The challenges, barriers and limitations confronting Nigerian women in the arts as professionals and how to navigate and overcome them

 

The challenges, barriers and limitations confronting Nigerian women in the arts as professionals and how to navigate and overcome them

 

INTRODUCTION

Why is it taboo for women to create a masquerade? Why are women forbidden from joining the masquerade cult? This question can be answered by any man here present. Why were women forbidden to carve wood, cast bronze, break cola, eat certain parts of a goat or chicken? And why should women be silent when men are speaking? Why are boys’ educational and developmental needs more important than those of girls? Why were women denied access to Education and Skills Development? Why can’t a woman be head of department, especially when she is the most competent and qualified candidate? These are the questions my younger self used to ask but could not voice out. These may seem like different questions, but they are all the same. These questions may seem easy, but I can assure you that they are backed up by powerful pillars, immovable and stoic. You would not know until you unravel the layers covering them. It is like unmasking a masquerade.

 Luckly, I am not the first girl to ask them. I will attempt to answer them by addressing some major challenges, barriers and limitations confronting women in the arts as professionals and show how to navigate and overcome them.

 In order to engage this giant, allow me to stand on the shoulders of women and men who had previously done an excellent job at interrogating and unravelling them. So, I call on Ifi Amadiumeh (1987), Oyeronke Oyewumi 1997, Nkiru Nzegwu (2006), Amina Mama (1995), Chinua Achebe (1958), Okeke-Agulu Chika (2015) Sanusi Lamido (2019). I will also draw from the works and experiences of Some western feminists to provide insight into the contributions of women as wives to creative men and what it cost them. We could not tell this story without recourse to Nigeria’s colonial history. So, these are the foundations on which my personal narratives sit.

We all grew up accepting gender stereotypes and cultural norms where men are cast as leaders and women settle for subordinate positions. Somehow, we have received western education that enabled us to understand what the white man is saying, and we are able to tell him what we mean. In order to address the above questions, allow me to establish a foundation. This will allow us to understand why, in 2026, we are still asking these questions. Why are some people still left behind?

Written history has cast men as warriors and providers while women are expected to prioritize domestic responsibilities. This is the commonly accepted practice among many ethnicities both in Nigeria and globally.

Everyone here knows that the primary assignment of government is to effectively manage people and resources in such a way that there is no conflict. To do this effectively, they work together with religious and cultural institutions organized through our families. The laws that govern us are drawn from our religious and cultural beliefs and ideology. These three pillars of governance - government, religion and culture - require that we remain in our various categories to be counted and managed for the effective distribution of resources. And they need us to remain as one united people because, without people, there is no ethnicity, nation or civilization. These three pillars require children to be boys and girls, men be male and women be female only. They have established support systems that protect marriage between men and women (e.g. marriage registry, traditional marriage systems and rituals, birth and death and remarriage traditions and registrations etc.). For the sake of order, men have been placed as the leader of the family unit. Thus, in daily activities, children play, men provide, protect and defend, women bear, care and preserve families and cultures. At least, this was what we were taught.

Researchers  have revealed that precolonial practices of indigenous ethnicities and people indicate that gender hierarchies were not always headed by the masculine. Many Nigerian/African histories reveal the presence of strong females in previously perceived male roles. Women were warriors, kings, masquerades, heads of families and even husbands.  African – and, indeed, Nigerian precolonial history - is dotted with stories of women in powerful leadership roles. So, what happened to bring us to this point where women are not only oppressed and marginalized but are battling misogyny and femicide-hatred of women and the killing of women?

We have to understand that the hegemonic masculine style of leadership  entrenched in West Africa by colonial rule reenforces notions of male-only leadership is  a colonial imposition. I posit that It was instituted to maintain a gender social order  that ensures that these colonized people can keep on  providing the colonizer with a steady flow of free labour. Therefore, a system that prioritizes male education and female domesticity was instituted for the colonies. So, when previously colonized people continue to practice this patriarchy, they become the instrument of their own subjugation. Like crabs in a cage, they are going nowhere!

ARGUMENTS

Due to colonial imposition, Nigerian women were restricted to the domesticity. The term ‘full-time housewife’ was the apt description for the ideal woman from the 1940s to the 1960s. And in the 1980s, when I was growing up, a few of them had soft, lower-level jobs. The idea of an educated woman was almost alien. The few available ones were regarded as wayward. This approach to working class and career women has still not changed. Women in the creative arts - like all career women - face similar challenges, barriers and limitations. Their decision to pursue a career has cast them in opposition to the norm. They are non-conformists, deviants: in Nigerian parlance, they are stubborn, disobedient, wayward. Their refusal to sit-at-home and depend on their males to provide for them is considered an affront. Therefore, since they have decided to oppose the rule, leadership and provision of the masculine, choosing instead independence, they are on their own. The battle lines are drawn.

