Nobody Can Harm You, Nobody Can Charm You: Efik Nnabo Society Masquerades of Calabar, Nigeria

all photos by Onyile Bassey Onyile except where otherwise noted

The Nnabo society is an institution of the Efik people of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Formerly charged with martial duties, Nnabo masquerades today serve various functions—including spiritual protection and public performances to honor deceased members and the Efik Obong, or paramount ruler—while offering a visually rich display of heritage that speaks to a larger complex of masquerade societies previously found throughout the Cross River basin. Here, we address the lacuna in published sources about Nnabo by introducing the primary masquerade characters and their roles based on interviews with society members in Calabar.

Nowadays Nnabo highlights the warriorlike prowess displayed by energetic young men in their attempts to intimidate and frighten onlookers during public performances. That the masquerades seek to inspire fear is no surprise, considering their former roles among the Efik, which included warfare (Figs. 1, 5, 7). Hence, Nnabo connotes the fearlessness and steady vigilance required to protect the dignity and integrity of the Efik people. While a few members in Calabar today might still desire to regain its former power, Nnabo long ago ceded its martial function to government and now performs primarily to honor fellow members during events such as commemorative funerals, or the installation of a new Obong. Nnabo also provides public entertainment at the holidays (e.g., the annual Christmas carnival of masquerades in Calabar), and may perform during private functions.

We were repeatedly told that, prior to the colonial period, Nnabo led the way onto the battlefield during times of confrontation or war. Its masquerades were charged with intimidating the enemy and removing any malignant spiritual forces they may have incurred. In times of peace, certain members—the Nsibidi Nnabo—carried out the executions of condemned persons ordered by the Obong. The Efik phrase nedseo nsibidi refers to the act of execution.

The origin of Nnabo is shrouded in history, although Efik oral history traces it to the region of the Ejagham peoples of the upper Cross River region. According to members of the Owanese group, Nnabo is not an Efik term, but rather is Qua/Ejagham, because they “owned” the word.¹ However, the precise meaning was not proffered because it’s “nsibidi”—that is, a secret. Apart from its general connotation as a “war dance,” members noted that Nnabo also means, “Everybody knows that something happens” or, more succinctly, “Action!” It may be that the group originated with, or was inspired by, a Qua/Ejaham or Efut source, as was the men’s Leopard Society, known as Ekpe amongst the Efik of Calabar (Latham 1973:36; Leib and Romano 1984:48).

The institution of Nnabo is not limited to the Calabar region. A Nnabo masquerade costume seen by the authors at the Oron Museum in 2004 indicates the group is widespread throughout the southern Cross River region. Its label read:

Nnabo, otherwise known as Idem Nsibidi, is very prominent among the people of Ekoi, Quas, Efik of Cross River State, and Idua in Oron area of Akwa Ibom State.

According to the Ibibio scholar A.E. Udoh, the Ibibio of Akwa Ibom State also had a related group called “Nsibidi,” which, like Ekpe, “had secret signs known only to members” (1983:54).² However, unlike the well-known Ekpe society, which is organized by grade and whose members are initiated by invitation, membership in Nnabo is open to any interested person, male or female—but men perform all of the masquerades.

The characters of Nnabo masquerades act aggressively because they were meant to strike terror into the hearts and minds of enemies met on the battlefield, criminals condemned to death under Nnabo’s sword, or those who would threaten the Obong, whom Nnabo is charged to protect. While these sentiments still hold true today, the powerful aura and imposing appearance of Nnabo masquerades mostly serve to intimidate on-lookers rather than martial foes (Fig. 1). Mostly. Because it surprised no one when, in the years immediately following the Nigerian civil...