Hello everyone, I am happy to share this amazing painting with you. This painting shows the beautiful culture of the Ehugbo people in Afikpo North, Ebonyi state, Nigeria.
In the painting, I immersed myself in the creative process of depicting the fine and significant costumes worn by the masquerade.
Title: Eze Lugulu
Medium: Oil colour on canvas
Size: 2.5x4.5 ft (30x54 cm)
Year: 2023
Artist: Eze Joseph (
The Eze Lugulu as the name implies is the king of the masquerades in the Lugulu group ( all masquerade that dresses with ire nkwu).
The Eze Lugulu is a warrior who wears a cape over his shoulders, holds two shields (ota) on each hand which he uses to defend himself from enemies and wears ola on his wrist which he uses to scare away non-initiates of the Ogo cult.
He is also known as Anuma Ehe which is a name given to the type of mask he wears. The mask is a significant one, it has tears in blood form running down his face, it shows grieve of awful past experiences which the society at large have encountered. This mask is specifically known for it's grievance.
On the head, he uses Obeke or Ukpara okuku as it is called by nde ichie to cover and fit the mask very well.
A chick is always attached by the side of the mask to prevent spiritual forces from taking control over the masquerade, which is usually caused by the type of wood used in making the mask.
