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Nigerian Theatre Journal
A Journal of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artistes
Vol. 10:2
Editor
Tor Iorapuu
This edition of the Nigerian Theatre Journal has been produced with support from
the ETF 2010 Academic Journal Grant, Abuja, Nigeria.
2010
2 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Nigerian Theatre Journal is published by the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artistes
ISSN 0189-9562
TOR IORAPUU, Editor
Editorial Board
IRENE AGUNLOYE
Chairperson, University of Jos
TOR IORAPUU
Editor, University of Jos
MABEL EVWIERHOMA
University of Abuja
JACOB M. AGAKU
University of Jos
FESTUS O. IDOKO
University of Jos
Editorial Advisers
Femi Osofisan
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
John Sani Egwugwu Illah
University of Jos, Nigeria
Tess Onwueme
University of Wisconsin, U. S. A.
Don Rubin
York University Toronto, Canada
Olu Obafemi
University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Steve O. Abah
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Sam Ukala
Delta State University, Abraka
Saint Gbilekaa
University of Abuja, Nigeria
3 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
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4 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Table of Contents
Page
Perspectives on Trado-Medical Heritage in Three Nigerian
Literary Drama
- Best Ugala ….………………………..……….…..…….
7
Globalization and Folk-Media: Effects and Offerings of
Kwagh-Hir Theatre
- Elizabeth Nyager ……….…………………….............….
18
Communication Technology: The Paradigm of Christian
Video Evangelism in Nigeria
- Ellison Domkap . ……………………………..….………
24
(Re)Presenting Women by Nigerian Female Playwrights in
Recent Nigerian Drama
- Jeremiah S. S. Methuselah ………………………………..
41
Re-Evaluating Theatre for Development Techniques in Volatile Regions
- Bunmi Adeoye ……….………………………………...…
56
Functional Use of Music in Drama: Challenges and Prospects
- Amodu Musa Makhu. ……………………………….…....
65
Theatre: A Fallen Star and the Emergence of Home Video Movies
- Ambrose Uchenunu ………………………..……………..
75
The Place of Music and Dance in the Attainment of Millennium
Development Goals in Nigeria
- Jeleel Ojuade………………………….…….…….………
91
Inculcating Cultural and Moral Values in School Children in
Nigeria: the Children’s Theatre Approach
- Asen Marcellinus Aondohemba
& Iorngurum Saa-Aondo Don ……………………………
102
5 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Culture and The MDGs in Nigeria: A Case Study of Tess Onwueme’s
The Reign of Wazobia And Julie Okoh’s In the Fullness of Time
- Rosemary Asen ……………….….………………………
112
Instructions to contributors ………………………….………………
123
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Best Ugala
__________________________________________________
PERSPECTIVES ON TRADO-MEDICAL HERITAGE IN
THREE NIGERIAN LITERARY DRAMA
Abstract
This paper affirms that folklore is the mother of literature in Africa and
that African drama developed from the black literature of legends, rituals and
magic as well as the whole range of our cultural performances. It argues that
since trado-medical practices are organically integrated into our culture, they
also share in the paternity and authorship of African drama. It laments that
despite this primary affinity between drama and traditional medicine, drama has
not explored trado-medical issues thematically the way it has captured current
and historical problems of degeneracy of the age and issues of socio-political,
socio-economic and psycho-spiritual relevance. Highlighting the problems and
challenges of our traditional medicine, it concludes that one of the ways theatre
can be relevant in the pursuit of Millennium Development Goals is to, as a matter
of urgency, intervene in the health-care crisis and help to eradicate the biocidal,
modernize the archaic and promote the salubrious aspect of our trado-medical
heritage.
Introduction
Drama is firmly rooted in folklore which, according to Ng‘ Ombe, is the
mother of literature in Africa (Viii). Literally speaking, folklore means folk
learning or wisdom. It therefore means the knowledge that is transmitted from one
generation to the next, by word of mouth. Thus, in primitive and illiterate
societies, all traditional knowledge can be considered folklore (Macmillan Family
Encyclopedia 203). Folklore also refers to the totality of the cultural heritage of a
people, and it consists principally of music, dance, art, festival, rites and rituals,
folkways, tales, legends, myths, proverbs, government, commerce, transport and
medicine, to name just a few.
