Between the Sensuous and Sacred

Bibliographic Data

ID4052029
AuthorsBright Alozie (0000-0001-5835-8839, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume24
Issue1
Pages63-88
Publication date2025-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMeridians (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1536-6936 • E-ISSN: 1547-8424
PublisherDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1215/15366936-11538643
OpenAlexW4410084847
LanguageEN
References cited23

Mbari (or mbarihouses), found in some parts of eastern Nigeria, are ritual houses filled with colorful tableaux of life-sized painted figures representing Igbo beliefs and deities, especially Ala, the Earth Mother/goddess. While many Mbari structures and art focus on spiritual themes, some include sexual imagery. The author's study analyzes and sheds new light on these often misunderstood sexual themes. Adopting postcolonial, gender, and Igbo-African spirituality frameworks, the author challenges Eurocentric perspectives popularized about Indigenous African art and critiques the colonial ways in which such art has previously been studied. The author argues that the sensuous and sacred are intertwined, with the sensuous being essential to the sacred. By situating Ala and the visually expressive nature of Igbo religio-cultural practices at the center of this research, the author decolonizes perceptions of the erotic, deemed "lewd" by colonial officials, and offers a more nuanced understanding of religiosity, sexuality, and sensuality to counter colonial misrepresentations in Igbo art and religion. This study affirms that Igbo art has historically celebrated the divinity and sensuality of the female body and calls for an appreciation of the cultural and religious expressions of sexuality, female power, and spirituality in Indigenous African art while challenging prevailing narratives that have marginalized these themes

Aesthetics · Art · Anthropological Studies and Insights

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