Biography
I obtained both my B.A. (in Archaeology and Tourism) and M.A. (in Cultural Resources Management) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where I currently hold a Lectureship in Archaeology and Heritage Studies. My research interests cut across (Post-)Conflict Heritage and Memory, Nationalist/Separatist Conflicts, indigenous cultural heritage, Decolonial Museum Approaches, and Community Archaeology - some of which have been published in International Journal of Heritage Studies, Ethnicities, International Journal of the Inclusive Museum and Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, etc. Outside of academia, I love food, football, politics and music.
Research
Civil wars are anything but civil when it comes to their impact on the lives and cultural heritage of communities. Their damages also have lasting legacies. Among the Igbo people of Nigeria, names like ‘Ozoemena’ (‘never again’) and ‘Echezona’ (‘never forget’) continue to be used in reference to the 1967-1970 civil war. Decades later, my Ph.D. research is shedding light on the impacts of the ‘Biafra war’ and its legacies on the cultural heritage of present-day Igboland in Nigeria. I explore the complex interaction of conflict and intangible heritage as well as the dissonances in memorialization, canonization, representation, and silencing. This will contribute an important intangible heritage perspective and a West-African case study to the global heritage-conflict discourse.
Key Publications
- Onyemechalu, S. J., & Ejiofor, P. F. (2023). Long-distance nationalism, diaspora mobilisation, and the struggle for Biafran self-determination in Nigeria. Ethnicities, (Online First). https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968231208307
- Onyemechalu, S. J. & Ugwuanyi, J. K. (2021). Íhé Ńkètá and Òkè: concepts and practice of indigenous cultural heritage management in the Igbo cultural area of south-eastern Nigeria. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 12 (4), pp. 609-624. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-12-2020-0177
- Emeafor, O. F. & Onyemechalu, S. J. (2021) Objectivity in Museums: The Nigeria Civil War according to the National War Museum, Umuahia. The International Journal of The Inclusive Museum, 14 (1), pp. 49 – 70. https://doi.org/10. 18848/1835-2014/CGP/v14i01/49-70
- Odum, C. J., Onyemechalu, S. J. & Oji, C. C. (2020) Archaeological Investigations: Impacts and Community Expectations in Dunoka, Lejja. Ikenga International Journal of Institute of African Studies, 21 (4), pp. 15 – 32. https://ikengajournal.unn.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IKENGA-VOLUME-21-No.-4.pdf
Visit my Google Scholar Page
Teaching and Supervisions
- Supervisor: Dr. Dacia Viejo-Rose
- Advisor: Prof. Paul Lane
Other Professional Activities
Lecturer, Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
