Anang Masks: The Grotesque and the Beautiful, Staged by the Same Ancestral Society
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Several traditions documented in this book are known for a single mask genre with a single mood. The Anang, who inhabit the Nigerian province of Calabar to the south of the Cross River, are known instead for staging two opposite ones side by side: idiok masks, grotesque and dangerous, restricted to members of the ekpo secret society, and mfon masks, beautiful and reserved chiefly for entertainment. That doubling, one ancestral society commissioning both the fearsome and the beautiful and giving each its own audience, is the throughline worth carrying through this piece. It also explains why the Anang, close neighbors of the Ibibio, the Efik, the Eket, and the Oron, are regarded as the most artistically prolific of all the Ibibio-speaking peoples of the Cross River region, with a masquerade tradition already covered elsewhere on this site through the Ibibio and the Eket.
Who Are the Anang?
The Anang ethnic group inhabits the Nigerian province of Calabar, south of the Cross River, in a region of tropical forest, with the Ibibio, the Efik, the Eket, and the Oron as their nearest neighbors. Farming maize and yam is their main resource. Anang villages are led by a chief elected from the most honorable heads of the important families, assisted by a council of elders, and roads and rivers historically provided the primary routes for commerce and for the movement of technique and know-how between communities.
Ekpo: The Society That Owns the Masks
Anang social life is regulated by three secret societies, which incorporate masks into their annual ceremonies. The most important of these is ekpo, responsible for the cult of the ancestors, who are in turn believed responsible for the welfare of the people. The masks of the Anang are the property of the ekpo, a society that once held considerable political influence. Key masquerade performances take place after the harvest and are considered to mark a visit among humans by the ancestral spirits the masks represent.
Idiok and Mfon: Two Faces, Two Functions
The art of eastern Nigerian ethnic groups is characterized by an absence of uniformity; within the same community, one may encounter different styles employing an identical technique, and it is among the Anang that this variety reaches its most theatrical staging, with a high number of performers taking part in a single masquerade. Masks with grotesque features, called idiok, are considered dangerous and may be viewed by ekpo members only. Masks embodying the “beautiful” spirit, called mfon, serve principally as entertainment and can be seen by the wider community. The pairing of the two, restricted terror and public delight produced by the same society for the same annual cycle of performances, is what the Anang are best known for among the Ibibio-speaking peoples of the Cross River.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “Anang” mean or refer to?
Anang is an ethnic group inhabiting the Nigerian province of Calabar, south of the Cross River, closely related to and neighboring the Ibibio, Efik, Eket, and Oron peoples.
What is ekpo?
Ekpo is the most important of three secret societies regulating Anang social life, responsible for the cult of the ancestors and for owning and staging the Anang masks.
What is the difference between idiok and mfon masks?
Idiok masks have grotesque features, are considered dangerous, and may be viewed only by ekpo members. Mfon masks embody a “beautiful” spirit and serve principally as public entertainment.
Why are the Anang considered the most artistically prolific of the Ibibio-speaking peoples?
Anang masquerades feature the most theatrical staging in the Cross River region, involving a high number of performers, and their communities show a wide stylistic variety even within the same technique.
See also: Ibibio Masks: The Beautiful Dead and the Ugly Dead, Dancing on Separate Nights · Eket Masks: The Policemen Who Answer to No One But the Dead · African Masks by Region and Tribe