One of the most fundamental aspects of our folklore is folk medicine,
commonly referred to as traditional medicine. African trado-medical practice is
very vast and cuts across every layer of African life. Indeed it constitutes the
bedrock of our traditional institutions – the family, government, defence, religion,
sociology, arts and so on.
Life can be described as the period from birth to death. Human life begins
with conception and ends with death. All through the development stages, the
human life faces grave limitations and dangers salient among which are
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misfortune, disease, physical and spiritual attacks. These limitations and dangers
necessitate the intervention of medical and trado-medical personnel as well as the
entire sacerdotal class. Pope John Paul II of blessed memory in his Evangelium
Vitae Encyclical explains the unique responsibility of the health care personnel:
―Their profession calls for them to be guardians and servants of human life‖.
Medicine in general is the science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment
and prevention of diseases and injuries. M.C Anuzu defines medicine as ―the
science and art of curing disease and prolonging life‖ (5). From the above
definitions, the practice of medicine, whether orthodox or traditional, entails three
major responsibilities: diagnosis, treatment and prevention, the aim of which is to
achieve individual and communal health and well-being.
Typology in Traditional Medicine
In orthodox medicine, the personnel include doctors, pharmacologists,
pharmacists, nurses, midwives, chaplains, administrators and even volunteers. But
the practice of traditional medicine is in the hands of priests, herbalists,
magicians, diviners and witch-doctors who we glibly and collectively refer to as
native doctors. However, as a matter of pure taxonomy, each of these vocations
has distinct sphere of influence, duties and sacred codes of practice even though
the borderline between them is nebulous. They strictly operate within the matrix
of their calling even though their functions overlap.
When the native doctor offers sacrifices to the gods and ancestors or
mediates between the living and the metaphysical world, he becomes a priest.
And as a priest, he looks after the sacred pantheon, the hallowed temples and
other sacred places. He conducts private and public religious observances, detects
evils and obviates cures. When he engages in the art of divination, he becomes a
diviner and in this role, he looks up to the supernatural world for explanation of
events of the past, the future as well as the revelation of hidden or secret
knowledge.
A good analysis of African cultural arts would show that divination is a
distinct and religious art. It is a cultural art, a dramatic performance with regal
aesthetics. However, most diviners are also soothsayers, augurers and prophets.
They foretell, presage and prognosticate.
The diviner studies the divination objects, signs, portents and omens to
provide explanations to allay fear and uncertainty, locate blame or guilt, interprete
dreams and omens and prevent misfortune.
Oduyoye declares that disease is one of the afflictions from which man has
sought release through curative medicine or protection through religion or
magical means (55). Thus, when the native doctor exercises his curative expertise
through leaves or herbs, bark, roots or through invocation, incantation or rituals,
9 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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he assumes the title of herbalist.
The herbalist knows which herb, root or bark that can cure a particular
ailment. He starts by diagnosing the case before him to know the nature, severity
and cause of the ailment or affliction. He prepares and administers the herbal
drug. So he is the pharmacologist, pharmacist and the physician, all rolled into
one.
At this juncture, it would be necessary to discuss the paradoxical character
of the trado-medical practitioner. As a matter of fact, he has the capacity to heal
and to afflict. While advancing this argument, one should take full cognizance of
the extremist variant of Afrocentricism which boasts that European, North
Atlantic and even global civilization has its roots in Africa. Except we are able to
define, with clear points of reference, this ―global civilization‖, we may not be
able to wriggle out of this web of dialectics. Otherwise, how can we justify
centuries of sorcery and witchcraft with all their concomitant atrocities as indices
of civilization? Just as Mbiti contends, like other public offices, the office of the
medicine man can be abused (153). Some of them use their art to afflict
individuals with mishap, sickness, barrenness, losses, etc. Others use theirs to
harm the society with storm, drought, deluge, sickness and violence of epidemic
proportions. So when a native doctor uses his power to wreak havoc, the
appropriate label that suits him is magician or wizard.
One other title that should not be omitted in this taxonomic analysis is the
witch doctor. The Webster‟s Comprehensive Dictionary gives a very lucid
explanation of witch doctor: ―A medicine man skilled in detecting witches and
counteracting evil spells‖. The duty of the witch doctor, therefore, is not to
bewitch, but to expose the sources and causes of evil and take appropriate
measures to disintegrate its radiation. It would be necessary to explain here that
witches are not the only sources of evil in a community. Offended gods and
ancestors as well as malevolent spirits can unleash disaster upon the land.
