External Factors

Apart from the inherent features within the texts, several external factors also contribute to the general structure of libation performance appreciation. These factors are, but not limited to the followings:

4.2.4.1 Voice of the Artist

This is an important aspect of narration. In storytelling, poetry, chants, among others, the voice quality of the artist goes a long way to captivate, sustain and retain the audience‟s attention. Similarly, in Ibibio libation performance, the high pitched voice quality of the artist is an asset to his audience. Onukaogu and Onyerionwu (2009) avow that “several resources of performance such as facial gestures, body movements, voice manipulation etc., which all contribute to raise the aesthetic quality” in any African oral art performance (77). It is believed that such a high tone penetrates the depth to move the deities and spirits into desired action, unlike the sluggish, dull voice.

Since there are obvious differences in the content of each orally presented text, each performer seizes every opportunity to exploit and explore various kinds of literary effects which aim at portraying his mastery of his literary environment. Even when the same performance is required of the same artist on a different occasion, he ensures that his voice quality, facial gestures, movements and gaits as well as his entire performances vary in the different contexts. Transcription/Rendition of the voice quality cannot be reflected in the analysis here; this in essence confirms the inadequacy of the print media to capture the aesthetics of oral performances.

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Although most genres of oral art specifically demand the use of special language, each artist must possess the keen ability to select his lexicon appropriately to reflect his purpose. The chants of a priest at the point of invocation must go beyond the normal day-to-day speech pattern to delight his audience as well as identify him as a

“powerful” instrument of the deities. The choice of sensitive honorific phrases is equally an admirable asset to the artist.

4.3 Stylistics and Aesthetics of Ibibio Libation Texts 4.3.1 Stylistic Effects in Ibibio Libation Performances

Libation as a traditional performance among the Ibibio is a creative verbal expression which is highly dramatic and picturesque in form; it thrives on honorific and awe-inspiring lexical items. Akporobaro (2004) asserts that “the offering of libation to a God often involves a highly literary use of language” (59). Sainte Beuve, one of Matthew Arnold‟s heroes says that style is the man while George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon declares that the style is the man himself. In order to display competence and skills in every performance, both as a means to sustain his credibility and to impress this audience, every oral artist must adopt some stylistic tools in his performance. In this vein, Ibibio libation performances studied hereunder demonstrate the stylistic effects in attempt to mirror their literary prowess.

4.3.1.1 Opening Formula and Salutation

Every Ibibio libation performance begins with greetings. Salutation is thus a gesture of greeting and welcoming somebody to the present field of discourse. It implies recognition and acceptance to fellowship. For instance, the opening formula is an acceptable form of salutation and it is highly invocatory:

Performer: Àbàsì ányọñ, àbàsì ísọñ, Mmè èté èté yè mme ndem ísọñ Akwa Ibom nnyin: Ètéfia Ìkònò,Ùkánà Òffót, Àwà ĺtàm, Ùdoè Ókù, Ànyààñ Ńsìt, Ńdém Ùruàn Ìnyàñ, Ìtinna Ìmàn, Itauma Ekid, Ana-ntia Ibiono, mmọn sé ńtíóyó ye mmọn sé mmi‟tíóyóké,

Translation: The most High God, our divinity below, the good spirits of our fathers and forefathers of our clan: Ètéfia Ìkònò, Ùkánà Òffót, Àwà ĺtàm, Ùdoè Ókù, Ànyààñ Ńsìt, Àtàkpọ spirit of Uruan, Ìtinna Ìmàn, Itauma Ekid, Ana-ntia Ibiono, and those of whose names I do not remember.

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This opening formula runs through all Ibibio libation performances, although not always in this strict order. There sometimes occur some variations in the order in which the deities are mentioned, depending on the clan of the performer. Most often, Ukana Offot, Awa Itam and Etefia Ikono take the lead while other deities could be mentioned in whatever order the performer is conversant with. The names of the ancestors too change, depending on the type of performance.

