Kwagh-Hir storytelling is a kind of composite art that is both visually stimulating and culturally edifying.
"Kwagh-hir" (simply 'thing of magic', pronounced 'kwaa-hee') is a multifaceted culturally edifying technique of the Tiv people of central Nigeria, which developed in the 1960s.
In addition to having giant puppets (ubermeronmettes), the Kwagh-hir theatre also features masquerade displays of both animal and human representations. The masks, therefore, are an important feature of the Kwagh-hir theatre, and they sculpt a very dynamic super-activity/element to the Kwagh-hir theatre. Additionally, research indicates a growing globalization influence on certain aspects of the Kwagh-hir theatre. The roots of Kwagh-Hir can be found in the Tiv people's storytelling tradition. Kwagh-Hir has its roots in the practice of storytelling by the family, called kwagh-alom. Kwagh-hir is a higher form of kwagh-alom, an ancient Tiv practice where family members were treated to a storytelling session by a creative storyteller after they had worked the fields for the day, in the early hours of the evening after a day of farming, the family would listen the stories. Creative storytellers eventually became involved in performing these stories, culminating in the current stage and status of the practice of Kwagh-hir. This practice is a social performance that incorporates puppetry, masquerading, poetry, music, dance, and animated narratives into an expression of the Tiv people's reality. As a form of total theatre, Kwagh-hir incorporates these elements in a way that entertains and teaches moral lessons. It is all portrayed creatively through the dramatization of daily struggles, aspirations, successes, and failures. However, kwagh-hir scholars, including Doki, agree that this theatrical performance cannot be traced to a single individual as its originator. Rather, it arose as a community sharing experiences. The most familiar version of the kwagh-hir, according to Jonathan Fogel, may be Punch and Judy, where familiar characters lampoon current political figures and events while also referencing cultural norms.
As a result of the brutality of the combination of the missionaries and the British colonial government in suppressing the Nyambuan cult dramatists, the Kwagh-hir style emerged, which emphasizes monologue rather than dialogue. Khwagh-hir theatre is owned by the community, and knowledge is passed down through apprenticeship. People who are interested in the troupe’s activities are trained and mentored until they reach a certain level of proficiency; after that, they are accepted into the troupe. Until today the art is kept alive by holding regular performances so that the younger generation can identify with it.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/kwagh-hir-theatrical-performance-00683) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwagh-Hir) (https://www.ajol.info/index.php/lwati/article/view/79501)