The issues of medicine generally can be discussed from different
perspectives - physiological, psychological or mental. Physical or physiological
sickness affects the body, that is, flesh, blood and bones while psychological
sickness affects the mind of the patient. As Rev. Fr. Ofoegbe explains,
psychological ailments range from unpleasant experiences, chronic guilt feelings,
depression, interjected hostility and sadness to when the physical illness affects
the mind (6).
The principles and practices of African medicine are based on a different
philosophical framework and the framework is constructed on two pathogenic
theories. First, the common or popular African theory of illness is theological and
the second is social.
The theological theory conceives of illness or disease as spatio-temporal
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condition resulting from the rupture or dislocation in the relations between the
supernatural world and the universe. What this implies is that, by error of
commission or omission, man can fall from divine grace and render himself
vulnerable. In this state of vulnerability, he becomes exposed to all kinds of
attack. Closely related to this is ―deviance from religious rectitude, or conflict
with the natural environment‖, to borrow the words of Eric Bennet. (Africana
Encyclopedia 759).
The social theory of illness states that every dangerous health
condition, be it sickness or mishap, could stem from curses of
fellow men, wicked witches and other malevolent forces that
abound in every African community.
In view of the foregoing, it becomes logically justifiable for traditional
medicine to incorporate pharmacology and religious or spiritual ministration. It is
this all-embracing outlook of trado-medical practice that has given birth to the
blind assumption that African herbs can cure all ailments. D.D. Uyagu, himself a
renowned orthodox medical practitioner, strongly debunks this assumption: ―it is
not true, I repeat, that you have herbs that can cure all ailments is not true‖ (35).
Trado-Medical Issues In Select Plays
That drama is deeply rooted in our cultural heritage is not the question.
What in fact is the question is which aspects of our culture has drama explored or
neglected? It would be an understatement to say that Nigerian dramatists have
done ample justice to mythogenic, ritual, historical, religious, political and
sociological themes. But the same cannot be said of issues of trado-medical
concern. Traditional medicine is a fundamental aspect of our culture that has not
been adequately explored in modern dramaturgy.
What modern dramatists have done in this regard is not more than
philosophical blackmail or blanket critique teeming with negative biases. Tradomedical issues feature in our plays and films prominently, but this prominence
does not attract the kind of attention that has provoked the kind of reforms that are
sweeping across national and continental boundaries. Rather, every portrayal
cannot be said to truly reflect the central concern of a cultural institution that is
yearning for a modernizing and validatory intervention. For corroboration, we
may need a few examples:Ozidi by J.P. Clark-Bekederemo is a play based on a long dramatic poem
taken from the oral tradition of Ijaw people in the creeks of the Niger Delta. It is
the story of a renowned warrior, Ozidi who is hacked to death by his own
comrades just to spite his brother, Temugedege, the idiot king of Orua. Seven
months after the assassination of Ozidi, his widow gives birth to a posthumous
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son who is grilled and fortified in mystical and diabolic sense by his impregnable
sorceress of a grandmother to avenge the death of his father.
In the fullness of time, the boy, taking on the name of his late father,
Ozidi, emerges like a titan of a dream-land and routs the evil monsters who killed
his father. Mentally conditioned and inspired by the sorceress, Ozidi becomes
inured to danger and violence, killing even those who never wronged him. He
fights and kills Tebesonoma who prophesies that his sister‘s new born baby would
grow up to avenge him and call Ozidi to account for his death twenty years hence
(101). The sorceress, Oreame urges Ozidi to kill the baby, but he protests: ―I
don‘t want to kill anybody again‖ (105). This is a baby that the mother begot
after twenty-three years of barrenness. Oreame, through her witchcraft, kills both
the mother and the baby.
Anarchy is let loose in the entire Orua kingdom as Ozidi and Oreame
prowl about looking for who to devour. At last, Ozidi provokes the final battle
with Odogu whose mother is also a dreaded witch. Ozidi triumphs over Odogu,
but it is a pyrrhic victory as he turns on his grand mother and slays her under the
influence of the last charm that she applied on him.
