New Masquerade

The New Masquerade was a Nigerian sitcom that aired on the Nigerian Television Network on Tuesday nights from 8:30pm - 9:00pm during the 1980s until the mid-1990s. It was created and written by James Iroha who also acted in the sitcom.[1] It is one of Nigeria's longest running sitcoms.[2] The TV show started out as radio program known as The Masquerade transmitted on the East Central State Broadcasting Corporation, Enugu.[3]

New Masquerade
Created byJames Iroha
Written byJames Iroha
Production
Production locationsEnugu, Nigeria

Synopsis

The show started out a segment called Masquerade aired on In the Lighter Mood, radio program of the East Central Broadcasting Corporation.[2] It was created after the civil war as a means to bring laughter to the homes of citizens after the devastation caused by the Nigerian Civil War.[4] The creator was James Iroha who also played Giringori on the TV show.[5]

The protagonist of the show is Chief Zebrudaya, a World War II veteran who has visited various foreign countries and he is perceived by other characters to have attained some level of sophistication and enlightenment. Many of the shows' plot take place in Zebrudaya's sitting room. Zebrudaya has a wife, Ovularia, a daughter, Philo and two Houseboys, Clarus and Giringori.Though a comedy, the show also incorporate melodramatic plots about teaching morals and the consequences of some of society's problems if they are not corrected.[4]

Cast and characters
  • Chika Okpala as Zebrudaya - also known by his alias 4:30 is a domineering husband; he has a range of experience as an ex-serviceman and resident in foreign countries. He uses a mixture of Queens English, Igbo language and Pidgin English as a means of communication
  • Lizzy Evoeme as Ovularia - Zebrudaya's wife, a submissive lady who takes care of the house and also engage in petty trading.
  • Claude Eke as Jegede Sokoya - Zeburudaya's friend whose arrogance and quest for easy money acts as a source of conflict between him and the more honest Zeburudaya. He calls himself a doctor and the youngest millionaire in the universe. He likes to demonstrate his ability to speak in Queens English by using bombast or pretentious style of speaking.
  • James Iroha as Giringori Akabogu - Houseboy, speaks in pidgin English. Iroha was also the creator of the sitcom.
  • Christy Essien-Igbokwe as Apena - Sokoya's wife.
  • David Ofor as Clarus - Giringory's partner as houseboy to Zebrudaya

References
  1. Haynes, Jonathan (2016). Nollywood: The Creation of Nigerian Film Genres. The University of Chicago Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780226387819.
  2. Oko-Aja, Richard (2014). "Chief Zebrudaya as an Archetype of Molièresque Persona: A Satire of Nigerian Postcoloniality". Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 5.
  3. Ogbonna, Amadi (February 29, 2012). "Poverty, ill-health killed Giringori Akabogu". Vanguard. Lagos.
  4. Timothy-Asobele, S. J. (2003). Nigerian top TV comedians and soap opera. Lagos: Upper Standard Publications.
  5. Njoku, Benjamin. "Nigeria: How Destiny Brought Giringori and I Together - Zebrudaya". Vanguard. Lagos.
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