CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the Study Mothers are special gift
from God to humanity. A mother could be referred to as a care- taker, a
sister, or a friend to a child, husband and family. In support of this
view, Araromi (2006), opined that, mother is a woman, a wife, a child
bearer and a home maker. Therefore, a mother is a human motivator, a
talent flourisher, a potential developer.
Every mother plays basic roles in the life of their children, firstly
as a nurse to the child. She nurses her child when the child is hurt;
she guards her from all difficulties in life; thirdly, as a teacher, she
teaches her what is right and what is wrong; she teaches the child how
to speak and behave. A mother also teaches her child how to stand and
face problems, and also to be a good and successful individual. Most
importantly, she is of a fighter and lover. She loves, fight and protect
her child from evil and troubles.
Strength according to Mariam Webster Dictionary is the quality or
state of being physically strong, the ability to resist being moved or
broken by a force. Strength is also the quality that allows someone to
deal with problem in a determined and effective way.
Thus, strength, in the context of this research can be referred to as
the vigor of expression and love that a mother expresses towards
protecting her child from threatened and insurgence environment.
Strength varies in so many ways such as the physical strength, mental,
and character strength. In this case, the research will focus on the
love and emotional strength of a woman.
Naturally, mothers all-over the world are concerned with protecting
their offspring, but due to circumstances beyond their control, some of
their children are being abused either through trafficking, slavery,
kidnapping or other vices. Hunt (2007) opined that, in the past, child
slaves were only used to help on military bases in war-ravaged country.
Recently, child slaves are found not only in war ravaged countries, but
in all part of the world. Children are sold and kidnapped for various
purposes. Girls are normally taken to carry out domestic and commercial
labour. Young boys are force to do vigorous, manual works on farms, in
factories or in fish markets. No matter what their purposes are, boys
and girls alike are physically, mentally and emotionally damaged after
such abuse.
Most traffickers smuggle children to their countries through means
like forcing them into food sacks, or squeeze into luggage as a result
many do die. Those that survive the journey when they are being sold,
faces harsh living conditions. They are malnourished and unable to see
their families. They work for no reward and are subject to being beaten
and ridiculed by their master and master’s kids.
The circumstance that trafficked children goes through are
unbelievable, they damaged their undeveloped mind and bodies. To worsen
the matter, these children are not shown any love or affection their
mothers could have given to them and are deprived of seeing their
families. Many children who succeed running away from them face bad
condition and ways to earn money. These mostly degrade them into
prostitution and begging while some do other miscellaneous jobs in order
to survive.
Another way of children abuse is the case of the Boko Haram
insurgency. The insurgent group Boko Haram is opposed to the
Westernization of Nigerian, which is the root cause of criminal act in
the country. Thousands of lives have been claimed by the group. Boko
Haram is a treat to western education, in such case, on the night of
14th-15th April 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from the
Government secondary school in the town of Chibok in Borno state of
Nigeria. The responsibility for the act was claimed by Boko Haram.
On similar occasion, more than 200 students were found missing. The
ideology of the Islamic jihad group (Boko Haram) opposes the girl child
education in which, for a country to move to a greater level, there is
need for a girl child to be educated. When you educate a girl child, you
educate a nation. Since 2010, Boko Haram has targeted schools killing
hundreds of student. A spoke person for the group said such attack would
continue as long as the Nigerian Government continues to interfere with
traditional Islamic education. As a result 10,000children have been
unable to attend school base on the activity of the Boko Haram. Boko
Haram has also been known to kidnap girls, who they believe should not
be educated but used as cook or sex slave.
In several months, and in several states, Boko Haram has caused so
many deaths. With a sense of deep passion by the women round the country
were demonstrated by spreading awareness of the kidnapped girls using a
tag with a slogan “Bring back our girls“.
Activist, Malala of Pakistan that was shot by Taliban while fighting
for the right of girl child, once again, spoke pe rtaining the abducted
Chibok school girls who were transformed to suicide bombers. According
to her, “failure to find kidnapped girls will destroy Nigeria”. As a
young girl, Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded
that girl –child be allowed to receive an education. She was shot in
the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, but survived. She was born on
July, 12, 1997, in Mingora, Pakistan. She became an advocate for girls
education, she resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against
her. Due to her pursuit and fight for girl child education, she was shot
by a gunman while traveling home from school; she survived, and has
continued to speak out on the important of education. Taliban began
attacking girls school in swat, Malala then gave a speech in Peshawar,
Pakistan in September 2008, titled, “how dare the Taliban take away any
basic right to education?” With a growing public platform, Malala
continued to speak out about her right, and the right of all women, to
an education. After recovery from the shot, she made more speech and was
awarded several awards standing and fighting for her right and the
right of other women to education.
Emma (1997), states that, women have been taking initiatives and
pioneering activities for peace, human dignity and right. The 1929
IkotAbasi women’s riot contributed to the emergence of heroic and
powerful women in our society during and after the riot. Notably among
such women was great Queen Amina of Zauzau in Zaria; Queen Idia of Benin
(Oba’s mother). Others arethe war Lord,Emotan of Benin;Moremi of Ife;
Madam Tinubu of Lagos;FumilayoRansomeKuti of Abeokuta and Margaret Ekpo
of old Calabar.. In other part of the world, there women prime ministers
like Ghandi of India, benazar Bhutto of Pakistan and Margaret Thatcher
of great Britain among others.
1.1 Statement of the Problem This project proposal,
through studio practice will undertake studies to evoke motherly
feelings of love, care and guardian, through forms expressing the theme
“Strength of Motherhood” The immediate challenge facing the artist is
how to generate forms of expression aimed at portraying the emotional
energy of motherhood. Motherhood
1.2 Objectives of the Studies 1. To make a study
through sketches from photographic sources and life models interpreted
into three – dimensional Marquette. Motherhood 2. To enlarge the
Marquette generated from studio studies into actual life size sculpture
in the round. 3. To employ elements and principles of design to achieve
emotional expression of motherhood in the actual sculpture project. 4.
To finish the sculpture project through patination and mounting at
specific site.