women in masquerade

The Female Ogbodo Enyi Masquerade of Nkaliki: A Unique Break in Igbo Masking Tradition

In West African masquerade traditions, the role of the masker is overwhelmingly male-dominated, with women largely excluded from direct participation. However, a remarkable deviation from this norm occurred in Nkaliki, an Izzi (northeastern Igbo) village group in present-day Ebonyi State, Nigeria. In 1975, the community oracle, Uke, instructed the women of Nkaliki to organize…