Gender, Mask and Communication: African Ikeji mask festivals of Aro and diaspora

Abstract

This book is about festival performance and how it works with the cultural nexus of a patriarchal culture. Such a culture is that of the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria and such a nexus is the mask-character or masquerade produced by clubs of privileged men. Organizers of mask performances usually operate in secret cults and their productions are usually shrouded in mystery, but this book has broken down walls of exclusion and incomprehension by unraveling the mystery of the mask performance to delineate its characteristics and engage its gender dimension. Drawing from extensive field work, library and archival research, the book deals with many subject areas, such as oral tradition, folk drama, women and gender,