Oguamalam Masquerade Performance beyond Aesthetics

Abstract

Masquerade in its form, style, costume and performance has remained an indispensable art in the African society. At times, people misinterpret masquerade performance to be barbaric, mundane and something to be avoided. This misinformation has raised a lot of unanswered questions on masquerade performance and its essence. This paper, therefore, aims at presenting in an unbiased way, the idea behind masquerade performance in Africa. It will explore how it goes beyond aesthetics and mere entertainment, to motivate people in appreciating their culture and the tradition that brought it into being. In order to actualize the interpretative and communicative potency in masquerade and its performance, qualitative method of analyzing data using content analysis will be used to x-ray Oguamalam Mmanu Performance of Erim community in Imo State.