Creative Engagement with the Effects of Climate Change on Craft Practices in Nigeria

Abstract

My art explores identity, femininity, vulnerability, and place with a focus on the effects of climate change on the craft and cultural practices in some rural communities in Nigeria. To do this, I incorporate traditional Nigerian fabrics including aso-oke fabric and techniques such as unravelling, scratching, cutting, bleaching and dyeing to represent the change and alteration in crafts and cultural practices of rural communities in Nigeria. This thesis is a compilation of the works I have done in my MFA program. It was inspired by my one-year National Youth Service experience in a rural community in Delta State, Nigeria. My focus on women is largely hinged on my experience while I was in that community. I observed that majority of the women in that community make the economy thrive because they are more involved in agriculture. In many rural communities in Nigeria, the majority of people are fully engaged in the agricultural sector for food and other means of livelihood, which includes cultural practices and crafts. Therefore, any challenge in the environment as a result of climate change poses a threat to the people. My creative research is focused on showing the effects of climate change on cultural practices (such as pottery, body markings, basket weaving, tie-dying and fabric weaving), in some rural communities in Nigeria.