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Abstract

This paper serves as a complementary piece to my MFA exhibition, The Marginalized: A Dawn of Reconciliation, Nigerian Civil War and the Political Marginalization of the Igbo Community, presented at the Kelowna Art Gallery from March 29th to June 1st. Through my sculptural works and material exploration, I examine the historical and contemporary marginalization of the Igbo people in Nigeria, tracing its roots from British colonialism to the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) and its enduring aftermath. My artistic practice engages with discarded materials, drawing from Michael Thompson’s Rubbish Theory to explore themes of displacement, identity, and resilience. By repurposing salvaged car door panels, fabric, and other metals, I create visual metaphors that speak to the Igbo experience of systemic exclusion, generational trauma, and cultural challenges. The exhibition and this paper aim to provoke critical dialogue on postcolonial injustices while offering my personal and collective reclamation of our Igbo heritage. Through studio-based research, historical analysis, and artistic experimentation, this thesis seeks to shed further light on the issues of marginalization in Nigeria. My sculptures in this thesis demonstrate how art can serve as a powerful medium for truth-telling, resistance against systems that marginalize, and promote an environment that encourages others to speak up and find means of reconciliation.