Abstract
This paper aims to examine, document, create awareness, access and disseminate information about the various cultural practices that applies to widows in Ngor-Okpala vis à vis their ritual procedures based on the unwritten traditions and customs of the people. The newly widowed in Ngor-Okpala are meant to observe certain procedures until such a time stipulated by culture - from abstinence from certain kinds of food, to human relations, sitting, bathing, sleeping, clothing, etc. This paper is part of a more extensive observatory study conducted in the Ngor-Okpala community in Imo State, Nigeria. The research tools were piloted in Umuochere village-Ihitte autonomous community in Ngor-Okpala LGA of Imo State. This paper explains the necessity of cultural practices and rituals and how the activities interact as well as affect lives of the newly widowed without prior documented information, dissemination and access in Umuochere village. The objective of the study is to describe the intersections in widowhood cultural practices, which are often not physically aligned, recorded nor documented with the Ihitte-Okwe Customary laws. Qualitative research was used. Three widows were interviewed in this paper. Findings reveal that widowhood rites and procedures are gendered, undocumented, undisseminated and as a result, lacked physical access. The result of this research established a documented record of rites and procedures into the widowhood phase. This study contributes to knowledge in the creation of online digital access to information and documentation regarding widowhood practices in Ngor-Okpala, Imo state, Nigeria.
Key words: Digital storytelling, Information dissemination, Documentation, Cultural practices, Widowhood, Ngor-Okpala
Publication Date: 2025-08-03