Men of different nationalities are divided over politics, ideologies and even football but on one topic they all consistently take the same position. And that is they all want women to remain beneath them. This ideology is the justification for punishing women who resist or deviate - both in Nigeria and globally. Over time, men have built in patriarchal barriers on every door of progress. Thus, all women globally continue to face structural, cultural, economic, and institutional barriers that limit their socio-political, ideological and professional development. Knowing the root of the matter provides an understanding of how to navigate it.

Because of patriarchal benefits, male artists tend to enjoy exponential growth which female artists are denied by reason of their gender.

Both religious and cultural institutions are vested in the system of hegemonic masculinity where the man is the head of the family. He provides and protects and makes all the decisions. These institutions are vested in this system because they rely on the various family units to provide children to replenish their flock. Thus, for them, women are always subordinate to men.

Within religious and cultural hierarchies, women are expected to play supporting roles in the movie about their own lives. It is regarded as outrightly disrespectful to insist on being centre stage. Like one elderly male community leader once told me when questioned about the absence of women in the leadership of his community, ‘we men know what women want and they like what we decide for them’. Thus, cultural institutions cannot grant women equal rights, not necessarily because of their gender but as a means of control.

At this point, I bravely ask: Are men’s exclusive spaces feminized and thus weakened by women’s presence in them? Is the male ego so fragile that it breaks at the mention of women’s equal rights? Does a male artist stop being masculine because a female is an artist?

Some of these barriers take the form of narratives. Stories told to cast women in a negative light. So, when you hear tales of women being too emotional, not capable of making tough decisions, not good leaders, not safe in public spaces, these are just stories supporting the notion of women’s place in ‘ze uzer room’.

But I want to remind us that women are the repository of cultural practices. They ensure the continuity of culture by teaching their children their mother tongue, the cultural traditions of their people, their identity, their fashion, their native foods; they introduce their children to life on Earth. Where women go, culture goes. Women hold the history logs of a people’s way of life. That is why it is dangerous to allow the practice of gender-based or domestic violence. If and when women are abused, they may teach children that men are brutes. Or, worse, stop bearing children!

BARRIERS

With the understanding that the bone of contention is hierarchy, who outranks whom? Women have deployed the stoop to conquer approach to overcome and, in turn, themselves conquer. Many of the challenges women encounter can be navigated in this way. African men have repeatedly made it known, RESPECT is more important than anything else.

Marriage and childbearing are the two most impactful factors that determine the fate of a female artist. As one female artist once said online (ref): What every female artist needs to excel is a wife! Male artists tend to excel above their female counterparts because their wives provide the support. Male artists enjoy the benefits of having wives who manage their households, raised children, and even contributed intellectually to their art. This contribution free male artists to dedicate themselves fully to their craft. Even when wives physically contribute to the work processes, their labour is uncredited and unpaid. This is why male artists tend to excel faster than the female but I argue that women can flip it. Men too can be supporting of their wives careers in the same ways. In the same vein, I argue that the unstable nature of women’s lives in marriage, along with the pressure of family building, drains the female artist and prevents her from effective continuity. This pattern discourages collectors from investing in the art of the feminine.

I have observed a subtle reflection of unequal value associated with the art of the feminine vs the art produced by men.  Female artists in academia also suffer from wage gaps and fewer opportunities for promotion because they are perceived in competition with their male colleagues.

Male creatives tend to experience exponential growth due to patriarchal prioritizations, resulting in higher paychecks than females.

As a young emerging artist, it was nearly impossible to balance work and life. As a married woman, it was worse. Maternity and family caregiving responsibilities affect professional performance. Life pressures almost squeezed out the work. A very supportive spouse can be extremely helpful. This reality lends credence to the notion that, for women to achieve the same level of growth in the professions, they should not marry or have families of their own

In 1991, when I became an apprentice to Mr. Sam Ovraiti, there were too few experienced female mentors in the visual arts to look up to. Chief Nike Okundaye aside, I did not know where they lived. I had never met them. It was about five years later that I met Ms. Ndidi Dike. It was a field dominated by males - and still is. Generally, female visual artists tend to lack opportunity for female-to-female mentorship and role models because of the ratio of males to females in the sector. Apprenticeship and mentoring are key shapers of an artist’s career.

RECOMMENDATIONS

No doubt that the old boys’ network has been a deployed by many male professionals to achieve career success and social mobility. Women need to develop their own old girls’ network for the same purpose. We may first need to normalize the idea of women-only day and night clubs, women’s hangouts and women’s network conferences. In short, more women-only spaces.

FAMILIES

Families, communities and governments can use education and public advocacy to challenge the ideas of masculine superiority. Families can correct this stereotypical thinking by training girls to be strong in character, not weak. To pursue careers in any field they want without the restrictions of gender. I was personally refused a sponsorship twice because I am a female. The sponsors did not believe in sponsoring women. One of them was my own father.

Families should encourage girls' education, share domestic responsibilities at home equally among boys and girls. Support girls’ career aspirations no matter what it is. Support confidence and leadership traits in girls and encourage the pursuit of financial freedom through the ownership of assets and property.

