PERFORMING EFIK IDENTITY IN THE CALABAR CARNIVAL: DIRECTORIAL COMPOSITION, ACTING AND SEMIOTIC NEGOTIATION 29 19
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.83374/jesber.vol1no2.50Keywords:
street theatre, spectacle, performance semiotics, Efik identity, directing, carnival performance, Calabar Carnival, actingAbstract
This study examines the Calabar Carnival as a large-scale performance text in which Efik identity is selected, directed, embodied and circulated through costume, music, choreography, acting, float design and audience participation. It interprets the field data through the combined perspectives of theatre directing, performance studies and social semiotics. A mixed-methods case-study and survey design was adopted. Through purposive sampling, 335 participants were selected from 12 Efik clans, and 293 usable responses were obtained. Data were generated through structured and open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and oral narratives, and analysed using descriptive statistics, correlations, analysis of variance, multiple regression and thematic interpretation. Carnival performance recorded a high mean score (M = 3.40) and was strongly associated with year-end celebration (r = .80), whereas its reported relationships with Efik melodies (r = .10), choreography (r = -.20) and attire (r = -.50) were weak or negative. Tinkoriko, Ekpe, Ekombi and Abang emerged as the most statistically salient cultural elements in the carnival float. The findings further show that the carnival amplifies nightlife, fast-food consumption and foreign clothing more strongly than Efik cuisine, dress and the fattening-room tradition. The study argues that the carnival operates as a distributed directorial system and a contested semiotic arena: it increases the visibility of selected cultural signs while also re-scripting them within commercial and global performance codes. Sustainable carnival practice therefore requires cultural dramaturgy, performer-centred rehearsal, semiotic auditing, community participation and stronger links between spectacle and the everyday life of Efik heritage.Downloads
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