International Journal of English, Literature and Social Science (IJELS) Vol-2, Issue-3, May – Jun, 2017 https://dx.doi.org/10.24001/ijels.2.3.2 ISSN: 2456-7620 Nigerianess versus Foreigness in the Calabar Festival and Carnival Calabar Endong, Floribert Patrick C. Department of Theatre and Media Studies, University of Calabar, Calabar-Nigeria Abstract— The forces of culture commodification, the positive ones), shared by the culture(s) being cultural synchronisation and modernisation have been exhibited through the events. In tandem with this, a shaping, nay, disfiguring traditional cultural events tourist who attends a typical traditional African festival or staged in Africa. In a bid to modernise and render local a folkloric art event stage-managed on African soil, is cultures more appealing to a western/westernised public theoretically made to watch, enjoy and appreciate diverse of tourists, many African states – particularly their aspects of traditional African art forms notably, tourism planners – have developed the tendency of traditional African dances, folk art, masquerades, copying and superimposing foreign/western concepts to traditional masks, traditional music and textiles among local cultural displays. This paper illustrates this others. Such a tourist may equally be treated to activities phenomenon using the Calabar Festival and Calabar that will expose and advertise various core African Carnival (two popular cultural events staged in the cultural values (communalism, ancestral worship, respect Nigeria’s South-eastern city of Calabar) as a case study. for authority and the elders, hospitality, solidarity, sense Using critical observations and secondary sources, this of sacredness of life, sense of good human relation, sense paper argues that for some years now, “controversial” of the sacred and the sense of language and proverbs and immodest forms of foreign cultures (particularly, among others) [Emeka, 2014; Endong, 2016; Ezenagu & nudity, pornography and lack of morality among others) Olatunji, 2014]. have progressively disfigured the Calabar Festival and In Nigeria particularly, popular cultural events such as the Carnival Calabar. The traditional conservative touch Sango festival and Eyo festival (in Yoruba land), the which used to characterise various aspects of these events Sharo/Shadi festival (in Fulani land), and the new yam has progressively been jettisoned in favour of festival (in Igbo land and South-eastern Nigeria)1 are westernisation (masked with modernisation or noted for their uniqueness and artistic/cultural potentials. glamorisation of culture). While modernist Nigerians These festivals and many others actually exhibit multiple view such a growing influence of western/foreign cultures aspects of traditional Nigerian cultures. No doubt, they on the Calabar Festival and Carnival Calabar as an have constituted major attractions to curious, and index of the inevitable dynamism of local cultures; adventurous foreign tourists and art connoisseurs, visiting conservative Nigerians uncompromisingly sound alarmist the country (Esekong and Ekpenyong, 2012; Eyo 2011; and rightly interpret such a phenomenon as a subtle Ezenagu & Olatunji, 2014; Olutu, Olapate & Ogidi, disfiguration, erosion nay, disappearance of local 2013). Corroborating this observation, Abah et al (2014), cultures. posit that the many and varied festivals staged managed Keywords— Cultural Synchronisation, Culture by Nigerian communities continue to be colourful Commoditisation, Glocalisation, Calabar Carnival, avenues through which the diverse and rich cultural Calabar Festival. heritage of the Nigerian peoples are showcased and celebrated. These festivals unfailingly feature a mix of I. INTRODUCTION artistic presentations, singing and dancing among other Art and cultural events are popularly viewed as vectors creative activities. Each of these diverse Nigerian cultures par excellence of the celebration, exhibition, promotion has one or multiple of its aspects that have “refused to and commercialisation of culture. Events such as lose relevance, in spite of the influences of modernisation festivals, carnivals, art exhibitions and art workshops and Western religions”. In the same line of argument, among others, are fertile forums through which specific Nigeria Jovajo Travels (2016) opines that Nigerian cultural artefacts and industries are encouraged and indigenous cultures and traditions have miraculously exhibited for multidimensional appreciation. Besides survived the onslaughts of western religion and having various commercial components, these events are, modernisation and that the various festivals are veritable in theory, conceived to facilitate the nurturing and peep-holes into the authentic cultural heritage and the