Ozidi is paradigmatic of the rebarbative and negative portrayal of certain
aspects of Nigerian heritage in modern plays and video films. On stage, the play
could stretch for not less than three hours of chilling and blood-curling spectacle
of fatality. And at the end, what impression or message does the audience take
home? Certainly, it is not a commendable or salutary one, but a thing of dread
and abhorrence.
Another play, Wedlock of the Gods by Zulu Sofola is constructed on the
same diabolic and fatal canvas as that of Ozidi. A very simple plot, Ogwoma is
forced by her parents to marry a man she did not love. Barely three years later,
the man dies, and Ogwoma resumes her illicit amorous relationship which she
started with Uloko in her pre-marital days. To have resumed this relationship
when she has not completed the mandatory three months of mourning amounts to
an unheard-of taboo.
Ogwoma‘s mother-inlaw, Odibei vows to avenge her son‘s death which
she attributes to Ogwoma‘s adulterous act. An implacable sorceress, she
bewitches and kills Ogwoma who is also avenged by her star-crossed lover,
Uloko. After slaying Odibei, Uloko drinks from the same lethal pot that killed
Ogwoma and dies. Again, in this play we see multiple fatality contrived, not by
the gods or ancestors, but by man who has chosen to exploit the destructive
capability of the herbs and words to accomplish a nefarious agenda.
The story of Ola Rotimi‘s The Gods Are Not to Blame is so well known
that repeating it here will serve no purpose. Now, to situate it within the matrix of
our discourse, we see at the beginning of the play how the people of Kutuje
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harness their herbal resources to tackle the innumerable ailments afflicting the
land. In fact the whole process of our trado-medical practice is given a very robust
treatment in the play. The traditional system of healthcare delivery is accurately
exemplified. Ajayi and Ayandele explain that ―As the custodians of the national
shrine and by virtue of their position as the incarnation of the spirit of the nation,
traditional rulers were obliged to perform rituals as daily routine and to take the
priests into partnership in state deliberations‖ (.452). Thus, Odewale performs
rituals, offers sacrifice on behalf of his people, administers herbal drugs, counsels
and finally invites Baba Fakunle, ― the greatest of all medicine men in this world‖,
all in an attempt to find an answer to the national question ( The Gods, 9-12).
For once, we see a good attempt at exploring our trado-medical system for
the good of man and society. But the burden of failure to achieve the desired
result becomes unbearable, and it is the inevitable consequence of a faulty
diagnosis or thoughtless assumption. Otherwise, if Odewale and his people had
thoroughly diagnosed the problem before taking any curative and preventive
measures, so much would have been saved and the incalculable tragedy that
cascaded down would have been averted.
Just when one is about to decorate Ola Rotimi with a medal of excellence
for his positive handling of the trado-medical theme, he takes us to the barbaric
and primitive outpost of juju and voodoo: Odewale ― pulls out his tortoise shell
talisman pendant, holds it towards his assailants, and mesmerizes them‖ while the
old man pulls out ― his own charm of dried eagle‘s skull, vulture‘s claws, bright
red parrot tail-feathers, …‖ (The Gods, 47 & 48). As they lock horns in a
metaphysical battle, words burn like fire and incantations collide with conjuration
just as we saw in Ozidi and Wedlock of the Gods.
The outcome of this confrontation is a foregone conclusion because, as
Ogwoma‘s mother explains in Wedlock of the Gods, “Some medicines are
stronger than others‖ (20). And Oreame proves it conclusively in Ozidi.
In African cosmology, trado-medical practice is not just about herbs, it
incorporates religious or spiritual ministration which entail the use of prayers,
rituals, curses and oblation to heal or afflict, liberate or dominate. In Wedlock of
the Gods, Okolie rightly argues that ―There are some illnesses that medicine can
cure while there are others which only offerings to our God can cure‖ ( 27 & 28).
And this is evidently demonstrated with Edozien‘s sickness which ―could only
hear a sacrifice to our God‖ (28). And it is this same sickness that generates the
whole tragic current in the play.
The statement seems to challenge Bekederemo‘s popular axiom or thesis
in Song of a Goat – ―For every ailment in man, there is a leaf in the forest‖ (p.4).
These contradictory views of Bekederemo and Zulu Sofola are bound to generate
a new wave of disputation or analytical explication which, in any case, is beyond
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the scope of this paper.
