PHOTOS | Here is What Went Down at Wana Udobang’s “Dirty Laundry” Exhibition in Lagos

On the opening day, visitors were introduced to the installation, which consisted of printed poetry, sound recording, as well as live scenes. Poems were screen-printed on canvas hanging from laundry lines accompanied by Udobang’s voice reading her poetry. On day 2, a panel discussion featuring Udobang, Itoro Eze-Anaba of Mirabel Centre, Jumoke Sanwo of Revolving Art Incubator, and Onyinye Onyemobi of Ford Foundation explored the place of art in activism. On the final day, Udobang took to the stage in a spectacular spoken-word performance of her poetry.

The event was well attended by members of art, activist, and media communities in Lagos. Udobang tells Arise News TV that the installation is a documentary exploration of gender based violence. She explains that the term “dirty laundry” reclaims the voices of women by drawing attention to the ways in which society tries to silence women by threatening to stigmatize them for speaking out against their abuser or expressing their pain. The curator of the exhibition Naomi Edobor adds that one of the major goals of the exhibition is to inspire women to speak out. “We are just saying that there is no shame in being open,” she remarks, “there is no shame in speaking up.” In a statement to Brittle Paper, Udobang points to the possibility of a project such as this to change mindset:

I am hoping that the exhibition will force introspection and reflection, and help us see the very even in the most minute ways how women’s lives are constantly oppressed and violated and sometimes how we continue to reproduce that violence as a form of survival. I hope we can recognize the insidious ways that society enacts violence on the bodies of women. I reckon that acknowledgement, that being forced to sit with the discomfort has to have an effect on the ways we talk about and address the issues.

“Dirty Laundry” is a key intervention in the rich conversation taking place in many Nigerian spaces about gender-based violence. The exhibition brilliantly bridges the gap between art and activism, as well as pushes the boundary on what it means to experience poetry beyond the printed page.

In a note posted on Instagram, Udobang thanked those who came: “I am still finding the words to describe this day,” she writes, “but thank you to everyone for opening your heart and your soul and allowing yourself to take it all in.”

Udobang is a Nigerian writer, poet, performer, and storyteller based between Lagos and London. She released three spoken-word albums titled Dirty Laundry, In Memory Forgetting, and Transcendence. Her work as a performer has taken her across Africa, Europe, and the US. In 2021 she was awarded the International Writing program residency at the University of Iowa.

The show will go on the road with future performances planned in both Port Harcourt and Abuja. For pictures, information and updates, follow @dirtylaundry2022 on Instagram.