AE-FUNAI Department of Religion and Cultural Studies Hosts Symposium on Rethinking Wealth and Afterlife

The Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), has held its second departmental symposium themed “Onwudinuba: The Deconstruction of Death as a Component of Wealth in Igbo Cosmology.”

The event brought together academics and postgraduate students to explore the mystical significance of death within Igbo cosmology and its links to wealth, status, and cultural identity.

In his opening remarks, Professor Emmanuel Iyama described the symposium as a vital platform for engaging with indigenous practices that continue to shape socio-cultural realities. He noted that, in Igbo thought, death is a transition rather than an end—where wealth is measured not only by material possessions but also by legacy, memory, and ancestral standing.

Keynote speaker and Head of Department, Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, examined how death is interwoven with expressions of wealth, communal identity, and the broader spiritual journey of the Igbo. He highlighted the elaborate rites marking the passage to the ancestral realm as both cultural and spiritual performances, reflecting the belief in continued existence beyond death.

Dr. Okeke also stressed the importance of re-examining these traditions in the face of globalization, noting that understanding indigenous perspectives helps preserve cultural heritage and deepens appreciation of African philosophies on life and death.

A group photograph was taken to close the event, marking another step in AE-FUNAI’s commitment to advancing cultural scholarship.