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
- Orji, Bernard Eze. “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.
- Orji, Bernard Eze. “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.
- Orji, Bernard Eze, 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.
- Orji, Bernard Eze. “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.
- Orji, Bernard Eze. “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.
- Orji, Bernard Eze. “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.
CURE RESEARCH PROJECT
Indigenous Rituals as Sites for Cultural Reparation, Revival and Sustainability in West Africa
CURE Research Project 2025/26
BLOG POST
GLOSSARY ENTRY
20 JANUARY 2026
Igbo Rituals
EVENTS ARCHIVE
02 JUNE 2026
Tuesday Seminar series in June
Tuesday Seminar series
18. FEBRUARY 2026
Reimagining Religious Images and Iconography in igbo Indigenous Heritage Sites
Käte Hamburger Lecture