FACEKUERADE THEATRE AND TECHNICAL AESTHETICS OF EBIRA EKUECHI FESTIVAL IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Facekuerade model, propounded by Sunday Enessi Ododo, is a new theatre theory that puzzles theatre scholars within and outside Africa. The facekuerade theatre evolved from the customary and conventional masquerade theatre model. It identifies the place of the 'face and the 'mask' in 'camouflage effect, in African festival theatre, and stands as a challenging theory in contemporary scholarship. An appraisal of Ododo's thesis exemplifies the place of a scholar in his or her society. In reviewing the thesis, this article holds the view that the indigenous theatre aesthetics of the Ebira people is well articulated by Ododo in the facekuerade model, a similitude of Eku'rahu's performance in Ekuechi festival. This has illuminated the possibility of expanding, discovering. and theorising new forms of traditional theatre in Nigeria, specifically, and Africa in general. The paper, therefore, suggests that the incorporation of this homemade model into the fold of contemporary theatre helps to cushion the effect of neo-colonialism on African theatre. Other models of this nature, reflective of the factual African theatre and its functionality, should be investigated and encouraged to evolve with a view to filling the vacuum created by the dearth of theories of African theatre.