When someone is possessed or bewitched, it is a spiritual case that can be
cured through exorcism or other forms of ritual ministrations. Similarly,
unhealthy conditions resulting from broken taboos are treated through rituals of
propitiation and purification. When someone desires special favour then from
supernatural world, sacrifices and rituals of plea, often followed with a vow,
usually prove effective. In the same way, apotropaism is a popular practice in
many cultures of the world.
Before going further, it would be pertinent to quickly identify the points of
convergence and divergence between orthodox and traditional medicines. First
and foremost, both of them have paradoxical dimensions – curative and
destructive capabilities governed by appropriate ethical codes. On the point of
divergence, Oduyoye contends that the word ―medicine‖ has a strictly secular
connotation (55), and this study has since shown this to be a faulty generalization.
Indeed it is only the Western medicine that is secular. Hence it is ineffective in
the treatment of cases of bewitchment, spiritual possession, broken taboos and
magically induced ailments. Traditional medicine has both secular and spiritual
connotations, with the spiritual outweighing the secular.
The texts under reference offer us brilliant theatrical insights into herbal
and spiritual ministration. For example, all the retaliatory campaigns of Ozidi and
Odibei are waged and won on the metaphysical front just as the encounter
between Odewale and the old man at the ―place where three footpaths meet‖
takes place on a mystical plane. At the exordial stage of their pan-ethnic quest for
salubrious redemption, Odewale and his people try assorted herbal drugs - Asufe
eiyeje leaves, lemon grass, teabush, lime-skins and dogon-yaro leaves, but to no
avail (The Gods 13). Similarly, every effort to cure Edozie with herbal medicine
meets with failure (see Wedlock 28). The failure of the herbal option and the
relative success of the spiritual is most instructive here. But one gratifying thing
is the balancing or reconciliation of the two which Bederemo successfully
experiments with. At the end of his bloody career, the young Ozidi faces terrible
retribution as a riot of ailment breaks all over his body. But his lonely mother,
deserted by the whole town, combines herbs with ritual to send the party of
ailments away.
Also worthy of note is the role of the oracle in the trado-medical
profession. At the diagnostic, preventive and curative stages, oracles are
consulted. In The Gods are not to Blame, the Ifa Ooacle prophesises about
Odewale‘s evil destiny and reveals the cause of the plague in the land of Kutuje.
In Wedlock of the Gods, the oracle states the effective cure for Edozie‘s sickness.
So, without the oracle, the process of traditional health-care delivery would be
very difficult and unreliable. This is because of the dominant role or disruptive
14 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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activity of the spiritual forces which the Christians call ―the Kingdom of
darkness‖.
Problems of Traditional Medicine
The popularity or general acceptability of traditional medicine will
continue to dwindle until the various problems militating against it are identified
and addressed. Some of the problems are highlighted here:
i.
The practice of traditional medicine is so shrouded in secrecy and
mystery that it has engendered universal fear, suspicion and lack of
confidence. In western medicine, pharmacists usually state the ingredients or
chemical composition of every drug, but in traditional medicine, it is a wellguarded secret. This, no doubt, renders it suspect, uncertain and fearsome.
ii.
The traditional method of diagnosing ailments is still primitive and
unscientific, consisting of mere observation, speculation and divination. The
recourse to oracle or divination and unscientific observation sometimes
renders the system imprecise and speculative.
iii. Another problem facing the medical profession generally is
deforestation and poor ecosystem maintenance or environmental deterioration.
The valuable forest or environmental resources are being depleted daily by the
activities of man and nature. These include over-exploitation of resources, use
of toxic herbicides and pesticides, bush burning, water pollution and oil
spillage, erosion, flooding and desertification.
iv.
The influx of fake or untrained traditional doctors constitutes a
major threat to trado-medical practice. These quacks who are multiplying in
number because of unemployment and inordinate commercial drive revel in
lies, professional deception and misconduct even as they lay claim to
infallibility and omnipotence.
v.
Another fundamental problem is the corrosive influence of the
West, Christianity and indeed globalization. The so-called western civilization
introduced the modern scientific thought and empiricism which sought to
discredit our indigenous science; the Christian missionaries perpetrated what
Gbilekaa calls ―cultural genocide‖ (7) by denigrating African art as fetish,
while globalization created and promoted by the countless number of
communication satellite systems has almost eclipsed our culture with foreign
models which reflect alien life-styles and values.
vi.
