Across Anambra, masquerades such as Agaba, Okwomma, Ulaga, Igaliga, Ajibuusu, Achakwu, Ikpachi, Wonder, Ekete, Okworocha and Atu are widely known, alongside deeply mystical forms like the fearsome Ajo Ofia and the long-necked Oza Ebune masquerades, which appear mainly in village squares across Ihiala, Ogbaru, Ekwusigo and Nnewi South Local Government Areas… Setting aside a few evenings to savour these masquerade performances is, therefore, a highly recommended Yuletide indulgence. ‘Onwa Dezemba’ is all the richer for having Igba Mmanwu at the heart of its cultural programme
By Chuka Nnabuife | ANCISRO
OUR reasons for visiting places — even during Yuletide homecomings — are varied and often overlapping.
Sometimes it is curiosity about geographical marvels that blends with the desire to reconnect with memory or the simple craving for inspiring locations. It could be to satisfy a yearning that remains constant within us. At the heart of it, almost all humans share an impulse: to encounter something fresh, novel and, at times, historic.
In Anambra State this Yuletide, residents and visitors alike are being offered precisely such historical experiences, alongside a rich array of cultural staples that speak to both pleasure and understanding the real meaning of life through ‘Onwa Dezemba’ festivities.
In ‘Onwa Dezemba,’ the state’s carefully curated end-of-year and New Year cultural menu, the period, Boxing Day through Sunday, 28 December, is dedicated to masquerading across major urban centres such as Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwuluobia. Designated as days of Igba Mmanwu — masquerade performances — these dates provide a public stage for some of the artistic traditions that have long distinguished Anambra State on the global cultural map.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognises Anambra for its rich masquerade heritage. Foremost among these is the Ijele, a monumental performance masquerade that symbolically links the living, the dead and the unborn. Inscribed as a world cultural heritage, Ijele is complemented by other internationally acclaimed performance forms rooted in the state, including Atilogwu and Egedege. The Igba Mmanwu dates thus invite audiences to step into Anambra’s streets to witness living spectacles, while also becoming participants in the world history they represent. As a UNESCO-endorsed “World Living Heritage of Collective Memory and Cultural Tourism”, an Ijele performance transforms the spectator to part of that collective memory.
To appreciate the place of masquerades among the Igbo — and particularly among Ndi Anambra — a brief exploration of what Ijele represents as both art and value system is instructive.
Across many societies, culture endures not solely in monuments, but in living practices that embody a people’s worldview, ethics and social organisation. Among Ndi Igbo of South-Eastern Nigeria, the Ijele masquerade stands as one of the most profound expressions of such living heritage. Far more than performance, Ijele operates as a symbolic system through which community memory, social order and ancestral authority are distilled into a single artistic form. UNESCO recognises it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of outstanding global significance and as a potential pillar for sustainable cultural tourism and heritage policy.
Aesthetically, Ijele uniquely embodies collective identity through its scale, structure and symbolism. Philosophically, it is known as Nnukwu Mmanwu — the great masquerade. Towering several metres high, it dominates the performance space, reflecting its status as the moral and cultural apex of masquerade traditions. Its multi-tiered construction mirrors Igbo cosmology, symbolising the interconnected realms of the ancestors, the living community and future generations.
Adorning Ijele’s expansive costume are miniature figures representing artisans, traders, leaders, animals and other elements of everyday life. These figures are not decorative flourishes; they are statements of inclusivity, affirming that society is whole only when every role is recognised. In this sense, Ijele functions as a moving archive of communal life and shared values.
Notably, Ijele is not an aggressive masquerade, yet it embodies unquestioned authority. Its slow, deliberate movements and measured rhythms symbolise restraint, wisdom and order. This reflects a core Igbo political philosophy in which legitimacy derives from consensus, moral standing and communal respect, rather than coercion.
Ijele, therefore, is simultaneously a cultural institution, a philosophical statement and a living archive of Igbo civilisation. By offering tourists and holidaymakers the opportunity to engage with such icons, Anambra State presents a compelling model of how tradition, creativity and community governance intersect within the convivial spirit of the season.
Yet Ijele is only one strand in Anambra’s vast masquerade repertoire. Long before modern cultural policy and UNESCO listings, Igbo masquerades had already confounded colonial observers who described them as “uniting sculpture, costume, music and dance into a single, highly organised art form.”
Some Anambra communities own over a hundred masquerade forms. The excitement is that they all have unique dance patterns and peculiar drumbeats. They are performed by very proud age grades members, families or clans and other social groups. In same manner, there are families known for distinct art in masquerading, such as mask-carving or costume creation or facilitating the ease-of-performance of given masquerades. In Umuoji, Idemili South Local Government Area, for instance, the annual Uzo Oyi festival in March features more than sixty masquerades, appearing as wild beasts, giant birds, lions, tigers and elephants, among others. Many communities across the state maintain their own distinctive masked traditions, often accompanied by memorable dance forms performed by energetic young men.
Across Anambra, masquerades such as Agaba, Okwomma, Ulaga, Igaliga, Ajibuusu, Achakwu, Ikpachi, Wonder, Ekete, Okworocha and Atu are widely known, alongside deeply mystical forms like the fearsome Ajo Ofia and the long-necked Oza Ebune masquerades, which appear mainly in village squares across Ihiala, Ogbaru, Ekwusigo and Nnewi South Local Government Areas.
Indeed, through the ‘Igba Mmanwu’ session of the ‘Onwa Dezemba’ fiesta Anambra State’s Solution Government of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo delves into a seldom projected property of Igbo identity and values — masquerades. The early 20th century Anglican missionary and ethnographer, G. T. Basden who lived among the Igbo for decades and wrote extensively about their culture. In ‘Among the Ibos of Nigeria’ (1921), acknowledged the richness of Igbo music, dance and ritual art, even while writing from a missionary worldview. His words: “The Ibo people possess a natural sense of rhythm and music which finds expression in their dances, chants and festivals. Their ceremonies are marked by a remarkable combination of colour, movement and sound.”
Setting aside a few evenings to savour these masquerade performances is, therefore, a highly recommended Yuletide indulgence. ‘Onwa Dezemba’ is all the richer for having Igba Mmanwu at the heart of its cultural programme.
* Nnabuife, author and Managing Director of Anambra State Civic and Social Reformation Office (ANCISRO) writes from Awka
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