Exit of a Hero

In Exit of a Hero , Okechukwu Nwafor explores the cultural, political, and socioeconomic implications of photography in commemorative practices in southern Nigeria from the nineteenth century to the present. Focusing on obituary and commemorative photographs of late nineteenth and early twentieth-ce...

תיאור מלא

שמור ב:
מידע ביבליוגרפי
מחבר ראשי: Nwafor, Okechukwu
פורמט: Online
שפה:אנגלית
יצא לאור: Michigan State University Press 2026
נושאים:
גישה מקוונת:ONIX_20260323T152922_9780472905829_3
תגים: הוספת תג
אין תגיות, היה/י הראשונ/ה לתייג את הרשומה!
_version_ 1863731204148166656
author Nwafor, Okechukwu
author_browse Nwafor, Okechukwu
author_facet Nwafor, Okechukwu
author_sort Nwafor, Okechukwu
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description In Exit of a Hero , Okechukwu Nwafor explores the cultural, political, and socioeconomic implications of photography in commemorative practices in southern Nigeria from the nineteenth century to the present. Focusing on obituary and commemorative photographs of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Lagos to contemporary funeral posters, booklets, and social media posts, Nwafor tracks the historical evolution of the iconic and heroic image. He argues that the quest to produce an ideal memorial body is not just a personal aesthetic choice but a deliberate photographic project that resonates with the Igbo aspirations for heroic achievement. Exit of a Hero asserts that the visual canonization transforms the deceased from a fallible being to an unimpeachable character who transcends underachievement, imperfection, and failed social performance to emerge as a saintly icon of the Igbo public sphere. In seeking an alternative, hyper-visible public self, social media reclaims the lost hero image of the deceased, reconstituting the contested Igbo public space as a lived reality where heroes and icons are actively and eternally commemorated. Nwafor unveils the creative imaginations of colonial subjects and postcolonial citizens as memorialization has become entangled within the intersecting discursive spaces of print culture and the public sphere.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-174262
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Michigan State University Press
publisherStr Michigan State University Press
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1742622026-03-24T05:13:46Z Exit of a Hero Nwafor, Okechukwu Nigeria Photography Commemoration Obituary Death Funeral Public Gallery Hero Icon Igbo Achievement Ikenga Intermediality Praise Social Media Lagos Colonialism Materiality Billboard thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AB The arts: general topics thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AG The Arts: treatments and subjects::AGA History of art thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AJ Photography and photographs thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHH African history thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology::JHBZ Sociology: death and dying In Exit of a Hero , Okechukwu Nwafor explores the cultural, political, and socioeconomic implications of photography in commemorative practices in southern Nigeria from the nineteenth century to the present. Focusing on obituary and commemorative photographs of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Lagos to contemporary funeral posters, booklets, and social media posts, Nwafor tracks the historical evolution of the iconic and heroic image. He argues that the quest to produce an ideal memorial body is not just a personal aesthetic choice but a deliberate photographic project that resonates with the Igbo aspirations for heroic achievement. Exit of a Hero asserts that the visual canonization transforms the deceased from a fallible being to an unimpeachable character who transcends underachievement, imperfection, and failed social performance to emerge as a saintly icon of the Igbo public sphere. In seeking an alternative, hyper-visible public self, social media reclaims the lost hero image of the deceased, reconstituting the contested Igbo public space as a lived reality where heroes and icons are actively and eternally commemorated. Nwafor unveils the creative imaginations of colonial subjects and postcolonial citizens as memorialization has become entangled within the intersecting discursive spaces of print culture and the public sphere. 2026-03-24T05:13:42Z 2026-03-24T05:13:42Z 2026-03-23T15:16:46Z 2026 book ONIX_20260323T152922_9780472905829_3 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/112140 9780472905829 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/174262 eng African Perspectives open access image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/112140/1/9780472905829.pdf Michigan State University Press University of Michigan Press 10.3998/mpub.14426701 10.3998/mpub.14426701 aa7f6664-5117-41d8-90f8-c3af56526b92 9780472905829 University of Michigan Press 268 open access
spellingShingle Nigeria
Photography
Commemoration
Obituary
Death
Funeral
Public
Gallery
Hero
Icon
Igbo
Achievement
Ikenga
Intermediality
Praise
Social Media
Lagos
Colonialism
Materiality
Billboard
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AB The arts: general topics
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AG The Arts: treatments and subjects::AGA History of art
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AJ Photography and photographs
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHH African history
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology::JHBZ Sociology: death and dying
Nwafor, Okechukwu
Exit of a Hero
title Exit of a Hero
title_full Exit of a Hero
title_fullStr Exit of a Hero
title_full_unstemmed Exit of a Hero
title_short Exit of a Hero
title_sort exit of a hero
topic Nigeria
Photography
Commemoration
Obituary
Death
Funeral
Public
Gallery
Hero
Icon
Igbo
Achievement
Ikenga
Intermediality
Praise
Social Media
Lagos
Colonialism
Materiality
Billboard
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AB The arts: general topics
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AG The Arts: treatments and subjects::AGA History of art
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AJ Photography and photographs
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHH African history
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology::JHBZ Sociology: death and dying
topic_facet Nigeria
Photography
Commemoration
Obituary
Death
Funeral
Public
Gallery
Hero
Icon
Igbo
Achievement
Ikenga
Intermediality
Praise
Social Media
Lagos
Colonialism
Materiality
Billboard
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AB The arts: general topics
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AG The Arts: treatments and subjects::AGA History of art
thema EDItEUR::A The Arts::AJ Photography and photographs
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHH African history
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JH Sociology and anthropology::JHB Sociology::JHBZ Sociology: death and dying
url ONIX_20260323T152922_9780472905829_3
work_keys_str_mv AT nwaforokechukwu exitofahero