Prinspalace:
[center]ENWAN COMMUNITY RECEIVES MORE THAN 5,000 MASQUERADES INTO HER TRADITIONAL FOLD
by Ambassador Prince Dennis Kadiri

History has been made as Enwan Community in Edo State receives more than 5,000 masquerades in a day therefore, becoming the community with the largest panoply of masquerades that appears in a single day, in the world. Enwan is a community that is filled with industrious men and women who are known for their farming prowess and industrial enterprises. The community records the sales of thousands of bags of cocoa annually and boasts of having the best red palm oil in Nigeria. Record has it that the community has the largest farm lands for the cultivation of plantain, cocoa, cashew and other cash crops in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. Enwan has a large mass of farmlands and shares boundary with ten (10) communities.

The community tries to preserve the cultural heritage of the Africa continent and ensures that a synthesis of tradition and modernity is valued in order to secure purposeful growth for her people.

On 28th February, 2020, the community will finally receive and admit the long awaited thousands of masquerades into her traditional fold as established by their ancestors. Enwan Masquerade Festival is celebrated once or twice in a life time. The last time it was celebrated was in 1970. Fifty years later, the community has rolled out its drums to host a new set of masquerades which will surge from the underworld in their thousands.

The masquerades will fully be showcased to the world again from December 27th to 29th when the community will be celebrating their annual Enwan Carnival/Mountain Top Party (MTP).

Traditional chieftaincy titles in Enwan Community are automatically conferred on qualified men who must have taken active parts in any masquerade festival in the community. Such chieftaincy titleholders are expected to have their individual Omuomolhe.

Approximately, it takes more than 40 years before a masquerade festival is organized and celebrated in Enwan Community. The first of its kind that was celebrated at the foot of the Kukuruku Mountain was done in 1931. The age group that celebrated the 1931 Omuomolhe festival was called Umaghame age-group.

In 1970, another Omuomolhe festival was observed in Enwan Community. This was done by Okhitroya age-group. As part of the preparations for their celebration, according to the tradition, OBE heap was heaped on 13th December, 1962. This was after they had done IKPAMI-IKWUKWU rituals.

The age group that is currently qualified to celebrate the festival is called Umareghe Age Group. Members of the Umareghe Age Groups of the three major quarters of the community have all done their Ikpami-Ikwukwu ceremonies. Specifically, the Umareghe Age Group of Imievane quarters did their Ikpami-Ikwukwu ceremony on 1st March, 1993 at Ezekiel Agbaje’s compound in Imievane quarters.

When a titleholder who has performed the necessary rituals of owning an Omuomolhe dies, the person is buried specially by the community. First, the death is not announced until the elders have formally beaten UKPENU band beside his dead body. The Ukpenu band impliedly informs the ancestors that one of their own is on his way to the land of the dead. It is after the leathery mouth of Ukpenu band has been flogged that any member of the grieving family is permitted to cry publicly. No matter how painful the death of the man is to anyone, crying aloud is not allowed until the Ukpenu has confirmed the death and has permitted the people to shed tears. Anyone who cries without the prior permission of the band is penalized and punished by the ancestors.

In Enwan Community, a masquerade owner commands great respect. He is not expected to be fought or abused by anybody in the community. If it is reported that such titleholder is being fought or beaten, the elders intervene immediately, directing members of a lesser age group to angrily storm the compounds of those involved in the beating, to impose quality fines on them. It is expected that when a masquerade titleholder offends anyone, he should be reported to the elders who will call him to order.

After the death of an Omuomolhe titleholder has been confirmed and announced by the Ukpenu band, members of his family meet to decide when it will be convenient for them to prepare their father for burial. As soon as he is laid to rest, various activities are observed to honour him. One of such activities is the Ogu ceremony. This is done only on EYEINA market day.

During the Ogu ceremony, the Omuomolhe or masquerade of the man who had gone to meet his ancestors appears from the underworld and moves round the three major quarters of the community; chasing and flogging children who must have been reported for being stubborn to their parents and elders. As the people dance round the community with the masquerade, dane guns blaze, shattering the air with their blasts, to honour the dead.

When night is about to fall on the earth, the masquerade is expected to be ushered to its eternal home which is called OGWA. Ogwa is the place where the masquerade spends the rest of its life. Ogwa is the sacred home of the masquerade whose owner has gone to the land where there are no records of farming activities and veneration of idols.

There are three Ogwas in the community. Every quarter owns its own Ogwa. The three Ogwas of the community are sited at the top of the Kukuruku Mountain where already paraded masquerades are accommodated and regularly venerated.

It is worthy to note that women who are not commissioned by tradition to relate with the masquerades, stay very far away from the masquerades at all time.

Enwan Community started celebrating masquerade festivals right from the time when they were still in Benin. Before they left Benin City in around 1735 AD, they witnessed the introduction of Odudua Masquerade, which was newly introduced by the then Oba of the land (Oba Eresoyen). It was that same period, the celebration of Ovia masquerade was prohibited in Benin.

