Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies: Home

Abstract:
Igbo people have been entertaining themselves with dramatic performances before the white man came to their environment to sojourn. Their performances include ritual activities at their places of worship which are today the re-enactments of the initial effort to relate with God by their ancestors. Other dramatic performances of theirs are masquerade performances, traditional music and dance, folklore sessions especially at moonlight nights, festivals, wrestling contests and outing ceremonies. All these aspects of their dramatic culture are not in line with the Eurocentirc tradition. As a result, Europeans and highly Europeanized Africans do not accept them as drama as a result of which they mean that Africa had no traditional drama prior to the arrival of Europeans in Africa. It is untrue because so far the culture of a people satisfies the needs of the people, that culture is not only independent but also complete unto itself. This paper that takes a look at different aspects of African drama with respect to the Igbo culture is a study made on survey research. The paper is divided into the introduction, the body and the conclusion.

Keywords: Igbo people, traditional drama, masquerade performances, folklore sessions, dramatic culture.

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