Developing an Original Theory of the Performed Body in Nigerian Culture and Performance

The performed body in Nigerian cultural contexts carries meanings, histories, and ontologies that differ fundamentally from the Cartesian mind-body separation underlying most Western performance theory, and developing an original theory of the performed body grounded in Nigerian cosmological and cultural frameworks makes a foundational contribution to African performance studies. This study developed an original theory of the Performed Body in Nigerian Culture and Performance. A philosophical and empirical methodology integrating African cosmological analysis, comparative performance studies, and field research was employed. Systematic review of body and performance theory (88 publications from 2018 to 2024) revealed that Western somatic performance theories (Merleau-Ponty, Grotowski, Barba) assumed a secular, individualised body ontology incompatible with Nigerian cosmological understandings where the body is simultaneously material, spiritual, and ancestral. Fieldwork at 18 sites of traditional performance practice across six geopolitical zones documented performed body vocabulary, training methods, and cosmological framing. Interviews with 48 performance practitioners and traditional knowledge holders generated primary theoretical data. The original Nigerian Performed Body Theory proposes the concept of the cosmo-somatic body (a body simultaneously inhabited by individual, ancestral, and divine agencies during performance), the principle of embodied knowledge inheritance (physical training as transmission of ancestral memory), and the social-political body (the performer's body as community governance text). Expert review by 24 body studies and performance scholars confirmed the framework's original theoretical contribution. Recommendations include international conference presentation and submission to a flagship performance studies journal.

Keywords: performed body, Nigerian performance, body theory, cosmology, original contribution