Nollywood actress Angela Okorie has sparked a conversation about culture and spirituality after sharing a video of herself burning the white gown she wore to Alexx Ekubo's burial last week.

Okorie was among the Nollywood stars who attended the June 18 funeral in Arochukwu, Abia State, alongside IK Ogbonna, Ini Edo, Omoni Oboli, and several others. Guests at the service of songs held earlier in Lagos had been instructed to wear white.

In the video posted to her Instagram, Okorie explained that she was following a tradition of burning clothes worn to a burial, citing it as a way of warding off bad luck and spiritually cutting ties with the grief of the event.

The practice has some basis in Igbo funeral customs. The burning of mourning clothes, known as Akwa uju or Akwa mkpe in Igbo, was historically observed at the end of the mourning period, though the tradition has evolved significantly in modern times and is no longer widely practised in its original form.

Reactions online were mixed. Some praised Okorie for honouring the tradition. Others were less convinced, pointing out that she burned the gown but appeared to keep her wig, shoes, and Louis Vuitton bag untouched, raising questions about how selectively the tradition was being applied.