BETWEEN HYBRIDITY AND COMMODIFICATION: GLOBALISATION, CARNIVAL TOURISM AND THE CONTESTED HERITAGE OF THE EFIK PEOPLE OF CALABAR, NIGERIA 0 0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.83374/jesber.vol1no2.107Keywords:
Calabar Carnival, Efik culture, cultural hybridity, cultural commodification, glocalisation, South-Eastern NigeriaAbstract
The Calabar Carnival, promoted internationally as "Africa's Biggest Street Party", has since its inception in the early 2000s grown from a state tourism initiative into a globally networked cultural spectacle whose relationship with the host Efik community's traditions remains contested. This study reassesses that relationship through the twin theoretical lenses of Cultural Hybridity and Cultural Commodification, drawing on a mixed-methods survey of 310 Efik residents across twelve clans in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South, complemented by key-informant interviews with clan chieftaincy office holders. Findings indicate a measurable shift in food, dress and nightlife behaviour coinciding with the carnival's year-end calendar, alongside a comparatively modest but statistically discernible incorporation of core Efik performance elements, including Ekombi dance and Ekpe display, into the carnival's main float competitions. Regression analysis identifies traditional masquerade and dance troupe participation as the strongest positive predictors of the carnival's contribution to cultural visibility, while fast-food patronage and imported fashion consumption emerge as the clearest markers of globalisation-driven cultural adaptation. The paper concludes that the Calabar Carnival functions simultaneously as a vehicle of cultural hybridity and a site of selective commodification, and it proposes a set of community-anchored heritage-safeguarding measures for policymakers and carnival organisers.Downloads
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