Please Vote – Miss Uduak Udofia Showcasing Ibibio Culture for Face Of Rhodies World Photo Contest Season 6 (My Culture, My Pride)

 

As part of the task for Face Of Rhodies World Photo Contest Season 6 (My, culture, My Pride), contestants were asked to tell us about the culture they are representing in an expository essay writing. This task carries 2000 votes, and below is an unedited essay writing sent in by this contestant.
Have fun and get to know more about her culture

MY CULTURE
In the very heart of Africa, the most populous black nation in the world, there’s a land in the south east, flanked by fresh waters and a mighty ocean, and adorned with lush vegetation, endless palm lands and natural resources so abundant, the world have come to share in it’s promise, in this blessed land is the most proud and colorful people on the face of the earth, the Ibibio people, and I am one of them.
We’ve always occupied the cross river area of modern day Nigeria and constitute the fourth largest ethnic group in the country. The major sub groups include the Oron, Eket, Ibuno and Annang some communities in the fishing settlements along the estuary of the cross river.
Ibibio means short or brief in English, our adopted language from colonial days, though we are anything but short in tradition, and our rich cultural heritage is evident in our unique arts, from the mask and accoutrements of the Ekpo society, to the well detailed sculptures and works just as likely to capture beauty as they are the hideous forms of evil spirits from a diabolic past

The Ibibios largely engage in farming, fishing and trading. we are also well known for  our skills in wood carving and are considered masters in adroit professional techniques, and weaving as is evident’ in my apparels, Ibibio’s stand out in their elaborate and colorful attires like my outfit, it  is called Mbopo, a fancy attire which includes a knee length skirt to cover my dignity as a woman while the wrapper acts as a colorful accessory, a blouse, usually covering only the bust, (this has been a recent addition though, to conform with modern standards of modesty), and finally, a fancy beaded body adornment like bangles, earrings and necklaces  to  beautify and show  opulence and depict my feminism.

Mbopo is usually worn by young brides in performance of their marital rites, it is concerned with female corporeality, especially with respect to physical modifications to beauty that empower the initiate in addition to weight gain. Ceremonial transformations include body adornments with oils and dyes, tattooing, cicatrisation, massages, elaborate hairstyles, and in rare instances, tooth-filing.

The Ibibio people are found predominantly in Akwa ibom state in southwestern Nigeria, the Ibibio people became part of eastern Nigeria of Nigeria under British colonial rule. during the Nigerian civil war, the eastern region was split into 3 states, the southern state of Nigeria was where the Ibibio was located, one of the original twelve states of Nigeria after independence, the Efik, Anang, Oron, Eket, and their brothers and sisters of the Ogoja district, were also in the southeastern state was later renamed Cross river state. Again in the year 1987, by a military Decree promulgated that same year, Akwa ibom state was carved out of the then Cross river state as a separate state on her own, cross river state remains one of the neighbouring states .
There are a lot of other lovely qualities about the Ibibio culture besides the dressing, I particularly love the local delicacies comprised of many varieties of soup like afang, edikang ikong and afia efere ebot
For the Ibibio, there are two aspects, visible, that is the domain of ordinary human experiences and invisible, the domain of God, the gods and the spirit. Human life passes through these two domains in a cycle: the adult becomes aged and passes into the world of invisible to be reincarnated and born again as a baby into the world of visible. A wonderful people, and I am proud to identify with them.

COMMENT FROM THE CREW
Photography: Excellent

Photo Attitude: Excellent

Attire: Excellent

Presentation: Good


Miss Uduak Udofia, we love your photoshoot. We love the traditional theme you gave to it, The mud house and the the whole setup is really creative. Just that you made a little mistake. The Ibibio does not consist of of Annang and eket as you stated, rather Akwa Ibom State consist of Anaang community, the Ibibio community,  the Eket and Oron Community. All the same, congrats.

SCORE:  1800 Votes / 2000
This score will be added to your final votes

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