THE HERITAGE RESOURCES OF AFIKPO IN EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF MASQUERADING

Festivals, agents of relaxation in Igboland, are celebrated to commemorate one important event or the other. Festivals have many facets such as mmonwu (masquerading), Iri-ji (new yam festival) and mgba (wrestling festivals). Masquerading is the main focus of this study and serves as one of the greatest festivals among the Igbo. In Afikpo, masquerading is classified into three, namely 'Iri Iko', 'Igwugwu' and Okumkpo. These masquerade festivals are remarkable with one type of activity or the other, with Okumkpo masquerade festival most prominent. The materials for this paper were collected under the principle of survey method from Ozizza, a town in Afikpo. The Afikpo clan is called the Ehugbo after their founder and the total population is approximately 156, 611 (2006 census) with land mass of 204km^2. The masquerade festivals aim to correct ills within the Ehugbo people of Afikpo. The question now borders on its relevance in this modern era considering the fact that the government has put in place various regulatory legal instruments for protecting human rights and curbing the ills of society. This work will show that the relevance of masquerading is not diminished by the modern imports.