03679nam a2200529 i 450010.3998/mpub.14426701MiU20251002103158.0m o d cr#unu||||||||251002t20262026miua ob 001 0 eng d9780472905829open access ebook0472905821open access ebook9780472058068paperback9780472078066hardcover10.3998/mpub.14426701doiEYMengrdapnEYMf-nr---DT515.45.I33Nwafor, Okechukwu,author,https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PCjr9cwByBmGPqdj84Tfg8Chttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7783-3022https://ror.org/05h7xva58Exit of a hero :photography and the visual culture of commemoration in Southern Nigeria /Okechukwu Nwafor.Ann Arbor :University of Michigan Press,2026©20261 online resource (246 pages) :illustrations (chiefly color)texttxtrdacontentcomputercrdamediaonline resourcecrrdacarrierAfrican PerspectivesIncludes bibliographical references (pages 225-246) and index.Open accessIn Exit of a Hero, Okechukwu Nwafor explores the cultural, political, and socio-economic 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.This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Deed.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Description based on information from the publisher.Igbo (African people)Funeral customs and ritesHistory.Igbo (African people)ObituariesHistory.Igbo (African people)Social life and customs.Postmortem photographyNigeria, SouthernHistory.DeathAnthropological aspectsNigeria, Southern.MemorializationNigeria, SouthernHistory.Memorial rites and ceremoniesNigeria, SouthernHistory.Electronic books.Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan),publisher.African perspectives (University of Michigan. Press)https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.144267010No-worldcatRecordExternalImportMPubCataloging