Ambassador Prince Dennis Kadiri
Author of Enwan of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (A documentary of the good people of Enwan Community)

Prinspalace:
[center]ENWAN COMMUNITY RECEIVES MORE THAN 5,000 MASQUERADES INTO HER TRADITIONAL FOLD
by Ambassador Prince Dennis Kadiri

History has been made as Enwan Community in Edo State receives more than 5,000 masquerades in a day therefore, becoming the community with the largest panoply of masquerades that appears in a single day, in the world. Enwan is a community that is filled with industrious men and women who are known for their farming prowess and industrial enterprises. The community records the sales of thousands of bags of cocoa annually and boasts of having the best red palm oil in Nigeria. Record has it that the community has the largest farm lands for the cultivation of plantain, cocoa, cashew and other cash crops in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State. Enwan has a large mass of farmlands and shares boundary with ten (10) communities.

The community tries to preserve the cultural heritage of the Africa continent and ensures that a synthesis of tradition and modernity is valued in order to secure purposeful growth for her people.

On 28th February, 2020, the community will finally receive and admit the long awaited thousands of masquerades into her traditional fold as established by their ancestors. Enwan Masquerade Festival is celebrated once or twice in a life time. The last time it was celebrated was in 1970. Fifty years later, the community has rolled out its drums to host a new set of masquerades which will surge from the underworld in their thousands.

The masquerades will fully be showcased to the world again from December 27th to 29th when the community will be celebrating their annual Enwan Carnival/Mountain Top Party (MTP).

Traditional chieftaincy titles in Enwan Community are automatically conferred on qualified men who must have taken active parts in any masquerade festival in the community. Such chieftaincy titleholders are expected to have their individual Omuomolhe.

Approximately, it takes more than 40 years before a masquerade festival is organized and celebrated in Enwan Community. The first of its kind that was celebrated at the foot of the Kukuruku Mountain was done in 1931. The age group that celebrated the 1931 Omuomolhe festival was called Umaghame age-group.

In 1970, another Omuomolhe festival was observed in Enwan Community. This was done by Okhitroya age-group. As part of the preparations for their celebration, according to the tradition, OBE heap was heaped on 13th December, 1962. This was after they had done IKPAMI-IKWUKWU rituals.

The age group that is currently qualified to celebrate the festival is called Umareghe Age Group. Members of the Umareghe Age Groups of the three major quarters of the community have all done their Ikpami-Ikwukwu ceremonies. Specifically, the Umareghe Age Group of Imievane quarters did their Ikpami-Ikwukwu ceremony on 1st March, 1993 at Ezekiel Agbaje’s compound in Imievane quarters.

When a titleholder who has performed the necessary rituals of owning an Omuomolhe dies, the person is buried specially by the community. First, the death is not announced until the elders have formally beaten UKPENU band beside his dead body. The Ukpenu band impliedly informs the ancestors that one of their own is on his way to the land of the dead. It is after the leathery mouth of Ukpenu band has been flogged that any member of the grieving family is permitted to cry publicly. No matter how painful the death of the man is to anyone, crying aloud is not allowed until the Ukpenu has confirmed the death and has permitted the people to shed tears. Anyone who cries without the prior permission of the band is penalized and punished by the ancestors.

In Enwan Community, a masquerade owner commands great respect. He is not expected to be fought or abused by anybody in the community. If it is reported that such titleholder is being fought or beaten, the elders intervene immediately, directing members of a lesser age group to angrily storm the compounds of those involved in the beating, to impose quality fines on them. It is expected that when a masquerade titleholder offends anyone, he should be reported to the elders who will call him to order.

After the death of an Omuomolhe titleholder has been confirmed and announced by the Ukpenu band, members of his family meet to decide when it will be convenient for them to prepare their father for burial. As soon as he is laid to rest, various activities are observed to honour him. One of such activities is the Ogu ceremony. This is done only on EYEINA market day.

During the Ogu ceremony, the Omuomolhe or masquerade of the man who had gone to meet his ancestors appears from the underworld and moves round the three major quarters of the community; chasing and flogging children who must have been reported for being stubborn to their parents and elders. As the people dance round the community with the masquerade, dane guns blaze, shattering the air with their blasts, to honour the dead.

When night is about to fall on the earth, the masquerade is expected to be ushered to its eternal home which is called OGWA. Ogwa is the place where the masquerade spends the rest of its life. Ogwa is the sacred home of the masquerade whose owner has gone to the land where there are no records of farming activities and veneration of idols.

There are three Ogwas in the community. Every quarter owns its own Ogwa. The three Ogwas of the community are sited at the top of the Kukuruku Mountain where already paraded masquerades are accommodated and regularly venerated.

It is worthy to note that women who are not commissioned by tradition to relate with the masquerades, stay very far away from the masquerades at all time.

Enwan Community started celebrating masquerade festivals right from the time when they were still in Benin. Before they left Benin City in around 1735 AD, they witnessed the introduction of Odudua Masquerade, which was newly introduced by the then Oba of the land (Oba Eresoyen). It was that same period, the celebration of Ovia masquerade was prohibited in Benin.

Ambassador Prince Dennis Kadiri
Author of Enwan of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (A documentary of the good people of Enwan Community)