THE MASQUERADE IN ABUJA AND CALABAR CARNIVALS

Abstract

The masquerade, conceived as embodied spirits of ancestors, is one of the most popular indigenous performing art forms in Africa. Its popularity has increased in recent times due to its appropriation by emergent festivals or carnivals in Nigeria. Existing studies on the masquerade have focused on its theatrical, ritualistic, socio-cultural, anthropological and dramatic dimensions, with little scholarly attention given to its adaptation in carnivals. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the growing incorporation of the masquerade into street carnivals, with a view to underscoring its visual, kinetic and aural dynamism. Mikhail Bakhtin’s concepts of carnival and the carnivalesque, and Jennie Jordan’s Festivalisation Theory were adopted. Ethnographic design was employed. Abuja and Calabar carnivals were purposely selected because they are state-sponsored and de-ritualised in nature. Five masquerades, namely Ijele, Agbogho Mmuo, Ugomma (Anambra State), Ekpo (Akwa Ibom) and Ekpe (Cross River), were selected based on their popularity and consistent appearance at these carnivals. Performances were complemented with the video recordings of the carnivals. Data were subjected to performance analysis. The masquerades’ spectacular performances displayed visual, kinetic and aural dynamism which aligned with the processional format of the carnival. Like Carnival Revelers and their elaborate costumes, the Abuja and Calabar carnival masquerades were magnificent in their shapes and striking in their costume decorations. The Ijele, Agbogho Mmuo and Ekpewere adorned with tassels and headpieces of various types; human, animal and creative abstractions. In dance patterns, the Ijele, a visual architecture of diverse images, colours and designs, danced with slow steps which depicted royalty and opulence. The light-footed Agbogho Mmuo, equally dressed in a resplendent costume with brilliant geometric applique patterns in multi-colours, exhibited adroit footwork with brisk steps, sharp turns and twists in space. Ugomma, designed as a giant bird with immaculate white feathers and a contrasting red beak, strutted and hopped elegantly in its dignified dance routine which climaxed with the laying of its giant white egg. Ekpo, a grotesque and black figure with an oversized mask, performed serpentine, discordant and aggressive movements. It often created great excitement by charging menacingly at the audience. Ekpe, adorned with the Ekpe society’s trademark of red, black and yellow raffia, glided and executed semi-circular turns with its graceful and free-flowing dance movements peculiar to the riverine performance culture. The designs in costumes and masks were an accentuation of creativity amplified by colour and spectacle. The musical accompaniment was predominantly fast in tempo and dexterous in instrumentation. In general, the masquerades featured an amalgam of resplendent performance delivered through dance, music, song, acrobatics, costume and mask. The masquerade’s enlistment in Abuja and Calabar carnivals is occasioned by its visual, kinetic and aural dynamism which fitted easily into the carnivals’ de-ritualised design and performance aesthetics. This accounts for its popularity with the audience of the carnival.