4.3.1.2 Appreciation

This is an expression of gratitude for a perceived favour. This is another affirmation of the people‟s worldview of proper behavioural pattern; the Ibibio worldview supports gratitude for every good disposition received. During the Ibibio libation performances, the performer is conscious of earlier favours and blessings received from the divinities through the ancestors. The Ibibio believes that in order to be favourably disposed to the deities, one must always show gratitude to the goodness of the ancestors‟ supplication to the Almighty on their behalf. In the following selected libation performances, one notices profuse attempts by the performer to please the deities before new requests are presented to them:

Performer: Àfíd mbùfò esehe ‟dá yè ǹnyìn, ìdí ìdí wọñ k‟ubọk ńnàsià do o o (ọduọk ukọd ke ubọk nnasia).

Translation: All you good and supporting spirits come and drink

from our right hand (pours some wine with the right hand).

(Text 4: lines 69-70).

Performer: Mbùfo mmè àbàsi ǹnyìn k‟ ísọñ yè mmé èté ǹnyìn, ádò mbùfò èkédaha yè ǹnyìn tọñọ ké ayio mmè èté ǹnyìn, ákpọsọñ Enọkọn.

Translation: Ye deities of our land and our forefathers who have stood by us since the days of our founding father - the

„Great Enokon‟

(Text 4: lines 77-79).

4.3.1.3 Reassurances and Interaction

Another stylistic effect that one quickly observes in Ibibio libation performances is reassurance and the desire to interact with the ancestors and deities. The performer(s) shows(s) the eagerness to be reunited with the ancestors and interact with the deities in their human activities. This, of necessity, reinforces the people‟s belief in the world of the dead, the unborn and the living as continuum:

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Performer: Ọnọ ówò mkpọ obo náññá mkpọ ifọn Yak ndad ѐtòk mbùfò ѐdíkéré ké ami ñk‟ọnọ ḿbùfò ibọk.

Translation: He who blesses another, seeks fortune. Let me take a little of what I have given to you so that you know that I have not given you a poison.

(Text 2: lines 30-32).

Performer: Ké ínì ínèmèsìt mmè ìyádèsìt, mbùfò ese edo étó íbèdèdèm ǹnyìn,

Translation: In times of celebration and sorrows, you are our pillars of support.

(Text 3: lines9-10).

Performer: Se inọ ḿbùfò k‟ami nnyʌñ nwọñ ami o o o!

Translation: What I have offered to you is what I am also drinking!

(Text 3: lines 60-61).

Performer: Sé inọ mbùfò ídóhó íbọk mkpà, pà anyé k‟ ǹnyìn mmè adu-uwèm ìnyʌñ ìnwọñ, ìbọ, ìnwọñ o o o!

Translation: We have not given you poisoned drink but what we, in the land of the living also drink, please take and drink too.

(Text 4: lines 89-91; Text 5: lines 62-64; Text 6: lines 62-65; Text 7: lines 76-79).

This act of sharing is a kind of communion that tries to blend the secular and the spiritual worlds into one.

4.3.1.4 Recollection/ Memory

The style of recollection borders on the people‟s understanding that life is not lived in a vacuum; there is a link between actuality and what is expected. In the Ibibio libation performances, the performer recalls the benevolence of the past, which is their source of hope and encouragement:

Performer: Àfíd ǹdùfò ésèhé ‟da yè ǹnyìn, mmọn sé ńtíóyó ye mmọn sé mmi‟tíóyóké, ìdíwọñ dó k‟úbọk ńnàsìà dó o o!

Translation: All you good and supporting spirits, the ones whose names I remember and the ones that I do not recall come and drink from our right hand.

(Text 3: lines 48-50; text 4: lines 69-71; Text 5: lines 23-24; Text 6: lines 32-33; Text 7: lines 71-72).

