Bernard Eze Orji | Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo (original) (raw)
Papers by Bernard Eze Orji
Research in African Literatures, May 31, 2022
UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2015
In this essay, it is established that Ozo title in Amaechi Akwanya’s Orimili is a negation of jus... more In this essay, it is established that Ozo title in Amaechi Akwanya’s Orimili is a negation of justice and tradition. This is because the Ozo title holders do not live up to the expectations of their role as the custodians of justice and tradition. We have deployed social realism theory in the analysis of the text. To achieve our artistic objective, we identify specific episodes---the quarrel between Orimili’s boatman and six masquerades, Orimil’s application for Ozo title and the selection of Nduka into the Ozo society-that calls for the custodians’ unbiased verdicts, and analyse them critically. We discover that their judgements in the cases identified above re marred with illogicalities and biases. Their prompt decision to organize a flamboyant welcome party, coupled with the conferment of a double Ozo title on Osita, projects the custodians as shameless opportunists who will stop at nothing to realize their selfish objectives. We also look at women and scrutinize how they handle ...
Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses ... more Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses by being at the centre of sustaining the hope of the people, who desire the promotion of their accepted cultural values vis a vis other socio-political and economic developments. In this light, there is high dependence on the media to visibly play this role of cultural promotion. Thus the Nigerian film industry, referred to as the Nollywood, sprang up to champion the course of cultural promotion and by so doing, also support the sustenance of democratic culture in the country. In the era of globalization, when world economies and cultures are being challenged in terms of peculiar developments, Nollywood is counted among the top three film industries that are accessible globally. However, while other film industries of the world are churning out narratives that positively promote their cultural and political ideologies, the Nigerian film industry seems not to be passionate about giving ou...
African Theatre 18
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe a... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival (masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude between the carnival and the masquerade performances in areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional spectacular display results in major events that will continue to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
The world keeps shrinking, the same way cultures have become even more coalesced as a result of t... more The world keeps shrinking, the same way cultures have become even more coalesced as a result of technology of media convergence in the age of internet explosion. The one culture that has seen eclectic infusion of other cultures from time past is the culture of carnival which its carnivalesque street style celebration by African slaves at the brave New World resonated through music, dance, masquerade and role-play; features of nearly all street festivals including Carnival Calabar. Using the Carnival Calabar as a case study, this paper employed Performance Analysis and non-participant observation methods of research and subjected the contents of the carnival into investigation through watching of videos of past Carnival Calabar events. The attraction and focus of the paper were in the areas of masquerade appearance and its audience, dance procession, live music bands by DJs, formation of floats seen in Trinidad & Tobago and in Notting Hill carnivals, carnival masks and costume design...
Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses ... more Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses by being at the centre of sustaining the hope of the people, who desire the promotion of their accepted cultural values vis a vis other socio-political and economic developments. In this light, there is high dependence on the media to visibly play this role of cultural promotion. Thus the Nigerian film industry, referred to as the Nollywood, sprang up to champion the course of cultural promotion and by so doing, also support the sustenance of democratic culture in the country. In the era of globalization, when world economies and cultures are being challenged in terms of peculiar developments, Nollywood is counted among the top three film industries that are accessible globally. However, while other film industries of the world are churning out narratives that positively promote their cultural and political ideologies, the Nigerian film industry seems not to be passionate about giving ou...
African Theatre 18, 2019
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe a... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival (masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude between the carnival and the masquerade performances in areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional spectacular display results in major events that will continue to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe a... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival (masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude between the carnival and the masquerade performances in areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional spectacular display results in major events that will continue to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe ... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in
Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of
cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article
examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival
(masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached
to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude
between the carnival and the masquerade performances in
areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional
spectacular display results in major events that will continue
to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity
in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
EJOTMAS: Ekpoma Journal of Theatre and Media Arts
Theatre practice in Nigeria like the world over is in a state of constant flux due to the ever em... more Theatre practice in Nigeria like the world over is in a state of constant flux due to the ever emerging new trends. New concepts, styles, forms are continuously on demand as a result of the insatiable human tastes in performance and coupled with a civilization in which technological advancement and human creativity are not left out in its wake. The emergence of the social media has come to add more pressure on the live theatre from where the film medium stopped. Nigerian theatre patrons and sponsors have little or nothing to do again at the theatre at least, not with mobile phones such as i-phones, i-pads, tabs, blackberry and android, serving as forms of entertainment on the go. Therefore, wooing and keeping the live theatre audience will take extra energy and this can only be achieved if the visual appeal trend is revolutionized with a quantum deployment of visual aesthetics. The beauty of play production is ensconced in visual symbolism since theatre communication makes use of tw...
