Ejima

Ejima in the Igbo language means twins. In the late nineteenth century, in southeast Nigeria, many newborn twins were being killed due to superstitious beliefs that umu ejime (multiple births) were taboo. Mothers who bore twins were thought to have had intercourse with the devil spirit and given birth to something monstrous and unnatural. The offsprings were brutally killed and the mother was shunned by her husband and cast out of the family. Since then the rate of these twin killings has drastically reduced, however, not many people realize that the practice still occurs in a few groups within certain tribes.

This project photographs African twins and showcases their duality, power and synchronicity.

This project is a work in progress.