by Etiido Effiong Inyang
Abstract
This article evaluates the nature of images that negotiated and sustained secession propaganda during the Nigerian Civil war between 1967 and 1970. More specifically, it examines the character and disposition of the constructed image of the secessionist leader Emeka Ojukwu through a variety of photographs, cartoons, and posters used during the war in order to assess his role and tendencies in the politics of the thirty months war. By studying pre-war ancillary traits of politics and political elites in Nigeria, this article relies on the earlier studies of class conflict in Nigeria to argue that the images offer insights to lingering mutual suspicions and understanding of the war.
Etiido Effiong Inyang is a 2015/2016 post-doctoral research fellow at the Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria and a member of the Critical Studies Research niche of the Department of Visual Communications. He is also a senior lecturer in Graphic Design and Visual Communications, Department of Fine Art and Design, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.