FREEDOM, Freed at last.

When I was younger, there were certain things I didn't enjoy doing that I now long to do. During my senior year of high school, we went on an excursion to the museum. But at the end of the day, I realized that I wasn't the only one who didn't find it exciting. Our mood was different compared to when we left the school campus. None of us really talked about the things we saw in the museum; it was like it didn't mean anything to us.

But now, looking back, I feel like that should have been one of the best excursions. I can still remember how there were ancient stories behind every object we saw there, and how they hold meaning for us in this part of the world.

So, last December, I visited a museum with a friend. This time, I was excited. I was able to understand the stories and find meaning in the things I saw.

Amnesty

There were so many paintings and statues, but I'll just share the ones that interested me the most. Maybe you'll find them interesting too.

I'm sharing this first because it's like the summary of this post. It represents the situation in our country a few centuries ago. The title of the statue is "Freedom," but what were we being freed from? Poverty, torture, hunger, and slavery. It's hard to say, but back then, our people were treated as slaves and exchanged for trivial items like tea cups and spoons. It's embarrassing to talk about it now, but I feel it's important to acknowledge our past and how far we've come.

This goes with the title Hope is coming.
In that era, it was the women who were deeply affected. They were often excluded from the slave trade because many couldn't withstand the harsh conditions in the dungeons. However, they still experienced immense pain when they were forcibly separated from their husbands, sons, and loved ones. Powerless to fight back, all they could do was pray and hold onto hope for their freedom.

Waiting for palliative. At some point, all that they needed was a palliative.

And then the house where the slaves were kept before being transferred into a ship through the bridge of no return. Here is my previous post about this bridge. Full story and pics here.

This statue is still physically present at the Women's War Memorial Museum, Ikot Abasi.
It happened during the Aba women's riot. This status outside the museum represents a woman who wrestled and seized a gun from a colonial policeman and single-handedly broke the gun into two. Inside the museum are other stories about the war told with paintings and sculptures.

_{“The Aba Women's Riots of 1929 (Igbo: Ogu Umunwanyi; Ibibio: Ekong Iban) was a period of unrest in colonial Nigeria over November 1929. The protests broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District, Umuahia and other places in southeastern Nigeria traveled to the town of Oloko to protest against the Warrant Chiefs, whom they accused of restricting the role of women in the government. The protest, though started by Igbo women, later encompassed women of the ethnic groups (Igbo, Ibibio, Andoni, Ogoni and Efik) .[1]
Aba Women's Riots of 1929
Date
November 1929 – January 1930
Location
Nigeria
Caused by
Protest against the Warrant Chiefs
Introduction of new taxes
Low prices of agricultural products following the Great Depression
Goals
End of warrant chief system in Igboland
Replacement of warrant chiefs with clan heads appointed by Nigerians rather than the British
Methods
Sitting
Resulted in
Women were also appointed to serve on the Native Courts”.}

Source

The title is “Don't Tax Women”. The high tax rate was one of the reasons for the women's riot.

I had a good time looking at these sculptures. It reminds me of where I come from, and the sacrifice others made for the peace we are enjoying today. This is a piece of our history, I hope you weren't bored by it.

That will be all for today, thanks so much for your time and support.