Examining the Research Gap in Theatre History Documentation from the Pre-Colonial Period in South East Nigeria

Pre-colonial performance traditions of South East Nigeria constitute an important dimension of theatre history that is inadequately documented and theorised within Nigerian theatre studies, limiting the field's historical completeness. This study examined the research gap in pre-colonial theatre history documentation for South East Nigeria through systematic review of existing scholarship and original oral history research. A systematic scoping review of nine databases identified 34 publications on pre-colonial Nigerian performance history, of which only 9 specifically addressed South East Nigerian traditions and only 3 provided substantive theoretical analysis. Original oral history research comprised structured interviews with 25 performance tradition custodians and cultural historians across Anambra, Enugu, Imo, and Abia States, focusing on performance practices preceding colonial contact. Analysis identified 12 distinct performance traditions in the oral historical record for which no adequate published documentation existed, including ceremonial enactment traditions, masquerade performance genealogies, and dispute arbitration through dramatic performance. None of these 12 traditions appeared in major Nigerian theatre history texts. Oral historians confirmed that documentation urgency was high due to knowledge holder aging. The study proposes a South East Pre-Colonial Theatre History Documentation Framework as an original contribution and recommends TETFUND emergency grants for oral history collection, university drama department documentation expeditions, and a South East Theatre History archive at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Keywords: pre-colonial theatre history, South East Nigeria, oral history, research gap, performance documentation