Carnival Calabar: Articulating Africa’s Indigenous Theatre

Regardless of the intrusion of colonization and modernization, many African communities and cities have tenaciously held on to their traditional modes of edutainment entrenched in their Oral traditions and culture. One such mode with an uncanny ability to bring together diverse acts and arts is the Carnival whose roots are deeply etched in popular indigenous drama. Devoid of any scripted text, ephemeral in nature, yet enthralling in presentation, this communal art form held annually in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, has no doubt become the major attraction of the Christmas festivities in the State. Boasting of five bands alongside Masquerade displays, the Bikers Parade, Children’s Theatre, Choreography, Music, Cultural Processions, Dance troupes, Acrobatic sketches and talent hunts, this week long event draws its stylistic appeal from the interconnectivity between content and form, the past and the present, artists and audience, arts and reality. Rightfully earning itself the moniker ‘Africa’s Largest Street Party,’ this communal theatre, no doubt is one huge ensemble of visual splendor achieved via a framework of indigenous performative expressions that have emanated from the Efik culture to gain prominence as a global performance steeped in the dynamics of total theatre. As such, in recognition of all of these, this paper unravels and examines those defining characteristics of indigenous theatre, that continually imbues Carnival Calabar with its aesthetic and contemporary relevance.

Keywords: Carnival Calabar Indigenous Drama African Theatre Performance

Author

• Offiong Amaku Ene
  Department of Languages and Linguistics
  Arthur Jarvis University
  Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria
  offyene@gmail.com
  +2348055640518