Being Seen Right: Cultural Representation Through Costume in the Stage Presentation of Benedict Binebai’s Ferryboat

This article examined costume as a semiotic tool for cultural representation in Benedict Binebai’s Ferryboat, a play that dramatized the symbolic journey of Nigeria’s four major ethnic groups Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Ijaw toward national unity. Drawing on Stuart Hall’s constructionist theory of representation, the study employs a qualitative method of textual and performance analysis to explore how costume functions as a visual language that communicates identity, status, and sociopolitical position. The analysis reveals that costume in Ferryboat transcends aesthetics to encode historical memory, cultural specificity, and ideological meaning. Each character’s attire contextually grounded and ethnically distinct resists cultural flattening by affirming nuanced identities and regional narratives. The article concluded that accurate, intentional costuming is vital for ethical cultural representation, ensuring that communities are not merely visible, but seen right.