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Heading this pantheon of deities was Ala (meaning earth or land). A feminine earth deity credited for the productivity of a land and its people.
She symbolized three key ingredients needed to sustain a society; life, unity, and morality.
- The ability for life to exist and thrive.
- The ability for members of the society to exist in harmony with each other
- The ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
Ala was evidence of an afro-indigenous concept of civilization. Loved was Ala and prosperity of the land, that the Igbo people made efforts to appease her. They erected ‘Mbari’ divinity houses, which were spaces filled with artworks created by artisans in the community.
However, the advent of colonial administration and the establishment of missionaries led to the disintegration of this evolved belief system and practice that once held the community together.
In this piece I present this deity/concept in feminine form. She wears a ceremonial headdress and is surrounded by a halo embellished with ‘Nsibidi’ inspired symbols. The background reveals imagery that would have been found on the walls of a ‘Mbari’ divinity house.
I sought to give a face to an outcasted deity to address the relationship between belief systems and society. Given the current socio-economic landscape of Nigeria (where issues like corruption, infant mortality rate, poverty, and tribalism are prevalent), I imagine a world where Ala returns. A world where she restores balance and harmony to a land where the people need a new kind of healing to prosper.
ARTBOOK
Smo Contemporary Art
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