god's masquerade show

Africa cultural groups

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Cultural
• Festival

[EKPIKOT]

It is definitely not Igbo. It did not copy anything from Igboland. If at all, the neighboring Igbo clans Ngwa and Umuahia etc., have copied "masquerades and bought masks from the Raffia Industry in nearby Ikot Ekpene. As a youngster, I drummed for a similar group. It is a complete Annang Orchestra.

[EKPIKOT]

To end all the speculation, this is the Ekpo Masquerade dance troupe from Afaha Obong Village in Abak, Akwa Ibom State. This is pure Annang culture. Period. It is not Ibibio, It is not "Calabar" nor anything else. Pure Ekpo Annang. I went to Secondary School in the Afaha Obong Village 1978-83. My village is 7 miles away. The incantation is in the Annang language. The talking drums "speak" Annang!!! not Igbo.

[EKPIKOT]

True.

[nnamdieze87]

They represent the spirits of our ancestor, also for a bountiful harvest season

[Kenx95]

This is definitely not Igbo ekpo. Chai, the guy didn't even dance in the manner that Igbo Ekpos dance

[EKPIKOT]

Joy, you are right. I believe it was an error in identification.

[Joy1152]

na waaaa ohhhhhh ahaha no b small thing ohhhhhhh chineke dis thing way dey show here no b from where im from chai

[EKPIKOT]

@PoisionedSweets

You are wecome. I teach Philosophy and Comparative Religious Studies locally. If you have deeper questions about African culture in general or the spirit world as manifest within the African Diaspora, you can ask. Here are my particulars: ekpikot4@yahoo.com

[PoisionedSweets]

@EKPIKOT

thanks for the information! I'm studying african art at university (just one course) and it's very interesting. :)

[EKPIKOT]

@PoisionedSweets

Do the masks represent the deceased (ancestors?)? Or do they represent particular gods/deities?

It depends. Ekpo literary translates as GHOST. So they are the ghosts of our people who come from the world of the ancestors to "commune" with the living. Some scholars refer to the ancestors as the world of the living dead. Some masquarde "carry" special powers and there is a generic understanding that they stand in the crossroads of the forces of life.

[EKPIKOT]

@PoisionedSweets

Does each mask have its own drum rhythm?

Yes. Each masquarade has a particular drum beat or rythmn. For instance, there is a softer women dance beat for the "female" dancer, there is a different beat for the handicapped dancer (the beat translates as- Inyion ekpo k'uto idang k'urua" - handicapped ekpo do not shoot off your arrows in the market place - of course the masquarade fires away! though his arrows are blunt ended)