ABSTRACT
This essay theorizes the Ebira mask practices using the Ekuechi festival of Ebira Tao of central Nigeria. The study is essentially a field work engagement involving participatory observation in the Ekuechi festival performances, recording of these events and oral interviews. The core of this theorization is located around the dual transformation and doubling essence of maskless characters conceived and perceived as masquerades. It is from this phenomenon that we evolved the Facekuerade notion which is meant to capture the non-masked masquerade types, which abound in Ebira masquerade repertory and some other Nigerian and African cultures. From nomenclature to paradigm, the facekuerade notion is derived from the Ebira concept of Eku (the domain of the dead and masquerade), the Ekuechi event and the general understanding of the masquerade motif. Through this understanding, the paper identifies the generic and conceptual distinction between masked and unmasked characters otherwise bound together as masquerades. Consequently, facequerade is, in this paper, recognized as a motif for the purpose of classifying unmasked masquerade characters. The essay concludes by anticipating the Facekuerade concept as theatre because of its performative essence with vibrant ritual process.
