COSTUME AND MAKEUP AS A VEHICLE FOR CULTURAL EXPRESSION: EYO MASQUERADE DANCE AS A PARADIGM

ABSTRACT

This study deals with costume and make up as vehicles for cultural expression usingEyo Masquerade of the Lagos people as a case study. Arising from the fact that costume and make up are part of mans necessity, helps in differentiating class, age grade, locale of people as well as project and identify the culture of people. This study examined the costume and make up styles of Eyo Masquerade festival heldevery four years or whenever the Oba of Lagos or high prominent personnel dies. Data for the researchwas sourced from interviews with selected custodians of Eyo Adamu Orisa and a review of scholarly literature on the subject. The research reveals that the Eyo Adamu Orisha is a two-sided cultural phenomenon of spirituality and artistic expression that makes use of elaborate and expressive Costumes and makeup. The study therefore recommends that efforts should be made by costumeiers to emphasize values more than profit because, costume is an important tool used by the society to construct their own world and to also document the people's life's experiences.