Aesthetic of Costume and Colours in Idoma Masquerade performances
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Date
2014
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Department of the Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
The culture of a people emanates from the belief in their world
which is woven round the natural factors and the imaginary make believe
to form the basis of their existence. In most Afican societies, these
believes are accompanied by catharsis, be it religious, social or political to
serve the need of the people or to achieve societal goals. Hence, cultural
performances provide core explanations for man/spirit relationships. This
principle also applies to Idoma people of Benue State, Nigeria. Through
artisanal means, in the words of Anyebe (2012, p. 453), the physical and
the metaphysical componential parts of Idoma universe mesh together and
the reasonable definiteness sought after in the pantheon is the fulfillment
of man's wellbeing. These performances involve the people to invoke and
achieve believability through the use of elements such as music, dance,
drama, makeup, costumes, colours and props. This in turn gives the Idoma
masquerade performance a total perception on how it is aesthetically seen,
interpreted and understood. In this discourse, we examine the functions
that costumes and colours play; its meaning and how it has been use to
enhance Idoma masquerade performance as it gives identity and better
understanding to the people.
Description
Keywords
Aesthetics, Masquerade, Costume, Colour.