Protest as Radical Performance: Signposting the Performativity of the 2020 EndSARS Movement in Nigeria

Abstract

Performance, understood as structured, culturally coded behaviour, is not confined to the stage; it extends to everyday social action and public dissent. This article interrogates the 2020 EndSARS protests in Nigeria as an instance of radical performance, analysing how spatial tactics, embodiment, symbolism, choreography, sound, costume, props, lighting, and digital mediation produced heightened performativity. Using qualitative methods and drawing on Social Movement Theory and Performance Theory, we examine how structural strain, collective organization, and direct action coalesced into a repertoire that blurred boundaries between art and politics. We argue that EndSARS was not only a reaction to police brutality but also a dramaturgically rich social drama that mobilized audiences in real and virtual spaces and cultivated a carnivalized counter-public. The analysis demonstrates that protest practices showcased “twice-behaved behaviour,” improvisation, and aesthetic agency that amplified visibility, solidarity, and claims-making. We conclude that attending to protest’s performative nuances can sharpen critical understanding of political communication and enrich creative methodologies for social engagement in Nigeria and beyond.