Abstract:
This study evaluates Ma fa Festival performance with particular reference to Elugwu Ezike. The main objective of the study is to highlight the elements of drama and examine the rituals in the festival, trace the history of the festival and show the impact of westernization on the performance of Ma afa festival in Elugwu Ezike. Infra-cultural model in Folklore analysis developed by Alembi which is an aspect of ethnopoetic theory is used in the analysis of data. The methodology employed for this study was fieldwork oriented. It involved participatory observation of the festivals, interviews, documentary analysis, audios, pictures as well as library materials were all used. Chapter one provides the general background to the study. It examines the research problem, research aim and objectives, purpose of the study, the scope and limitation of the study. Chapter two reviews related literatures, theoretical framework and summary of the literatures reviewed. Chapter three presents the various methodologies employed in the study. Chapter four deals with the data presentation and analysis of the three stages of rituals involved in the festival: Ọgọ nne, Ọgo nna, Ọgọ chi, the dramatic elements embedded in the festival such as plot, characters, audience, and setting and the negative impacts of Westernisation on the performance of Ma afa festival in recent times. The findings of the study reveal that Ma afa is an annual festival that is used to venerate the ancestors of the land with new yams and other items. Therefore, the study suggests that there is urgent need for documentation of this cultural festival to avert its going into extinction.
