Depiction and Empowerment of Women in Indigenous Igbo Music

This article aims to understand how modern Igbo women in a patriarchal, dynamic, and fast-globalizing southeastern Nigerian society interpret and create meaning through the concept and practice of traditional music. I employed ethnographic and musicological research methods and focused on the organization, performance practice, and musical contents of three Igbo women’s ensembles. One of my major findings is that joint music-making efforts among Igbo women enhances bonding and reinforces group identity that yields psychological empowerment. I argue that the psychotherapeutic intentions of African music offer an ideal medium through which Igbo women can achieve psychological and social empowerment.