The women weavers of Akwete, in Abia State, are famed for handwoven cloth made on a wide vertical loom from cotton, sisal-hemp and raffia. Their cloths use well over a hundred motifs, some reserved for royalty, others meant to protect warriors or pregnant women. Traditionally, whoever invents a new motif holds an unwritten copyright over it.
Nsibidi is an ancient ideographic script used across south-eastern Nigeria, particularly by secret societies. It recorded judgments and esoteric knowledge and decorated walls and objects, including Mbari houses. It is evidence of a literate tradition that contradicts colonial claims of African illiteracy.