GOVERNMENT

Nigerian women are naturally resilient. I have watched how the women around me have taken up challenges that were deemed insurmountable and over time have overcome them. They are my inspiration. As I have said before, give the Nigerian woman allow and see if she will not take allowance! The National Bureau of Statistics states that there are an undefined number of artists and artisans in Nigeria, but they know that only 8% are female. If the women population is accelerated, it would have a significant impact on the creative economy.

To effect these changes, government policies and legislation need to protect women's rights. Invest in girls' education, enforce gender equality, strengthen anti-harassment laws and promote equal pay policies and provide grants and loans for women artists.

Government can also liberalize funding opportunities for women artists and entrepreneurs by creating gender-responsive financing schemes that enable access to grants and low-interest loans for women-led organizations, women's cooperatives and business networks.

Corporate organizations can fund arts events by artists’ associations, groups and individual artists as part of their corporate social responsibility. They can provide accelerator grants to associations and groups active in the sector. Special grants, funds and sponsorships can be designed specifically for female artists. Corporations can also expand existing scholarship opportunities for girls and women.

 

For ARTISTS -

The journey to becoming a successful Lagos artist is a long one. There are no short cuts. And another person cannot climb for you. For a more impactful foundation for women artists and entrepreneurs, invest in self-development, skills acquisition and experimentation. Do apprenticeship and get mentorship through service. When asked how a poor artist with no connections can make it in Lagos, Dr Sammy Olagbuju said: “Be subservient and build relationships through service to your seniors and supporters. Join professional associations and groups.” For future growth, female artists can seek international exposure through artists’ residencies, workshops, cultural exchange programs, museum and gallery partnerships, and creative economy funding initiatives. Exhibitions provide the opportunity to present your work to the public. Women artists should stive for more visibility through exhibitions and performance art.

All art is activism. It is either your art is advocating for change or maintaining one. So, be active in some advocacy. Use your art to draw attention to a just cause.

Religious and cultural institutions

Religious and cultural institutions need to develop systems for valorizing women and women’s roles in society. They need to introduce measures to correct the harmful traditions of the past and embrace new ones that support equity and fairness. Women must be equally represented at the decision-making levels for those decisions to be implemented. What that elderly community leader missed was the role of women in the implementation of the decisions taken by men. When women are involved in the decision making, they are more willing to implement and enforce it.

 

CONCLUSION

Having understood the politics underpinning women’s systemic oppressions, I became a feminist advocating women’s equal rights. This became the content that drove my creativity. That is why I became the convener of the Art Alliance 51 artists’ community. We organize the Art Arising Art festivals. That is why we prioritize women’s creativity in our group. We are glad that we have many men who support us.

Art associations and groups can develop arts-based social impact projects linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. When we strive for gender equality, girls receive education. According to Emir Lamido Sanusi, educated girls are more likely to bear fewer children and educated girls are more likely to raise educated children, thereby aligning with SDGs 1 ,4, 5 and 8.

To achieve the goal of replicating financially free women in the creative economy, we need an alignment of family support, institutional reforms, government commitment, and individual development. Women’s population in the creative industry can significantly increase if and when these factors align.

Women in the creative industry have not asked for special treatment but equal treatment. Intellectual ability is not gendered. As in journalism, there are no women here, only gentlemen artists. I understood this from the start of my career. That is why I sign my works J. Ezenwa, leaving the viewer to be impacted without the influence of a gendered lens.

Nigerian women are poised for a new adventure into financial sustainability and excellence. All we ask of families, religious and cultural institutions and governments is to provide the enabling environment (safety, security, fairness, equal treatment) remove all the barriers and limitations and just step out of our way and watch us.

God bless you all.

 

REFERENCES

- Amadiume, Ifi. *Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society*. London: Zed Books, 1987. 

- Oyěwùmí, Oyèrónkẹ́. *The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses*. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997. 

- Achebe, Chinua. *Things Fall Apart*. London: Heinemann, 1958. (For colonial imposition and cultural shifts). 

- Nzegwu, Nkiru. *Family Matters: Feminist Concepts in African Philosophy of Culture*. Albany: SUNY Press, 2006. 

- Okeke-Agulu, Chika. *Postcolonial Modernism: Art and Decolonization in Twentieth-Century Nigeria*. Durham: Duke University Press, 2015. 

- Mama, Amina. *Beyond the Masks: Race, Gender and Subjectivity*. London: Routledge, 1995. 

- Sanusi, Lamido. Public speeches on education and gender equality (e.g., UN SDG advocacy). 

- UNESCO. *Gender Equality and Culture: Policy Brief*. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2019. 

- National Bureau of Statistics (Nigeria).

- Funder, Anna. *Wifedom: The Invisible Life of Eileen Orwell*. London: Penguin, 2023. 

- Cooper, Suzanne Fagence. *How We Might Live: William Morris and Jane Morris*. London: Quercus, 2022. 

- Glen, Iona. “Work of Two.” *ArtReview*, September 18, 2023. 

- Slate Magazine. “My husband is an artist and I happily support our family with my income.” January 5, 2026.