Traditional Religious Festival As Theatre By

Abstract

Oro’ is a secret society whose cultic ceremony is connected with ancestral worship. Its festival performances begin with the offering of sacrifices in the shrine known as ‘Igbo Ooto’ (Oro grove).

Though women and the uninitiated are forbidden to witness certain aspects of the proceedings, the ritual amongst the Yoruba people of Southwestern Nigeria is embellished with songs and dances.

The purpose for studying this aspect, however, is to deduce how the indigenous practice can act as a guide towards what constitutes theatre to the African in comparison with that of ancient Greek’s or
other European traditions.

To further this study, we shall divide it into different phases: