? As Africans, what is our identity – and how much of it do we actually own? ’’