Performer: Sia ǹnyìn ima‟si dàk íkíd mfọn á‟ mbùfò èséhè fọn ké m‟úsèn édèm,

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Ńko sia ákéna-nam áyín ísíbeññeke èté unam ǹdíín èté ánọ údʌk íkọd,

Translation: It is because we often recall your favours in the past which have never been in doubt.

As it is that a child never asks the father for meat and is given a snake in the process,

(Text 5: lines 43-46; 57-60).

Performer: Mfọọñ ńtibbe údia ase-dàkká atọ ínwañ ìtọñ ǹdíín ànyé wa-uwa ké ìnwáñ amọ.

Translation: It is healthy yam tendrils that warrant a farmer‟s sacrifice on a farm path.

(Text 9: lines 47-49).

Similarly, Ibibio libation performers depend greatly on memory for action and confidence. Although the beauty of oral literary performances depends on the artist‟s ability to improvise, the libation performer relies most of the time on memory. For instance, his zealousness to impress his audience cannot so much overwhelm him that he will overlook a conscious recitation of the order of the deities and ancestors. His efforts to show a shared social relationship with the deities and ancestors mandate him to convey emotions in his choice of diction. Guiraud avers that:

The phatic function plays a very important part in all forms of communication rite, solemn occasions, ceremonies, speeches ... the same words, the same gestures are repeated; the same stories are reiterated.

This makes the communication absurd or unbearable to the outsider, but renders it euphoric for the „participant‟

who „is involved‟- and unpleasant if and when he ceases to be involved (Guiraud, 1975: 8).

In the same way, he is conscious not to forget to use some key active words in his invocation. In observing the fixity of words, his actions must accompany each stage of the performance. For instance, in saying: Ibọ uwa ekọọm ye itoro nnyin which translates as “accept our sacrifice /drink and worship”, he must pour the last drops of the drink.

This pouring at this point is different from the intermittent droppings that he does when he utters punctuated sentences while calling on the deities and stating his requests. Also in the following instances:

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Performer: Mmè mbon ésèhé énám nti mkpọ, ìdíwọọñọ do o o ké ubọk ńnàsìà mi (ọduọk ukọd ké ubọk nnasia).

Amado ǹdùfò mmọọn ésèhé nám ndiọi, ìdíwọọñọ ké úbọk úfíín mí ìnyọñ inie itié ǹdùfò (ọduọk ukọd ke ubọk ufiin).

.Translation: All of you who are noted for your good deeds, come and drink from my right hand (pours some part of the drink from his right hand).

But you performers of evil come ome and drink from my right left hand and go your way (pours some of the drink on the ground from his left hand).

(Textb 13: lines 118-12-, 122-124).

In the above excerpts, the performer must use the appropriate indexical feature in pouring the drink to the appropriate forces as he says the words. His act of memorization is in this manner wrapped around the fixed and active words and the pattern of merging words with the appropriate actions.

4.3.1.5 Ululation

Performer: Ùwuó! Ùwuó!! Ùwuó o!!! Íyà à à!

Audience: Ùwuó o!!! Íyà à à!

Translation: Shout in ululation!

(Text 2: line 28-29; Text 11: lines 47-48).

Performer: Íyà o o! Íyà o o!! Íyà o o!!!

(ọduọk akptre ukọd uwak-uwak).

Audience: Iyoooo!

Translation: Performer: An ululation to mean “may it be so” Íyà o o! Íyà o o!! Íyà o o!!!

Audience: Iyoooo!

(Text 15: lines 78-82).

The word “ululation” and its response do not have intrinsic meaning. It is a kind of interjection that implies agreement which is the bedrock of unity. Clark-Bekeredemo (2006) asserts that “the ululation is an imitative yell emitted at appropriate points in the performance. It is no more than the traditional cheer of íye‟ repeated several times over, usually by women and accompanied with hand-claps” (xxv). It is believed, by the audiences‟ response (uwo o o!/ Iya a a!), that every one present affirms the words of the performer.