When Big Masquerades Dance Naked

When Big Masquerades Dance Naked is a biting satire on power, corruption, and greed in the fictional town of Ilekoro, a town where political officeholders connive with traditional rulers to trample on the rights and commonwealth of the masses. But their oppression does not go without opposition as manifested in the character of Ijoba and his ilk, who struggle relentlessly to light a torch of hope for the people through the long, tortuous nights. When Big Masquerades Dance Naked is not just a limpid portrayal of our social realities, it is a play that calls everyone to action; a treatise on how truth trumps darkness and prevails in the advancement of our common humanity.

"In When Big Masquerades Dance Naked, Familoni weaves a tale of intrigues, conspiracy and power play that reaches deep into the very essence of human nature, and the trajectories of our political community. Each character in this play enables us to ask salient questions, and to reach deep into one another for answers to who we are and what ails us: are we the naked masquerades, oblivious of when greed turns to shame, or are we the people too quiescent to act?"

-Adeshina Afolayan, Editor of "Auteuring Nollywood", Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

"When Big Masquerades Dance Naked captures the power struggle between the rulers and the compromising elite versus the masses. Ultimately, the playwright uses his work as a tool for emancipation— evoking the spirit of truth over falsehood. As always, an engaging piece from Familoni."

-S. Sueddie Vershima Agema, multiple award-winning author of "Memory and the Call of Waters" (Winner, Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize 2022 and Finalist, Nigeria Prize for Literature 2022)