Project Abstract

Abstract
The Ngwas Ekpe festival is a traditional celebration among the Efik people of Nigeria, known for its rich cultural significance and elaborate display of costumes. This research aims to explore the functions and relevance of costume in the Ngwas Ekpe festival, shedding light on the intricate relationship between costume, cultural identity, and social cohesion. Through a combination of fieldwork, interviews, and archival research, this study delves into the symbolic meanings embedded in the costumes worn during the festival and their role in preserving and transmitting cultural heritage. Costume in the Ngwas Ekpe festival serves multiple functions, ranging from aesthetic expression to social stratification and spiritual symbolism. The elaborate costumes worn by participants reflect a deep connection to traditional beliefs and practices, embodying ancestral spirits and invoking protection and blessings during the festival. The intricate designs, colors, and materials used in the costumes convey specific messages about the wearer's status, lineage, and role within the community, reinforcing social hierarchies and fostering a sense of belonging among participants. Furthermore, costume plays a crucial role in the performance aspect of the Ngwas Ekpe festival, enhancing the visual spectacle and creating a sensory experience for both participants and spectators. The movements, dances, and rituals performed in costume carry layers of meaning and symbolism, transforming the festival into a multi-sensory celebration of cultural heritage and communal solidarity. The vibrant colors, intricate beadwork, and symbolic accessories incorporated into the costumes contribute to the overall ambiance of the festival, creating a visually stunning display that captivates audiences and fosters a sense of pride and connection to tradition. In conclusion, the study highlights the significance of costume in the Ngwas Ekpe festival as a dynamic and multifaceted cultural practice that serves as a powerful tool for cultural preservation, social cohesion, and identity formation. By examining the functions and relevance of costume in this traditional festival, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between material culture, performance, and intangible heritage in shaping cultural identities and fostering community resilience.

Project Overview

Nigeria offers variety of festivals with sound and rich cultural heritage. The evidences of these festivals are
found in all the geo-political zones in the country which serves as veritable instruments of national integration,
peaceful co-existence and cultural possibilities.
A number of cultural activities exist in Nigeria, which create unique creative spaces for producers of the arts as
well as conducive interactive spaces for tourists and connoisseurs. Many of these cultural activities have been in
practice from time and have given the country an acclaim as being culturally super-active. The cultural activities
in Cross River State are particularly outstanding from those in many other states of the federation as they
showcase diverse creative packages. The state is renowned for its festivals of songs, dances and masquerades at
coronation, marriage, burial, naming, planting and harvesting ceremonies. Cross River State is also popular for
its hospitality and its culinary productivity – many Nigerians would want to have a taste of ‘Calabar’ food.
Tourists also like to visit the numerous cultural and historical sites in Cross River State. While these ceremonies,
tourism potentialities and locations have ever been present with the people of Cross River State in Nigeria, not
much was done to formalize and organize their presentation to diverse international audiences until the year
1999. The administration of Donald Duke at the inception of Nigeria’s 4th democratic era evolved a dynamic
policy to develop the tourism sub-sector as an area of alternative revenue for the state. Part of the plan was to
develop a rich tourism calendar to accommodate more (existing) cultural events and in some cases rebrand and
repackage them for better appeal. The plan was also to accommodate new events that would appeal to the
emerging consumerist culture of the 21st century. So, in all parts of the state there are cultural festivals and
artistic practices that appeal to diverse audiences. There is mountain tourism and recreation in the mountainous
region of Obudu; there are new yam festivals in the agricultural belt; maiden outing ceremonies, water sports
and other art-related events in many communities of the state.

2.1 THE CONCEPT OF COSTUME
Costume is part of actors’ apparatus. It refers to all clothing an individual performing wears in a show, festival or
movie. In a broader sense, costume can be applied in many kinds of performance or media like drama and
dance. The orchestra players wearing white shirt and black suit to perform in the concert hall, they are also
wearing ‘costumes Theatre, television and movie are the medium often showing costume.
Indeed, costume is not garment merely. Jeffrey Kurland (2004), the governor of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences, claims that “costume dominate the foreground action throughout a film, shaping the characters and
thus helping to move the story forward with what one could describe as the visual narratives”. This explanation
fulfills the basic definition of costume. Everything wears by the actor will count on costume? This is another
issue, to distinguish the accessories belongs to props or wardrobe is quite confused. Nevertheless, costume
designer is often much more tend to practical-oriented. The main purpose of wearing costume is to shape and to
enhance the character. Costume is not meant to cloth. Unlikely to fashion, costume is not need expensive to
show how glamorous or fabulous of the people who wear it. Costume is needed to have such glamorous feeling
on screen but it could cost not much. This explains the apparent difference among both of them.
Fashion works on our three-dimensional world but costume is not; film Costume visualizes the actor and helps them to create their character. There are three key qualities in designing the film costume. Color shows the mood and taste; texture shows the economic status; and style shows personality and occupation. Audience get signal from the costume by the shape and color that can be revealed as welcomed or feared. A good costume is able to show the mentality of the character