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Performance- Bride Price, 2016. 

Images and Video provided by African Artist Foundation, Lagos Photo Festival

What is the worth of a woman, We are raised to believe our virginity equates to our self worth. What is the sum of a woman? Yams, Pam oil ….. a life time of insecurities and baggage?

A bride price’’  is meant to be the trade for a bride. An equivalent or summation of all that she is. The piece is a commentary on the ideas of self worth. A bride price is a cultural tradition that has endured insight of its regressive implications. The bride price is a constant state of depreciating, a woman’s climbing down based on her sexual activity, demeanour, outwardly appearance. Woman are meant to feel that are constantly monitor self, so that no one see their “assets”. She is meant to stay covered up and never expose self unless her worth is severely decreased.  This, of course, has larger implications on their place in society. 

The notion of bride price for me works as a easy metaphor for the place of a women in current society. There are plenty of inhibitors that constantly attempt to limit women and police their behaviour over threat of not of being worthless. 

In Bride Price, I volunteer myself the every(wo)man. I drag this through the streets of lagos, opening my worth for all to see… 

a submerse act to reduce “my price” to extinction.