I once hated my tribal mark – Olaiya Igwe

Veteran Nollywood actor Olaiya Igwe has revealed why he once disliked his tribal mark despite personally asking for it as a child.

Speaking on the cultural practice, the actor said he initially requested the mark because he admired it while growing up in a large polygamous family.

According to him, his father had six wives, although only five had children, while his mother was the second to the last wife.

He explained that tradition in the family required only the first child from each wife to bear tribal marks, but he insisted on having one because of how “sharp” and attractive he considered it at the time.

“In my family, my dad had six wives but only five gave birth and my mom was the second to the last. Traditionally, only the first born from each wife was mandated to have tribal marks, but because I was very sharp, I requested for it,” he said.

According to him, he eventually concluded that tribal marks were not necessarily a symbol of culture or identity but a practice influenced by limited exposure in the old days.

“But when I eventually understood the meaning of tribal marks, I started to dislike it. I realised it wasn’t really our culture; it was lack of exposure,” he stated.

The actor further questioned the relevance of tribal marks as a means of family identity in modern times, citing the advancement of DNA technology.

“Does it stand as DNA? No. These days, DNA can expose who truly belongs to a family. Somebody might give all the children tribal marks thinking they are from the same lineage, only to later discover otherwise,” he said.

Despite his reservations, the actor said his perspective softened after seeing the tribal marks of late filmmaker Ade Love and veteran actor Sunday Omobolanle, popularly known as Aluwe.

“It was when I saw the late Ade Love and Sunday Omobolanle’s tribal marks that I started liking it again,” he added.