Fada Angelo Chidi Unaegbu, a Catholic priest, recently revealed a Virgin Mary statue featuring distinct Igbo characteristics.
The statue, which now stands in front of Unaegbu’s chapel in Umueze, Okigwe, was sculpted by his late cousin, Fada Elias Chima Unaegbu.
Fada Angelo has openly critic!zed the use of European-inspired images of the Virgin Mary within the Catholic Church. He claims that these portrayals inaccurately depict the Virgin Mary, as Europeans designed these images to mirror their appearance.
Such representations have contributed to a distorted view of religious icons, leading many Africans to perceive figures such as Jesus and Mary as White.
In response, Fada Angelo has called on Africans to create religious imagery that better reflects their own cultural identities.
By advocating for a departure from European depictions, he emphasizes the importance of Africans connecting with religious figures that bear resemblance to their own ethnicities and backgrounds.
Peoplesmind
