Social Drama: Umulumgbe Men Funeral Ritual Performance

Drama is much more a product of the oral tradition than the written tradition because the conceptualization and the execution of the action has generally been an oral activity. The purpose of social drama is to accomplish certain profound requirements in the society which practices it, and the method of execution of the activity is accorded maximum meticulousness. The most salient purpose of a ritual is to reorder things in life; it is a “restorative” experience, an experience of purgation of emotions.The performance of the ritual emerges as the climax of the greater social drama which begins at the moment contravention of existing moral orders is committed. Thus, the Umulumgbe funeral ritual, viewed as a ceremony, is thus a measure aimed at correcting the breaches committed by the deceased, so that, the deceased can rest in peace in the world of the dead. So, the study considers major postulations on the nature and functionality of drama, and particularly the social drama category, in identifying and examining striking features in the performance of this ritual which may suitably be used as key elements of social drama.