WHERE IS MY EYES?

Another popular theme in Nigerian posters and calendars is the trade in human body parts for ritual purposes. Although these stories are sensational and often based in folklore, they represent a criticism of certain members of Nigerian society. Stories of persons who consume and/or sell the very bodies of Nigerian citizens in order to accumulate fast wealth offer yet another commentary on greed and the inequalities of wealth and power that have become all too obvious for Nigerians. The grisley reality is that human body parts are used ritually in Nigeria. Some of the stories claim that these individuals harvest human body parts and sell them to Western countries for organ transplants. These images demonstrate how these stories are situated in the context of Nigeria’s political economy, especially Nigeria’s place in the global system.

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"Eyes for rituals"—an elite (Alhaji) sells human body parts to a "white man."

White man: "Okay, But I need fresh eye now."

Alhaji: "That one will cast you money o like $200,000."