Igbo: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	Ibo

Photos

A group of Igbo people in traditional attire, including beaded crowns and necklaces, stand outdoors holding flowers and a ceremonial fan, paying respects in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Four Igbo women in patterned skirts and headwraps perform a traditional dance outdoors, wearing ankle rattles and holding percussive instruments, with a crowd in the background.

An Igbo woman wearing a patterned headwrap sits at a table holding notebooks while a man writes on papers during compulsory registration in Lagos, Nigeria. Other people are visible in the background.

Map of Africa highlighting the location of Biafra, the former secessionist state in southeastern Nigeria, shown in orange within Nigeria and bordered by Cameroon to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Surrounding countries and the continent's outline provide geographic context.

Rows of young Igbo volunteer soldiers, many shirtless, stand in formation during the Nigerian Civil War in Biafra, 1968, with more people gathered in the background.

maiden spirit mask

Ornate leaded bronze staff head from Igbo Ukwu, Nigeria, featuring intricate openwork patterns and loops adorned with colored glass and stone beads, displayed on a stand.

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Topics

Yoruba Asante Efik Itsekiri Fon Akan Fante Igbira Ekoi Gurma

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African art: Igbo

Key People

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Flora Nwapa

Nigerian author