CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
According to Beverly. J. Stoeltje said festival occur at calenderically regulated interval, are public in nature participatory in ethos, complex in structure and multiple in voice, scene and purpose. Festivals bring the group together, and communication about the society itself and the role of individuals in it. In festivals communication can also be done during the following, dance, mime, costumes, makeup and song/music. Festivals also remind the people of their traditions and in resents time also helps in unity among people and the community. According to Risa (2010) to wear clothes a uniquely human behavior, it’s an act that possess great symbolic meaning in a culture and is closely connected to social interaction . Costume and makeup play important role for identification in of a particular people.
According to brockets Oscar (2004) said costume and makeup are symbolic and carrier of information as it concerns the people. Makeup on the other hand plays a complementary role to costume, some makeup practitioners sees it as costuming. Costume and makeup serve as a means of communication in social interactions and also costume and makeup was not only a form of communication, but was also viewed as a symbolic behavior. It also serves to distinguish gender and reflected the different roles the two genders played in the society. The costume and makeup worn speak all about the people and the production they are involved in, it consist the total visual appearance of the character in any performance. It stands as a very important fact of a character and as the strongest elements of the visual sense in a production. Costume and makeup are jewelries, ornaments, accessories, chalks, blood, worn by actors to impersonate a character, and to play a role in a dramatic presentation. To this, Robert Cohen opines that
Costume has always been a major element in a theatrical experience.
It is a vehicle for the dressing up, actors and actresses alike that have
always considered a requirement for a fullest degree of theatrical
satisfaction (147).”
This simply means that costumes transforms an actor or a performer into a petrson that is being portrayed, thereby helping the audience to understand the effectiveness of this actor, as well as his or her role. Asihene(1978) was emphatic that, there is not a single cultural performance that ends without the use of costume or makeup. Indeed costume and makeup in a great sense give us absolute idea about both past and present cultures playing an important role in the socioreligious and political structure in the life of traditional African. It is against this background that the role of costumes and makeup in the Igue and Isiokuo festivals has become the focus of this research.
1.2 Statement of The Problem
There is no festival without costume and make up. In fact, costume and make up give the beauty of the festival. Over the years festival has been a way of cultural exhibition among people in Africa especially Nigeria. Among the festivals in the country, Igue festival of the Benin kingdom has been widely recognized because of the ancestral believe of the richness of the Benin kingdom in culture. Like the way festival represent the culture of the people, so is the costume element of the festival. Costume represents enough cultural message of a particular people. There has really been no documentation about the costuming of the Igue and Isiokuo. Festivals. Many tends to see costume and makeup as they see our daily dressing and fashion. This study will reveals that costume and makeup is different from our everyday wears, because in the Igue and Isiokuo festivals, where by people or the performers tend to imitate the characters they are portraying like masquerade, priest or priestess, warlord or act as a god. And another problem is that costume and makeup is gradually talking another dimension, loosing its sacredness, artistic and aesthetic values, and need to be presented and documented before its vanished or extinction. With the nonchalant attitude of our generation toward festival. Costume and makeup, especially the youths is overwhelming and degrading. Youths no longer research about their own ethics and their culture. They may wrongly misrepresent an ideal costume and makeup all in the name of celebration.
On this note, the research examine the role of costume and make up in Igue and Isiokuo festival celebrations among the Benin people of Edo state.
1.3 Objective of the Study
- To showcase costume and makeup as very important in performance as a first call of attention in a performance, to give character definition.
- To identify and describe the various costume and makeup associated with the Igue and Isiokuo festival and its essence in cultural and educational values.
- To find out the role of specific costume and makeup played in celebration of the festival
- To examine the relationship between costume and makeup and cultural heritage.
1.4 Rationale for the Study
The necessity for this research topic is as a result of the fact that a number of people have limited knowledge on costuming in festival celebration. This research will enlighten researchers and also contribute to knowledge. In response to this, this research work is specifically designed to provide a distinctive elaboration on how costume and makeup play a vital role to attract capacity audience to festival and interpretation of the essence of the festival in a unique way.
1.5 Research Methodology
This study made use of literary and sociological methods of gathering and analyzing data entails the collection of data from documented source such as journal, internet source, textbooks and archival materials. And with use of the secondary source
1.6 Significance of the Study
l The study serve as a reference materials for students and researchers for further studies
l It serves to promote cultural education among the people while creating cultural awareness about African cultural values
l It establishes the tone and style in a performance
l It helps in typing a character
1.7 Limitation of the Study
Financial constraints- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (Internet, Questionnaire, and Interview).Time constraints- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work .
