Governance and associated social roles of masquerades among the Igbo of southeast Nigeria in an era of globalization: A critical appraisal.

Abstract

The objectives of this paper are twofold. First is to verify and document governance and associated social roles played by masquerades among the Igbo of Southeast Nigeria. The second objective is to account for how globalization has impacted on such roles of masquerades over the years and to recommend the way forward. Two social Anthropological methods were combined and complemented library research for optimum results. These are oral interviews and participant observation. The researcher used oral interview delivered in Igbo language to gather information that was later analyzed and integrated. Those interviewed included purposively selected elders, titled men, church leaders, shrine priests, women leaders, community executives, and masquerade cult members. Participant Observation took the form of the researcher personally observing aspects of masquerade activities of Igbo people. Being an initiate of the masquerade cult, the researcher participated in the social functions of the group. The method of participant observation proved particularly useful to this study because it ensured a relaxed environment in which responses or activities of subjects remained natural and genuine given their familiarity with the researcher. The study found that among the Igbo, masquerades perform very important governance and associated social roles relevant to control of social behavior of members of the society. However, the impact of globalization and social change on masquerade roles has been tremendous over the years. Also, urbanization, Western education, colonization and Christian religion have affected the traditional roles of masquerades in a number of ways. Despite the impact of these factors, masquerades have remained resilient and an important feature of socio-political life of Igbo society. Their operations have undergone modifications instead of total decay and are still used in contemporary times. It was recommended, among other things, that activities of masquerades be enshrined in legal status of the Igbo area to strengthen them and protect those who enforce such masquerade rights

Keywords: masquerades, governance, social control, globalization, social roles