Journey for African Masquerades

Janet, an international student of African American Studies at a university in Chicago, embarks on a remarkable journey across Africa to witness and document the rich cultural heritage of masquerade festivals. Driven by a deep curiosity and a desire to reconnect with her roots, she travels through several African countries-including her homeland, the Republic of Benin-to explore how these sacred traditions are uniquely celebrated across regions. Her experiences culminate in a powerful and culturally immersive documentation, which she submits as her final-year project.
The book delves deeply into the ritualistic, symbolic, and spiritual elements that define African masquerade festivals. It explores the sacred rites performed before, during, and after each event-including ancestral invocations, sacrificial offerings, and the use of symbolic artefacts such as drums, palm fronds, and carved masks. Readers are introduced to the intricate meaning behind chants, dances, and costumes, revealing how these elements communicate with the living and honour the dead. Masquerades are presented not simply as performances, but as embodiments of history, resistance, memory, and identity.
Through richly detailed narration, the book also reveals how masquerade traditions vary by geography, language, and lineage-yet remain bound by a shared reverence for the ancestral world. From Nigeria's Eyo and Adamu festivals to Tanzania's Makonde masquerades and Benin's Gẹ̀lẹ̀dé rituals, each chapter provides a textured portrait of community life, spiritual symbolism, and intergenerational transmission. The book serves both as a cultural memoir and a scholarly archive, preserving traditions that are often hidden from mainstream discourse.