The European Journal of Humour Research
Masking is a phenomenon that is traced to almost all human ages. From its prehistoric and primiti... more Masking is a phenomenon that is traced to almost all human ages. From its prehistoric and primitive narratives in Africa, its dramatic beginnings in ancient Greece and Rome, to its use as forms of character delineation in the commedia dell’Arte of the 16th and 18th century Europe, as well as its age long association with carnivals due largely to its analogous to humour and entertainment. Masking, as comic as it may seem, has been critical of humanity’s social dispositions from time past. As humans, the façade of the mask is a leeway to speak truth to power and also an opportunity for the performance of self in ways that are at variant with the real self. As topical as the activities of the masquerade are to the society, no academic quest has been directed to investigate how humour and satire have always been associated with the masquerade. Following the social criticism, humour and entertainment which have become evidently inherent in the emergent stand-up comedy, scholars have dire...
OGIRISI: a New Journal of African Studies, 2016
It is a truism that indigenous theatre performances are an expression of the culture of their hos... more It is a truism that indigenous theatre performances are an expression of the culture of their host community. Like a trademark, the culture on display is an irremovable part of the communal identity. However, as the community makes contact with other cultures, they adopt, adapt and appropriate such cultures to suit theirs without mortgaging their values. This is the case of carnival arts in Nigeria. The Calabar Carnival-a brainchild of the Donald Duke administration in Cross River state of Nigeria-emerged on the Nigerian performance space in the eve of the millennium. Being a performance that thrives on exhibition of culture and parade of outfits, costume becomes of the essence. The thrust of this research, therefore, is to examine the costumes used in Calabar Carnival parade. Employing the qualitative methodology, it was observed that certain costume patterns of the performers violate African values. Much as the carnival art is an imported brand of entertainment, the injection of nudity in the art is un-African. Thus, this study emphasizes the need to adapt all imported cultures to suit the beliefs and attitudes of the host community. Foreigners who perform in the Calabar Carnival, for example, should be costumed to reflect the culture of the Cross Riverians. By so doing, African values would be deepened and exported to the global stage.
Research in African Literatures, May 31, 2022
UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2015
In this essay, it is established that Ozo title in Amaechi Akwanya’s Orimili is a negation of jus... more In this essay, it is established that Ozo title in Amaechi Akwanya’s Orimili is a negation of justice and tradition. This is because the Ozo title holders do not live up to the expectations of their role as the custodians of justice and tradition. We have deployed social realism theory in the analysis of the text. To achieve our artistic objective, we identify specific episodes---the quarrel between Orimili’s boatman and six masquerades, Orimil’s application for Ozo title and the selection of Nduka into the Ozo society-that calls for the custodians’ unbiased verdicts, and analyse them critically. We discover that their judgements in the cases identified above re marred with illogicalities and biases. Their prompt decision to organize a flamboyant welcome party, coupled with the conferment of a double Ozo title on Osita, projects the custodians as shameless opportunists who will stop at nothing to realize their selfish objectives. We also look at women and scrutinize how they handle ...
Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses ... more Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses by being at the centre of sustaining the hope of the people, who desire the promotion of their accepted cultural values vis a vis other socio-political and economic developments. In this light, there is high dependence on the media to visibly play this role of cultural promotion. Thus the Nigerian film industry, referred to as the Nollywood, sprang up to champion the course of cultural promotion and by so doing, also support the sustenance of democratic culture in the country. In the era of globalization, when world economies and cultures are being challenged in terms of peculiar developments, Nollywood is counted among the top three film industries that are accessible globally. However, while other film industries of the world are churning out narratives that positively promote their cultural and political ideologies, the Nigerian film industry seems not to be passionate about giving ou...
African Theatre 18
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe a... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival (masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude between the carnival and the masquerade performances in areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional spectacular display results in major events that will continue to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
The world keeps shrinking, the same way cultures have become even more coalesced as a result of t... more The world keeps shrinking, the same way cultures have become even more coalesced as a result of technology of media convergence in the age of internet explosion. The one culture that has seen eclectic infusion of other cultures from time past is the culture of carnival which its carnivalesque street style celebration by African slaves at the brave New World resonated through music, dance, masquerade and role-play; features of nearly all street festivals including Carnival Calabar. Using the Carnival Calabar as a case study, this paper employed Performance Analysis and non-participant observation methods of research and subjected the contents of the carnival into investigation through watching of videos of past Carnival Calabar events. The attraction and focus of the paper were in the areas of masquerade appearance and its audience, dance procession, live music bands by DJs, formation of floats seen in Trinidad & Tobago and in Notting Hill carnivals, carnival masks and costume design...
Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses ... more Abstract<br> In any democratic system, the media are known to bear the voice of the masses by being at the centre of sustaining the hope of the people, who desire the promotion of their accepted cultural values vis a vis other socio-political and economic developments. In this light, there is high dependence on the media to visibly play this role of cultural promotion. Thus the Nigerian film industry, referred to as the Nollywood, sprang up to champion the course of cultural promotion and by so doing, also support the sustenance of democratic culture in the country. In the era of globalization, when world economies and cultures are being challenged in terms of peculiar developments, Nollywood is counted among the top three film industries that are accessible globally. However, while other film industries of the world are churning out narratives that positively promote their cultural and political ideologies, the Nigerian film industry seems not to be passionate about giving ou...
African Theatre 18, 2019
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe a... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival (masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude between the carnival and the masquerade performances in areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional spectacular display results in major events that will continue to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe a... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival (masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude between the carnival and the masquerade performances in areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional spectacular display results in major events that will continue to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines
A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in Nigeria has led to what I describe ... more A marked shift and transformation in indigenous festivals in
Nigeria has led to what I describe as the ‘carnivalization’ of
cultural festivals. To explore this cultural change, this article
examines costume and mask utilization in the Abuja Carnival
(masquerade events) and the performance vagaries attached
to it in its 2007 and 2008 editions. I argue that the similitude
between the carnival and the masquerade performances in
areas such as dance, music, costuming, masking, processional
spectacular display results in major events that will continue
to grant carnival and masquerade arts the desired popularity
in Nigerian cities at the expense of its ritual undertones.
EJOTMAS: Ekpoma Journal of Theatre and Media Arts
Theatre practice in Nigeria like the world over is in a state of constant flux due to the ever em... more Theatre practice in Nigeria like the world over is in a state of constant flux due to the ever emerging new trends. New concepts, styles, forms are continuously on demand as a result of the insatiable human tastes in performance and coupled with a civilization in which technological advancement and human creativity are not left out in its wake. The emergence of the social media has come to add more pressure on the live theatre from where the film medium stopped. Nigerian theatre patrons and sponsors have little or nothing to do again at the theatre at least, not with mobile phones such as i-phones, i-pads, tabs, blackberry and android, serving as forms of entertainment on the go. Therefore, wooing and keeping the live theatre audience will take extra energy and this can only be achieved if the visual appeal trend is revolutionized with a quantum deployment of visual aesthetics. The beauty of play production is ensconced in visual symbolism since theatre communication makes use of tw...
The European Journal of Humour Research
Masking is a phenomenon that is traced to almost all human ages. From its prehistoric and primiti... more Masking is a phenomenon that is traced to almost all human ages. From its prehistoric and primitive narratives in Africa, its dramatic beginnings in ancient Greece and Rome, to its use as forms of character delineation in the commedia dell’Arte of the 16th and 18th century Europe, as well as its age long association with carnivals due largely to its analogous to humour and entertainment. Masking, as comic as it may seem, has been critical of humanity’s social dispositions from time past. As humans, the façade of the mask is a leeway to speak truth to power and also an opportunity for the performance of self in ways that are at variant with the real self. As topical as the activities of the masquerade are to the society, no academic quest has been directed to investigate how humour and satire have always been associated with the masquerade. Following the social criticism, humour and entertainment which have become evidently inherent in the emergent stand-up comedy, scholars have dire...
OGIRISI: a New Journal of African Studies, 2016
It is a truism that indigenous theatre performances are an expression of the culture of their hos... more It is a truism that indigenous theatre performances are an expression of the culture of their host community. Like a trademark, the culture on display is an irremovable part of the communal identity. However, as the community makes contact with other cultures, they adopt, adapt and appropriate such cultures to suit theirs without mortgaging their values. This is the case of carnival arts in Nigeria. The Calabar Carnival-a brainchild of the Donald Duke administration in Cross River state of Nigeria-emerged on the Nigerian performance space in the eve of the millennium. Being a performance that thrives on exhibition of culture and parade of outfits, costume becomes of the essence. The thrust of this research, therefore, is to examine the costumes used in Calabar Carnival parade. Employing the qualitative methodology, it was observed that certain costume patterns of the performers violate African values. Much as the carnival art is an imported brand of entertainment, the injection of nudity in the art is un-African. Thus, this study emphasizes the need to adapt all imported cultures to suit the beliefs and attitudes of the host community. Foreigners who perform in the Calabar Carnival, for example, should be costumed to reflect the culture of the Cross Riverians. By so doing, African values would be deepened and exported to the global stage.