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Cultural Archives

Entrance to an Igbo farmer's house with decorated mud walls

Entrance to an Igbo Farmer's House near Nnewi

A photograph depicting the entrance to a compound of an Igbo farmer's house near Nnewi. The structure features a thick-set wall constructed from earthen material, characterized by extensive high-relief geometric and organic patterns. The ornamentation includes concentric circles, scalloped motifs, …

A photograph depicting a man in an elaborate, full-body patterned garment and a light-colored mask.

Man in Embroidered Beadwork Canvas Costume and Mask

A monochrome, full-length photographic portrait of a man standing in a frontal, upright posture. The subject is wearing an elaborate, form-fitting suit that covers the torso, arms, and legs, featuring a high-density pattern of geometric and organic motifs, including concentric …

Monochromatic mural on a courthouse wall in Nri featuring stylized humanoid figures and geometric patterns.

Painted Courthouse Mural at Nri

A photograph depicting a monochromatic mural painted on a dark, textured exterior wall of a courthouse in Nri, Onitsha Province. The mural is divided into two primary zones: a left-hand section featuring architectural motifs like a window frame alongside concentric …

A photograph of a painted courthouse with murals in Nri.

Painted Courthouse at Nri

A black-and-white photograph from 1938 depicting a single-story open-sided courthouse structure in Nri, Onitsha Province. The building features a corrugated metal hipped roof supported by vertical pillars and low-set perimeter panels serving as canvases for high-contrast, stylized murals. These murals …

An Igbo dancer in an Agaba masquerade costume, featuring a horned mask and scaled garment, surrounded by four men.

Igbo Dancer Performing Agaba Masquerade

A photograph depicting an Igbo dancer in Okitipupa, Ondo Province, performing the Agaba masquerade. The central figure wears a dark, matte-textured mask with wide, recessed eyes and an open mouth revealing white, rectangular teeth. The headdress features two large, curved …

A monochromatic Uli mural showing stylized human figures and a boat.

Painted Courthouse Mural at Nri

A photograph depicting a monochromatic mural on a flat, textured surface, located at a courthouse in Nri, Onitsha Province. The composition features six stylized human figures and a vessel, arranged in a linear progression from left to right. The figures …

A photograph of a white and black Abogho Mmo maiden spirit mask with geometric patterns.

Agbogho Mmo Maiden Spirit Mask

A photograph depicting an anthropomorphic mask, identified as an Abogho Mmo (maiden spirit) mask. The mask is characterized by an elongated, ovoid silhouette with a pointed peak and bilateral symmetry. It features a light-valued base, likely white pigment, with dark, …

A photograph of a colonnaded building with murals of human figures and a group of people gathered in front.

Mural Building at Okwu

A monochromatic photograph depicting a long, single-story building with a flat roof and a colonnade of vertical support columns. The wall behind the columns features large-scale graphic murals showing repetitive, stylized silhouettes of human figures in dynamic and rhythmic poses. …