Bernard Eze Orji is a cultural data expert and activist, a former head of department and a distinguished academic and researcher in theatre arts. He earned a PhD in masquerade and carnival arts, from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Currently, he is serving as a senior lecturer at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Nigeria. With a keen interest in African performance traditions, cultural studies, and theatre history, he has made significant contributions to the study of indigenous art forms and their evolution. His research focuses on the intersection of tradition and modernity, particularly examining how African performance aesthetics and cultural expressions like masquerade and ritual performances have transformed over time. By linking traditional practices to modern expressions, his research offers insights into cultural resilience and adaptation, informing broader discussions on innovations, digitalisation, and preservation of cultural heritage.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- “Looking Back in the Present: Reevaluating African Identity and Spirituality Through Casting Roles in Initiation Rites of a Nigerian University”. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 20 June 2025. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14682761.2025.2522005.
- “Ọkụmkpọ́ Masquerade as Theatre Performance in Akpoha-Afikpo Cross River Igbo Area of Southeastern Nigeria”. Journal of African Cultural Studies, 12 February 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/13696815.2025.2449892.
- With Onyebuchi Nwosu and Sylvanus E. Oko. “Incarnations of the Spirits: Carnivalesque Elements of Igbo Children’s Ekpo Masking Performance”. Folk Life 61, no. 2 (2023): 174–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/04308778.2023.2250176.
- “Carnival and Afikpo Njenje-Masquerade: Examining an Indigenous Tradition in a Postmodernist Parade Performance”. South African Theatre Journal 36, no. 2 (2023): 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/10137548.2024.2377079.
- “Amari-Akaghi – The Knowledge of the Unknown: Women and Masquerade in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart”. Research in African Literatures 53, no. 2 (2022): 148–163. https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/ral.2022.a884544.
- “Humour, Satire and the Emergent Stand-Up Comedy: A Diachronic Appraisal of the Contributions of the Masking Tradition”. The European Journal of Humour Research 6, no. 4 (2018): 24–38. https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/322.
