The Centre for Memories, Enugu on Saturday started a contemporary art exhibition of Igbo masquerades, Ikengaonline reports.
The Executive Director of the centre, Mr Iheanyi Igboko, said that the exhibition was part of its efforts to document the history and culture of the Igbo nation.
Igboko said that the move became necessary following the penchant by the contemporary society to demonise the masquerade culture, especially, in Nigerian movies.
The executive director said that masquerades were important aspect of the Igbo culture with spiritual importance.
“It is our responsibility to tell our stories the way they should be because masquerades play cultural, social and spiritual roles in Igbo land,” Igboko said..
Also, the exhibitor, Mr Chuma Anagbado, said that the exhibition which would last for one month was meant to promote the spirituality of the Igbo race.
Anagbado, who is a visual artist and designer, said that the masquerade culture was something the Igbo people had to be proud of.
He said that the focus on the masquerades was because of their spiritual significance in Igbo land.
“The aim of the exhibition is to show that our culture is not evil and we should be proud of what we have.
“Masquerades sit as a portal between the living and the dead. In Igbo nation, we do not believe in the dead going awaybecause we believe that people live forever.
“So, this is me bringing our ancestors to join us in our festivities and in the day-to-day running of our communities. It is part of our sociocultural construct,” Anagbado said.
In a goodwill message, Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, commended the promoters of the exhibition.
Aroh, who was represented by the Head of Publication of the ministry, Mr Ossy Ogboso, said that such programme needed to be sustained for the sake of posterity.
Ikengaonline reports that the first exhibition featured masquerades, costumes and musical instruments indigenous to the Adazi-Nnukwu Town of Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra.
Among the masquerades on parade were the largest masquerade in Igbo land called Ijele, Ogbunaikenga, the acrobatic masquerade that carries the strength of the community.
Others are Nne Mmanwu (the masquerade matriarch), the tilted and very rich masquerade that performs solo called Ogalanya Aboma and the tallest masquerade on stilts known as Izaga.
The theme of the exhibition is, “Mmuo (spirit): Igbo Masquerading, Spirituality, Performance and Visual Resonance.
