Odo Masquerade Festival Enugu 2024: Celebrating Igbo Heritage

Odo comes from the word Odomagana, meaning “masquerade” in some parts of Igbo Land. Masquerades are well known among the Igbos, and most regard these as a means of communicating with spirits. In Africa, the living try to have a close relationship with their dead through festivals, and it’s showcased in various masquerades with jam-packed gyrations, dances, and music. Omabe and Odo are the predominant masquerade cults in the Nsukka region.

There is a claim that the two have the same root connecting them to the Ehamufu and Ikem towns. The Odo masquerade is wholly a male-dominated initiative subjugated in great mystery. In some communities, Odo is a traditional governing body and plays a spiritual role.

ODO AND ITS MEANING 

Odo signifies the yellow colour in the Igbo language, made from plants, seeds, flowers, and roots, crushed and mixed with water. The fixative, or dried dust, is used for decoration in cultural arts and is alleged to have a mystical consequence. Odo’s colour also shoulders a divine link with the Odo masquerades. Odo is a broad term for masquerades within the Enugu area, and the mission of Odo is to restore peace to a confusing world. As such, Odo has the authority to discipline evildoers in the community and promote the righteous. Odo is beautified with many colours, predominantly white and black. The colours are imposed on the bright green or yellow background of the omu-nkwu (fresh palm fronds) and constitute the rudimentary regalia for the masquerade.

How the Odo Masquerade is Made

The Neke clans designed the craft and wanted a mask that was intimidating, frightening, and dreadful to behold. The spikes of palm trees are the primary materials used to produce the Odo, particularly the Igu or Omu (Paim leaves or fronds), which are yellowish and tender. They are used primarily to barricade and trim the regions deemed to be consecrated. These yellow palm assegais were used to design the masquerade. Designing the masquerade is demanding. It involves vigour, skills, space, and total commitment. The design is mainly the duty of the youth and is done primarily in the dark when everyone is resting. The skull of the finished Odo is tinted with several colours, such as blue, yellow, red, and black. The foulest of these masquerades is Okuerenkpume (fire consumes, not stone) with a tinted black face. It received this name because it could not be destroyed by fire during the Nigerian–Biafran conflict. According to their belief, the fire gave it a black face. Nchuma and Okuerenkpume, the two warships of the Odo deity, are adorned with feathers and usually fixed with the blood of sacrificed goats and chickens. The head is specially designed with feathers from the tails and wings of chickens.

 

THE ODO SECRET CULT

The Odo divinity functions in a sophisticated undisclosed system. It is in this secrecy that the activities of the Odo cult occur. The masquerades are believed to originate from the world beyond. No price is too small for the devoted members, and no amount is too high to pay to keep the cult together. It is said that women and non-members who behold Odo at night will die. If a woman unintentionally kills a scorpion at home or on the farm, the husband will alert the Odo disciples. They then come with their masquerade, and the woman would be paid penalties of a cock, tubers of yam, and a piece of cloth to bury the scorpion. Odo usually claims that the killed scorpion was his son. The woman in question will not know that her husband betrayed her.

It is fascinating that a few of the penalties or deaths accredited to the Odo’ rage and judgement were exhibited by its disciples or managers who were under oath. To guard their secrets, the Odo cult faithful developed their language. The cult members who devote time to studying the language only know the language. The dialect makes the Odo cult very mysterious because only the Odo in the mask is permitted to speak the language. For no reason should an unmasked member talk about the language except when they are allowed to interpret for offenders who need to pay penalties. Only when in the numerous Odo forests can unmask members speak the language.

ODO FESTIVAL

The odo masquerade festival is a cultural expression that conveys the Igbo belief that the dead are around them and their spirits protect their families and even reincarnate. According to tradition, the festival of Odo is a time when the dead come back to dwell with people in their homes. During this period, the Odo are welcome to visit their previous homes. This period calls for entertainment and sharing of gifts. It is always an emotional time for the people when the Odo must return to their world.

The occasion involves serious preparations and sacrifices. Women are interested in cooking, singing, and dancing during this festival. Friends and well-wishers use this festive period to visit relatives and watch the Odo display in the village playground. The transformation of the death into the Odo before its performance involves chanting the cult language. The festival showcases the various characteristics and sizes of the Odo worn by the faithful. Additionally, the Ijele mask worn every seven years is always an incredible sight. Others come dressed as the elderly, the youth, women, men, children, and even animals.

The elderly Odo adorns himself with a walking stick, beads, and a hand fan that depicts his status. The Okike (the Creator), an ancestral character, comes out of the shrine as the tallest, masquerade moves around the playground to inspect the activities, and then assumes his royal seat. Based on their numbers, the characters representing the youth are security guards. Other characters represented at the festival are foreigners, soldiers, the Ovuruzo (the leader), Ogolimaluihe (the ideal wife), the malevolent Odo, and the evil and good Odo, who all partake in the celebration. The Obilenu music (the one that dwells above) is played on a xylophone, drums, and rattles to grace the occasion. Most songs on this occasion serve to unify the community, while some tend to be more political, addressing current societal issues. Plays are also performed amid the spectators’ cheers of joy.

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Preserving the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Potential of the Odo Masquerade

The Odo masquerade is a piece of cultural heritage that precedes the colonist. After colonization and the advancement of societies, the Odo cult risks extinction. How this generation practices the institution puts its existence at risk. The increase in population and general development of more houses, roads, and over-zealous Christian activities are causing the deforestation of the sacred forest that protects the Odo properties.

The masquerade has enormous tourist potential, generating income for the community and state. For example, its humorous language and dances can be documented and sold. The significant gathering of the masquerade also puts it on the tourist list of the state and Nigeria at large. Nevertheless, the present practise needs to be revisited. It is only then that we can explore the virtues of tourism. The winds of advancement and reconstruction blowing across Africa ought not to wash off a one-time precious and famous cultural heritage.