Procession of Leopard Society (Ekpe) members during a burial at Ndiuche Ofe imo, Arondizuogu, Imo State

Procession of Leopard Society (Ekpe) members during a burial at Ndiuche Ofe imo, Arondizuogu, Imo State.
Their torsos are painted with Nsibidi designs.
They’re wearing ‘Ukara Ekpe’ cloth.

Ekpe, is a secret society flourishing chiefly among the Ejagham, Igbo (Abia, Ebonyi & Imo), Efik, Ibibio, Oron and other ethnic groups in the Cross River region & Western Cameroon as well as in the diaspora, such as in Cuba and Brazil.

It is generally believed that the members of the Ekpe society invented the Nsibidi Script.
Nsibidi is a body of ideographic, abstract, and gestural signs deployed by the Ekpe society as a form of coded communication. In part because of their appropriation, exclusive use, and understanding of nsibidi, Ekpe members in the pre-colonial past were thought to have access to the spiritual realm and were, therefore, empowered to make and enforce societal rules and norms.

While their political authority is largely diminished today, Ekpe membership is still prestigious similar to Nze na Ozo society in Northern Igboland (Anambra & Enugu).

Modern Igbo men’s attires are largely based on the attires of these two pre-colonial Igbo men’s socio-political associations.
Date: 1988.