Cowries, culture, and creativity in Favour Ben’s art

The rising digital artist brings African heritage to life by documenting ancient practices, traditions, and accessories, offering contemporary audiences a blend of education and entertainment.

FAVOUR Ben is an emerging digital artist deeply rooted in African culture. Call her a documentarist of cultures past, and you won’t be wrong, as her body of work collectively showcases African heritage. They are about resurrecting and showcasing ancient traditions, practices and accessories for the edutainment of contemporary people.

With a background in filmmaking, directing, producing and scriptwriting, Ben has conscientiously focused on themes of beauty, spirituality and identity since discovering the camera and her verve. She has created exciting works at joint exhibitions in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Brazil, earning recognition for her evocative works.

One of her standout collections, ‘Shuku Stories’, explores the multifaceted use of cowrie shells in African culture—as adornments, currency, and tools of divination. The series features seven striking images of intricately braided hairstyles adorned with cowries. Works like ‘Omidan Ayoka’, ‘Ewatomi’, and ‘Awero’ evoke comparisons to the celebrated J.D. OkhaiOjeikhere, whose photography immortalised traditional African hairstyles—albeit without the cowries. Ben’s addition of the shells offers a modern yet reverent take on this legacy.

Ben’s ‘Affairs of Awuru’ focuses on people with dreadlocks or matted hair, better known as ‘Dada’ in Nigeria. While some people do carry dirty and untidy dreads, the ones showcased by the artist are neat and feature beautiful adornments. While many people now cultivate dreads, Ben treats those born with it and who are believed to possess extraordinary spiritual powers. Nigerians believe that Dada children are spiritual beings with unique hair, a physical manifestation of their spiritual connection. The artist reminds her viewers of this in the series.

Ben, who actively took up photography during the COVID-19 lockdown, memorialises that tumultuous era with the ‘Serenity’ collection. The chief image is a bird perched peacefully on wood and gazing at a tranquil lake. But is the world now truly serene after the pandemic? Sadly, it is not with global conflicts affecting lives and livelihoods far from the epicentre: Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, conflicts roiling Africa and even the ascendancy of the far right across Europe and the Americas. These are no peaceful times, even as the artist longs for calm with works in the collection.

In ‘Journey Back Home: Game Edition’, Ben revisits her childhood through depictions of traditional Nigerian games like ‘Ten-Ten’, ‘Ayo’, and board games such as Ludo and draughts. Ben explains the significance of these games: “Games in Nigeria serve as more than just entertainment; they are a vital part of the social fabric. They bring people together, foster community spirit, and provide a means for cultural expression. Traditional games preserve cultural heritage and are often played during festivals and family gatherings. In contrast, modern sports and video games offer new ways for young people to connect and compete. With the rise of social media and technology, these games are becoming less common, and this part of our African story risks fading into extinction.”

The artist, who recently concluded a master’s in marketing at the University of Law, also seeks to use her art to draw attention to one overlooked aspect of beauty—the back. She holds that society tends to emphasise the face and body as beauty standards, often neglecting the powerful narratives the back can convey. For Ben, the back, anchored by the spine, carries our physical being and reflects the weight of our emotions—pain, worry, and resilience. She believes you can infer elements of people’s personalities from how they walk, even without seeing their faces.

“Through my art, I aim to challenge traditional judgments of beauty and bring attention to the often-ignored stories our backs tell. By incorporating accessories and flowing hair into my works, I add depth and perspective, transforming the perceived simplicity of the back into a striking representation of beauty, identity and individuality,” she explains.

Ben’s is a burgeoning career, but her passion for African heritage is deep and unshakeable. Her creative storytelling and love for her culture promise an impactful and enduring journey in the art world.

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