"Whispers of My Fatherland" is a photographic exploration of lineage, memory, and the journey of reclaiming ancestral identity. This project began with a conversation with my father about his childhood experiences during the Biafran War in Nigeria. As the daughter of an African-American mother and a Nigerian father, I have often felt torn between two identities, never fully American yet distant from my Igbo heritage.

In creating this work, I realized that identity does not require permission or proximity; it can be forged on one's own terms. This project represents my ties to a land I have never visited and a language I do not speak but whose essence still resonates within me. Throughout the process, I revisited Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "Half of a Yellow Sun," finding resonance in their portrayals of postcolonial identity, war, and cultural fragmentation. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's words particularly resonated with me: "I am Nigerian because a white man created Nigeria and gave me that identity. I am black because the white man constructed black to be as different as possible from his white. But I was Igbo before the white man came."

A central influence in this body of work is the concept of Umu Ada. In Igbo culture, "Umu" means "people," and "Ada" refers to the first daughter. However, "Umu Ada" represents all daughters whose lineage traces back to Igboland. It embodies a statement of sisterhood that connects women through shared ancestry, responsibility, and memory. Through this work, I delve into the intersections of womanhood, identity, and cultural heritage while tracing the journey of cultural rediscovery.