The Shadows in context: snapshots of Nigerian history

The Shadows in The Grove represent queer women from every era of Nigeria’s long history. What are the pivotal events and conditions that influenced their lives in each of the major eras of the country’s history? 

From before recorded time 

As far back as history and anthropology can trace, Nigeria has been home to a stunning variety of tribes, including the Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and others. The Ufot family are descended from the Ibibio, a tribe centered in the southeastern portion of the country. The Ibibio prior to colonization were agriculturally focused, growing palm, raffia, yams, beans, among other crops. They believe in the importance of the continuance of a strong lineage and in life after death. Women had a unique level of autonomy compared to other civilizations in this era, with elder women having privileges that included creating lineages of their own through wife-wife marriage. 

Colonial Era 

In 1885, colonial powers divided Africa, and Britain claimed ownership for Nigeria, centralizing control in Lagos and eliminating much of the collective governance that existed at the village level. Colonization reshaped Nigerian identity, introducing English as a common language and spreading Christianity, especially through areas closer to the coast like the Ibibios’ land; gender roles and sexuality were codified according to imposed Western ideology, alongside economic and political exploitation. But many tribes resisted; in the 1920s, Ibibio and Igbo women were leaders in a movement to protest British taxation; by the 1940s, organized movements for independence swept the nation. 

Post-colonial Era 

Nigerians successfully created an independent nation in 1960. But peace was not lasting. A brutal civil war followed from 1967-1970; and the country staggered between periods of military rule and civilian governance, stabilizing in a democracy from 1999 forward. In 1987, Akwa Ibom state was created, anchoring Ibibio cultural identity in a homeland of its own – but while the language and some ethnic practices of ancient times were revived, morality and societal roles for women continued to show the deep influence of evangelical Christianity; Nigeria passed a 2014 law banning same sex marriage, though a robust queer underground scene continued to exist in major cities alongside discrimination. 

2009 

Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa; English is the common language of education and government – although there are still 520 different native languages still spoken by the 150 million peop