Thursday the 11th of November 2022 was yet another chapter for Ibom Heritage Preservation Organisation. A Forum was hosted by the organisation with focus on ‘Masquerades and their influence on Culture’. This was chosen to deeply examine in detail the history, appearances, significance and relevance of the Masquerades in Nigeria.
To that effect, a Twitter Space was promoted and hosted and there was interest from far and wide. Participants contributed their ideas, recalled their experiences and provided insights on ways to sustain the culture of Masquerades. Parallels were drawn with Colonial Festivities and the manner which Europe and even parts of South America/India still maintain and celebrate a wide range of their heritage in that regards.It is widely known that Masquerades play a symbolic role in the formation of traditional institutions especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Organisation sough to bring it home for participants to tell their stories, recount their experiences with Masquerades and suggest ways of preserving same for upcoming generations, especially in today’s constantly evolving society. There was special emphasis on the Ekpe, Ekpo and Eyo Masquerades and practically every relevant information on these Masquerades was dissected . At the end of each Speaker’s time, there were intervals for questions, comments and contributions.
One of the participants Mr. Mfonobong Inyang alluded that Celebrities in society have a huge role to disabuse the minds of people who are scared by erroneously held beliefs about Masquerades being diabolical. He recounted his experiences with some clergymen who demonstrated to their members that Masquerades are not ‘evil’ by joining in their dances so as to encourage people. Another participant, Dr.Jonathan, opined that awareness has to begin at the communal level and maintained that the acceptance will begin from parochial roots before they are projected to the urbanized areas of our societies. Mrs. Oyoenisai Andrew-Essien, another attendee stated that the Forum afforded her a great opportunity to correct some wrong beliefs on Masquerades and encouraged the organisation to continue in that vein.Other participants averred that were entertained and educated on the knowledge, appearances and significance of Masquerades and their relevance in our Cultural affairs. They thanked the Organisation for choosing the Topic and making their time worthwhile.
In closing, Mr Oto-Obong Uwah hinted at a future collaboration with a Movie Agency for a partnership on Netflix which will propagate the Culture of the Ibom People. This generated excitement from the participants even as they looked forward to that.There was also informatiom on the Upcoming Iboku Uruan Ekpe Festival slated for the 28th of December 2022 in Uruan. It was mentioned that Ibom Heritage will be one of the Headline sponsors involved in the event which will be attended from far and near. Participants were enjoined to attend and invite others.
The date and topic for the next forum will be announced subsequently. Kindly stay tuned for more updates on this platform.
If you missed the Twitter space, kindly catch up with the recording of the session and everything that transpired using the link provided in our Bio.
