Psychosomatic conflict resolution and the National War Museum, Umuahia, Nigeria: A visual essay

This study evaluated the principal approaches used in preserving the relics of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war at the National War Museum and its annex, both in Umuahia, Nigeria. With 2-dimensional art pictography and 3-dimensional exhibition as hybrid methodical thrusts, the study examined the depth of psychosomatic conflict resolution targeted and presumably achieved by the National Commission for Museum and Monuments in Nigeria. It employed a combination of content analysis and historical research designs. The objectives were: (i) to find out the circumstances that necessitated the establishment of the museum, (ii) to find out the subsisting modes of operation for showcasing war relics in the museum, and (iii) to explore whether extant literatures have really described the relics and pictographic representations in the museum. The findings showed that there was an equitable combination of 2-D pictography and 3-D exhibition of war relics at the museum and its extension. Most of the existing literatures about the museum really tally with what was found within the museum complex. The study underscored the fact that the role of visual culture in the preservation of war relics cannot be overemphasized.