Another factor that has badly affected the practice of African
traditional medicine is lack of documentation. As Ajayi and Ayandele explain,
there are no first-hand written documents on African traditional religion.
Indeed our traditional medicine-men are unlettered and indifferent to the
15 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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literary documentation of their art. Thus, many aspects of African traditional
medicine have not been open to scientific research and analysis (447).
vii.
Finally, the preparation of African medicine has been roundly
criticized for being unhygienic and biocidal. Even the campaign by
government and stake-holders to introduce some code of hygiene and
salubrity has not yielded the desired result.
Conclusion
From time immemorial, the practice of our traditional medicine was not
really dominated or characterized by malevolence, profanity and quackery. Even
though it had its shortcomings rooted in sorcery and diabolism, it was manned by
great men and women who were heralds of transcendence and traditional
spirituality; men who offered their own world the spirit of love, truth and
beatitude; men who inspired their communities with the richest splendours of
sanctity; men whose great deeds are now being forgotten.
The manifestations of wickedness, sacrilege, quackery and materialism in
the trado-medical practice of today are part of the emergence of new cultures of
this modern age. The growing secularization of life and all our sacred institutions,
both indigenous and foreign, is a product of these new cultures that came in
through western incursion and globalization.
Thus, the few surviving priests and medicine-men of substance are relics
of the great dawn of a great time. They are trapped in a world that is at odds with
their ideals and have no worthy progeny or successors to take over from them.
The task of propagating an idea or combating a societal malaise can better
be handled through drama or theatre because of its unmatched power of action,
spontaneity, emotion and immediacy. In the light of this, Nigerian dramatists
should make a strengthened and fruitful presence in the trado-medical domain,
turn it inside out and come up with good plays that aim to destroy its primitive
and biocidal aspects, resurrect its primordial omnipotence and efficacy, send the
fake and quack practitioners away and crown it with universal acceptability.
Above all, they should commence the renaissance of traditional spirituality and
consecration as the basis of authentic trado-medical practice.
16 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Works Cited
Africana: The Encyclopedia of African – American Experience New York: Basic
Civitas Books, 1993.
Ajayi, J.F.A. and E.A. Ayandele ―Emerging Themes of West African Religious
History‖ in Traditional Religion in West Africa, E.A. Adegbola ed.,
Ibadan: Daystar Press, 1983
Anuzu, M.C. ―Human Life and Medicine: The African and Western Participation‖
in The Quest Magazine (A Publication of the National Association of
Philosophy Students, Seminary Chapter of All Saints Major Seminary,
Uhiele –Ekpoma, Edo State), 2007.
Clark, J.P. Ozidi, London: Oxford University Press. 1966.
Gbilekaa, Saint E.T. ―Radical Theatre in Nigeria (1970 – 1986)‖ In Theatre
Forum Magazine (A Publication of Nigerian Universities Theatre Arts
Student‘s Association). 1991
Macmillian Family Encyclopedia London: Longman Groups Ltd, 1980.
Mbiti, John S. An introduction to African Religion, London Heinemann
Educational Books Ltd, 1975.
Ng‘ombe, James L. The King‘s Pillow and Other Plays, London: Evans Brothers
Ltd, 1986.
Oduyoye, Modupe ―The Medicine Man, the Magician and the wise Man‖ in
Traditional Religion in West Africa, S.A.Adegbola (ed.) Ibadan: Daystar
Press, 1983
Ofoegbu, Rev. Fr. Cyril ―Human and Medicine: the African and Western
participation‖ in The Quest Magazine, 2007.
Paul II, Pope John. Evangelium Vitae, No 14, Vatican, 1995.
Rotimi, Ola. The God‟s Are Not To Blame, London: Oxford University Press.
1978.
Sofola, Zulu Wedlock of the Gods, London: Evans Brothers Ltd, 1972.
17 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Uyagu, D.D. ―Herbal practice needs a refinement In The Quest Magazine, 2004.
Webster‟s Comprehensive Dictionary (Encyclopedic Edition), U.S.A.: Trident
Press International, 2003.
18 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Elizabeth Nyager
________________________________________________
GLOBALIZATION AND FOLK-MEDIA: EFFECTS AND
OFFERINGS OF KWAGH-HIR THEATRE
Abstract
This paper seeks to explore the relationship between globalization which
is micro-operative and folk-media which operate at the level of the local and the
indigenous (micro-operative). The following questions will be raised and answers
to them sought through critical discourse. What is the nature of the relationship
between globalization and the folk-media? Is it symbiotic? Is it equitable? Is it
complimentary? What effects does the global have on the local and vice-versa.
