An exhibition honouring the tragic events of the infamous Asaba Massacre in 1967, which provoked awareness and acknowledgement of the tragic event in Nigeria’s history, ended last week. The exhibition featured a stunning array of works by Nigerian artists.
The show, which has the theme “Asaba Memorial,” attempts to use art to promote remembrance and societal reconciliation. It was decided to assist the creation of the Asaba Memorial Park, a cultural memorial being built in memory of those who perished in the 1967 massacre in Asaba, Delta State. In memory of the 1,000 men killed in October 1967, 1,000 trees will be planted in various locations, including an open plaza in Ogbe-Osowa village.
As a fundraising drive, an exhibition of art related to the horrific occurrence debuted on November 27 and ran until December 7, 2022, at the Red Door Gallery in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Asaba Memorial is the first significant exhibition to establish a memorial park in honor of the victims of the 1967 Asaba massacre, and it is created by a Whitespace Creative Agency.
Asaba Memorial is the first significant exhibition to establish a memorial park in honor of the victims of the 1967 Asaba massacre, and it is created by a Whitespace Creative Agency.
The visual account of the Asaba massacre provides a unique perspective on the incident, which has long been considered one of the darkest chapters in the history of the nation. With gripping tales about the progression of horror and the rising realization of the scale of the massacre during the Nigerian civil war, it explores the emotional intricacies of a forgotten peaceful village. The exhibition also challenges widely held beliefs about the massacre while criticizing the government’s and the world’s communities’ apathy in the face of the horrors.
Visitors are further challenged to consider the duties and challenges faced by those who were able to survive, including young widows, women, and children as well as soldiers, who had to make difficult decisions, bring about change, and in some instances, take significant risks to aid victims on that fateful day.
The Asaba Memorial exhibits works by over 20 artists, including Victor Ehikhamanor’s “Black Peace” (2022), a piece from the series that was featured as the book cover of Elizabeth Bird and Fraser Ottanelli’s book titled “The Asaba Massacre: Trauma, Memory, and the Nigerian Civil War.” “In Memoriam,” a monumental canvas piece with the names of some of the victims, was created by 12-year-old artist Kanye Okeke for the show.
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The son of a senior military officer in the Nigerian army who provided an eyewitness account of the atrocities that took place in Asaba, Enotie Ogbebor, and renowned fashion designer Ade Bakare’s Ogbueshi are also on display. The latter is a Guipure cotton lace decorated with red paint and soil that depicts the fate of Chief Mariam Babangida’s late father, Late Ogbueshi Leonard Nwanonyei Oko
The oldest pieces in the collection are included in the group exhibition, which was organized by Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze, the Isama Ajie of Asaba, and was curated by Otsholeng Poo. Ben Enwonwu’s 1967 painting about the Civil War, “War Dreams,” and Bruce Onobrakpeya’s 1972 painting, “Ayo Players,” are both from this period.
Nduka-Eze commented on the exhibition’s relevance and added that he was personally affected by the massacre because he lost his mother in the heinous occurrence. The memorial park is intended to depict the last journey of the victims, he said:
“The memorial park in Asaba is designed to illustrate the last journey of the victims where they had to go to a public square supposedly to be receiving and welcoming the federal troops.
“Another significant feature of the park is that it’s going to have a thousand trees planted within it. Each tree represents the single live lost. The beauty of that is trees live. And they speak to life, a life lost now lived through trees.”
He bemoaned that “To date, there has been no meaningful explanation or public apology from the Federal Government of Nigeria for the humanitarian crime” and emphasized the significance of using art as a potent catalyst for raising notice to significant topics that receive only minimal attention. Everyone is welcome to visit and check out the show. It will compel people to ask “what can we do?” in addition to “what could have been done?”
For Nduka-Eze, this is the first step in developing a memorial site that honors the victims and is accessible. It will also serve as a community symbol of all the lives lost and expand to include a cultural and recreational destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.
Interestingly, “The park will have many other features, there is a gallery where a lot of those works will finally find a home. There is also a place where artists can go to further their trade. We have artists residents, also in honour of the collaboration we have with them,” he said.
Curator Otsholeng Poo said, “As a South African who calls Nigeria homehome, I understand the
importance of this exhibition on a very personal level. I am inspired by the people of Asaba’s
continued survival and resounding call for the Massacre to be given its proper place in the
telling of Nigeria’s history. I’m also hopeful that as this project gains supporters from across the continent and the world, we can keep telling the story of Asaba through art and community. “As the exhibition travels across locations, we intend to invite more artists’ contributions and keep expanding the Park’s collection”.
