Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

The influence of foreign culture and its anti-masquerade stands through theeurocentric religious doctrines of the missionaries who refer to masquerade institution as an assemblage of evil, trulymade the present day Christians,especially the born-again ones to see masquerade institution as something to be avoided by all means. Sadly,this cultural heritage of the people is fast losing its glamour and bastion owing to the existence of Christianity in Igboland. One is worried that this supposed innocuous cultural heritage of the people might go into extinction the moment it is not well looked after. Ethnographic method, essentially, interviews, and writers' privileged eye-witness account were adopted for optimal analyses. The study discovers that many Christians of today frown at masquerade institution following the missionaries' view on masquerade as evil. Opinions are divided as to whether the view of the missionaries is the true situation. The study advocates the need for the two religions to work together for the preservation of this Igbo cultural heritage.

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