As a young boy in Shomolu, far removed from his birth culture, I used to be fascinated by the Ekpe masquerade. The lone and scary creature that would just appear on the dusty streets of slummy Shomolu used to hold my fascination.
I would run behind it and try to look into its eyes and be totally amazed by its beauty.
As a grown man, I lost the appeal. Enmeshed in the struggle to survive, I lost my fascination with the Ekpe masquerade and all that came with it.
Then I met Oten Ita. Oten is the beautiful daughter of Retired Justice Ita of the Cross River State Judiciary, and she started talking about the Efik culture and its affinity for the Expe Masquerade and the ceremonies that go with it.
In search of funding for my Play-Ufok Ibaan, I now had a meeting with the inspiring Larry Etah, the former Managing Director at UACN. He invited me to the Akpe Iboku and Etongko Mkpe Uruan Festivals.
According to him, the festival, which was a maiden one organized by Efe Abinde in collaboration with Mme Efe in Uruan, presented very rare and assorted Ekpe in all of its finery, royalty, and splendor.
He further went on to state that the festival provided the younger generation a unique opportunity to witness the significance and roles of the Ekpe masquerade in the culture and traditions of the Uruan people.
Let me just leave you with the excitingly powerful images from the festival.