potential glorification of various core values (particularly glorious past of the Nigerian people. As succinctly put by www.ijels.com Page | 4 International Journal of English, Literature and Social Science (IJELS) Vol-2, Issue-3, May – Jun, 2017 https://dx.doi.org/10.24001/ijels.2.3.2 ISSN: 2456-7620 the organisation, “there is no better way to explore the cloned after the popular Trinidad and Tobago carnival. rich cultural diversity of the Nigerian people than taking This paper seeks to illustrate how the combined forces of part in the celebration of its cultural festivals. These cultural synchronisation, glocalisation and cultural festivals celebrate tradition, heritage and the rich history commodification have progressively affected the of the people through colourful attires, artistic expositions authenticity of these two cultural and art events, and intriguing traditional rites” (Nigeria Jovajo Travels metamorphosing them from two vectors of the promotion 2016:4). of the diversity of Nigerian cultures to prolific sites of a Though extremely patriotic in nature, the common multifaceted westernisation. The paper is divided into position adopted by Abah et al (2014) and Nigeria three principal sections. The first section provides a Navajo Travels (2016) above, is highly arguable and conceptual illumination on cultural synchronisation, seemingly insincere. To an extent, such a postulation culture commodification and glocalisation. The second could even be described as a hasty generalisation. This is section offers a brief presentation of Calabar Festival and so as it remains observable that the “quasi indomitable” Carnival Calabar while the last section attempts to forces of modernisation, cultural globalisation – examine the two neologisms of Nigerianess and particularly cultural synchronisation, cultural foreignness in the two cultural events under study. glocalisation and culture commodification – have Conceptual and Theoretical Issues progressively affected many aspects of local Nigerian art This section provides conceptual definitions of three and cultural events to the extent that these events do not terms/theories namely cultural synchronisation, culture longer serve as promoters of exclusively local, national commodification and glocalisation. As a neologism, (Nigerian) cultures. (Endong, 2015; Olutu, Olapete & cultural commodification can be defined as a situation in Ogidi, 2013). In effect, thanks to culture commodification which cultural artefacts, or cultural events such as history, and modernism, many of these events (traditional African traditions, folk dances, ceremonies and rituals are viewed festivals or carnivals particularly) are today often as – or simply transformed into - commodities/brands and repackaged and managed according to western or marketed to the tourism industry. This definition draws westernised models. Many have seriously been on the popular conception of commodification as the diminished in terms of authenticity as they now most transformation into commodity of ideas, concepts and often exhibit either an “adulterated version” of local items which originally are not products. It is easily cultures, a “roughly modified and offensive” version of discernible from the above given definitional illumination these local cultures (what Tahana and Oppermann that the phenomenon (of culture commodification) stems [1998:23-30] will call a “pseudo-culture”), or a simply from the market economy paradigm which drives almost westernised version of local cultural idioms. This has all modern societies. In effect, today’s world really been, not without virulent criticism from conservative deserves to be described as a market society, where observers and attendants of these events. In other words, everything is considered in terms of its monetary value in the name of modernism and commoditisation of (everything is commoditised). The Hedgehog Review culture, some of these so dubbed African traditional (2015) defines a market society as one in which market festivals rather celebrate foreign cultures, more than they and its categories of thought have come to increasingly celebrate local/national ones. Their name as traditional dominate virtually all areas of human lives. In such a African festivals is unarguably improper and society, the language of money speaks powerfully in “misleading” since their contents are complexly redefined almost all realms of life. In market societies, everything is or reconfigured, mostly in favour of western cultural commoditised: from sperm to eggs as well as from online values. dating services to human organs. In the same line of The negative cultural diagnostic presented above can, to thought, universities view their services in terms of an extent, be made with reference