19/09/2024
Glad to announce that my documentary film Ema/Udeh Ancient Healing Tattoo of the Esan People) is ready for screening worldwide.
Featuring prominent academic scholars and medical experts of international repute like Professor of Dance Studies and Performance Aesthetics Mariam Iyeh , Professor of Philosophy Matthew Izibili, Dr. Aloja Aiwerele and Dr. Abel Toms-Oriakhi, the focused traditional tattoo artists are women (3) who get involved in the phenomenon practice for the sole aim of saving lives rather than making earnings. While awaiting partnership, collaboration and screening opportunities at this point, please, see the film synopsis below:
Ema/Udeh (Ancient Healing Tattoo of the Esan People)
To a vast number of Esan people, a certain measure is an unquestioned remedy for ailments whose symptom is a swollen spleen. This is the Ema/Udeh traditional tattoo. Beyond medicinal, aesthetic, spiritual, and identity significations, experts have even begun to deem it evolutionary, feasibly moving Ema/Udeh from its present abdominal abode - where it is restricted on private exhibit for many years - to the canvas. On the canvas, the curative yet artistic patterns can be replicated for public consumption.
From ages past, the Esan people of Edo State have found succour in artistic markings on the abdomen, considering them curative of a swollen spleen, medically termed 'splenomegaly'. In the 21st century, the practice has not waned. It surprisingly thrives, prompting interest and critical discourse from far and wide, despite the spiraling popularity of orthodox medical practice.
This documentary film raises and answers questions about this intriguing practice. The following questions are asked: (a) Are there grounds for comparison between the modern tattoo and the ancient Esan body marking? (b) How is Ema /Udeh carried out? (c) What could be responsible for its continuing popularity, or what does the Ema/Udeh offer that modern medical methods lack over curing the same ailment ? (d) How genuine is the claim that splenomegaly cannot be cured by orthodox medical methods? (e) Is splenomegaly endemic to Esan/Edo people and if not, how do people of other ethnic groups treat the ailment? (f) How could the ancient practice be improved and aligned with global standard health practices?
Furthermore, the film attempts to depict the ancient practice without bias or prejudice, interrogating the practitioners and people from the town and gown. These contributors include university professors and orthodox medical experts, each articulating divergent views for the engagement of the public. The film aims to rouse debate over the traditional practice vis-à-vis orthodox methods. This is underlain by the conviction that such dialogues would create improvement and synergy for better-quality healthcare.
Ema/Udeh does not only cure: a truth it has proved in the midst of many doubts. It also leaves carefully curated artistic footprints behind for the admiration of the bearer and the public, making the bearer a mobile canvas of the tattoo artist. Thus, the Ema/Udeh artists are able to maintain the dual functionalities of a healer and an artist, wrapped into one ball—a medical practitioner whose motivation is the wellbeing of the people. This is the point of convergence between art and medicine, exemplified by the Ema/Udeh artists of Esanland.
With best wishes,
Samuel Osaze
+234 8036554119