The paper will further examine by way of paradigm a specific indigenous folkmedia, namely; the Tiv Kwagh-hir theatre as basis for discussion.
Introduction
Globalization has its roots in the early development projects and theories
that emerged at the end of the Second World War. Such international aid
programmes like the Marshall plan, ushered in the modernization agenda for the
developing world. These were the Western world‘s efforts at reaching out to the
Third World with aid. As captured by President Truman‘s famous inaugural
speech in 1949;
… we must embark on a bold new program making the benefits of
our scientific progress available for the improvement and growth
of underdeveloped areas. More than half of the world are living in
conditions approaching misery. Their food is inadequate. They are
victims of disease. Their economic life is primitive and stagnant.
Their poverty is a handicap and a threat both to them and to more
prosperous areas‖. (Simon and Norman 1)
Considered critically, the concerns raised in this speech are among the
issues covered in the Millennium Development Goals. These are; tackling
poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. The MDGs final goal is to ‗develop a
global partnership for development‘.
From the foregoing, we can clearly perceive that MDGs have a global
agenda. Indeed, they are a spin-off of globalization. Realizing MDGs is thus a
macro (global) project. They are an example of the global attempt at
homogenizing development. Globalization is the phenomenon of homogenizing
global concerns in such a way as to promote boundary – free co-existence,
19 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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interaction and co-operation between peoples and regions of the world. It is
characterized by economic expansion and rapid access to information through
advance information and communication technology.
Globalization thus exists at a macro level and scale. Yet its influence and
goals target the micro levels of society. Culture, for instance exists at the
grassroots level (micro level). Yet culture is an immediate and potent target of
globalization. This globalizing ethos is thus rapidly reordering many aspects of
human endeavour like governance, communication, economic relationship, lifestyles and cultures in ways that provide new opportunities and challenges. This is
what we have termed as globalization ‗effects and offerings‘.
The Media and Globalization
Mass media is the vehicle for globalization. It is often seen as a major
component in fostering economic, political and social development. It is cited as a
method for helping to spread democratic ideals, increase political participation,
create feelings of community, build national unity and loyalty, facilitate informed
self-government, and enable participation in the new information society. This is
globalization as a process. Again the spread of direct satellite (DBS) and mass
media has further served to break down barriers to communications and
international commerce, and to make it more difficult for governments and
regulatory bodies to protect their cultures and societies. This also is globalization
by the media. Global mass media is thus, a potent and viable vehicle for
globalization and is dominated by western values. Indeed western/global media
dominate and control local media which includes folk-media; which exists at the
grass roots level.
However, it is now increasingly being accepted that globalization should
not be seen as a linear process of benign modernization and homogenization.
Rather it should be seen as comprising a diverse and sometimes unpredictable set
of process mediated by often profoundly unequal power relationship, out of and
against which resistances, contradictions, divergences and new hybridities
commonly arise (Simon 2003).
Globalization is thus seen as a complex phenomenon marked by two
opposing forces. On the one hand, it is characterized by massive economic
expansion and technological innovation. On the other hand, there are increased inequalities, cultural and social tumult and individual alienation. Globalization of
mass media is an integral part of this phenomenon and is propelled by the same
ideologies, organizations and forces. In a globalizing world therefore, ―human
communication is increasing exponentially in amount and variety and is covering
greater distances in shorter time‖ (Mowlana 1998). According to Mowlana:
20 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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This proliferation of communications technologies and the
increased global interdependence it creates are often erroneously
viewed as directly contributing to global understanding, equality
and harmony.
He goes on to say … ―an increase in electronic communication does not
necessarily mean an increase in human communication and operation‖.
In fact it has been suggested that global mass media rather leads to the
replacement of traditional structures such as family, religion and the community
with structures supposedly more relevant to the modern world. Life-styles, habits
and manners are affected. Thus modern communications systems and the way
they are used can pose a threat to cultural identity in most countries since
communication is both a part of culture as well as an influence upon it.
Thus these emerging communications systems are reinforcing the
globalization process, providing channels for governments, transnational
corporations and media distributors to communicate and expand their power and
resource base.
