Nigeria · Mask / Carnival / Performance Costume Craft
Ijele (also spelled Ijelle); the decorative fabric used is called Ododo
The construction of Ijele, the largest and most monumental masquerade of Sub-Saharan Africa, built by Igbo communities of Anambra State for celebrations, burial ceremonies, and harvest festivals during the dry season. Standing approximately four meters (12-15 feet) tall, the masquerade is built as a colorful cylindrical tower of costly, velvety Ododo fabric stretched over an internal bamboo skeleton, divided into upper and lower tiers by a large central python figure signifying royalty. Its surface is densely populated with carved figurines, animals, trees, market scenes, and human activities depicting a comprehensive cosmology of Igbo life, crowned with mermaid objects and topped by a horse representing majesty. Construction requires roughly a hundred men working for up to six months, combining bamboo-frame artisans, women who weave the cloth strips and textiles, and men who carve the figurines and paint the designs, with the completed mask carriers chosen by ballot and secluded for three months before performance.
Risk level: Endangered · Inscribed 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as 'Ijele masquerade' (file 00194)
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