The European Image in West African Masquerades and Spirit Possession Pubblico

Robinson, Catherine (2010)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/ms35t933r?locale=it
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Abstract

Why do some West African ethnic groups dress up or role-play as Europeans in spirit possessions and masquerades? The theatricality associated with these practices goes hand in hand with a specific ideology. The image of a European as an additional character in masquerades or as a spirit that possesses mediums therefore serves a tangible purpose. Many scholars have long believed that the European image is used in a postcolonial context to reclaim African identity and reject or mock a European presence. The satire of the European is commonly misinterpreted, however, and the use of the European image is much more complex than this reduction. By analyzing the Igbo Ijele and Okperegede masquerades and the Gelede and Egungun masquerades of the Yoruba, the widespread possession cult of Mami Wata in West Africa, and the spirit possession cult of the Hauka in Ghana and Niger, it is clear that these performance rituals use the European or foreign image in a dualistic way that uses play and power symbols equally to portray authority. The use of the European image is used in a myriad of ways to promote a self- identity in these West African groups by identifying what is "Other," and by extension, what is the self. Through transgressive and satirical depictions of colonial authority, these societies mock immoral behavior and what they see as European folly. Furthermore, the presence of the powerful colonial figure provides authority to the rituals being performed through mimesis. Clearly, the complex ways in which the image of the European is used in these cultures' rituals deserves more study and understanding than previously given.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents


Introduction………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Igbo Masquerades………………………………………………………………………... 2
Ijele
Okperegede
Yoruba Masquerades…………………………………………………………………… 11
Gelede
Egungun
The Mami Wata Cult…………………………………………………………………… 22
The Hauka Cult…………………………………………………………………………. 32
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 39
Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………….. 49

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