Against this backdrop of domination and control through globalizing mass
media, the South (i.e developing nations) faces both opportunities and challenges.
The challenges lie in the issues of cultural sovereignty and self-determination.
The opportunities may present themselves among other things in the need for
indigenous cultures to rise up to the challenge of establishing cultural identities
and building their cultural heritage through creativity and innovativeness.
For in this era of globalization, there is the need for the local and
indigenous to both project and protect indigenous traditions and cultures so as to
prevent them being over-run by the global trends.
Moreover, for the millennium development goals to be achieved, it
appears that the global must engage the local (i.e indigenous). Mass media which
have been shown to be the transmitters of globalization must engage with folk
media which exists at the grass-roots (the indigenous) level.
As rightly surmised by Goldimer (1998)
If culture is globalizing, the aim should be to value creativity and
differences across all aesthetic frontiers with no hierarchy of socalled ―world languages‖ directing it.
Kwagh-Hir Theatre as Folk-Media
Folk-media is the indigenous equivalent of mass media. Found at the
grassroots level, they exist within the cultural practices of ethnic communities.
Kwagh-hir theatre of the Tiv in north-central Nigeria is a folk-media. It is popular
theatre existing in rural communities in Tiv-land. Its practice exhibits what Peter
Brook in ‗The empty space‘ has identified as ‗Rough theatre‘ (Brook 1968).
21 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Although aspects of Kwagh-hir are also identifiable as Holy theatre, we
are here concerned with Kwagh-hir‘s ―roughness.‖ Our choice of Kwagh-hir is
further informed by the globalizing influences observed in Kwagh-hir theatre. If
western mass media is dominated by Hollywood products and values and western
media also has control in local media in Africa and other Third World
communities, the eroding of local values and culture would be the end-result if
this trend is not countered.
The question of the nature of relationship between globalization and folkmedia is answered here, that is, the globalizing media, which is mass media has a
dominating effect on local /folk media. This relationship is also non-symbiotic
since local/indigenous/folk-media are at the receiving end of the question. The
challenge therefore is for the local folk-media to give back something to the
global. The issue of equitability is also out of the question in this relationship.
This brings us again to the issue of access and control. Since globalization is
sometimes viewed as unstoppable, its consequent effect on local and folk-media
could also be viewed as uncheckable. However, if folk-media is consciously
strengthened through government policy and enhanced practice, they could
complement global mass-media and better serve our communities in the
implementation of any development agenda. The goals of diversity and
enrichment could then be achieved.
Kwagh-hir theatre as noted above has been observed to manifest
globalizing influences. Kwagh-hir, being total theatre is made up of many parts
comprising music, dance, drama, folk-lore, sculpture, etc. It is a composite art
form with aspects covering both the plastic and performance arts. Interestingly, at
almost all of these levels of its structure, Kwagh-hir manifests global influences.
From the ―gliding‖ steps of one of its giant puppets called ―Madam 2000‖ to the
exposed nakedness of ―Boss‖ – a miniature sculpture, and the denim-skirt adorned
―Ankweregh-idu‖ – another puppet, we see global influences. Ankweregh-idu
―wears‖ a denim-skirt with a fashion patch bearing the inscription ―50 CENTS‖!
―Boss‖ is a bold inscription on the t-shirt ‗worn‘ by the irresponsible drunkard
who is urinating in public. We can see from these examples that the dance steps of
‗Madam 2000‘ to the clothes ‗worn‘ by Kwagh-hir ―characters‘, global influences
are manifest. Tiv dance is always energetic and does not come in gentle gliding
‗steps‘ like those taken by ‗Madam 2000‘ when the puppet appears on stage. Even
the music that accompanies some of these puppets has global influences.
Kwagh-hir is thus an example of how our folk-media is being influenced
by globalization. However, it can be argued that these influences are bringing
diversity and some artistic wealth and innovation. On the other hand, if this trend
continues without Kwagh-hir also giving back something of its creativity and
influences, the cultural basis of Kwagh-hir may in time become grossly eroded by
22 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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the global culture with its ‗warped‘ values of short skirts and drunken men who
blindly follow ‗modern‘ social trends.
The solution therefore lies in Kwagh-hir being able to offer back to the
global cultural and artistic space, something of its own creativity and
innovativeness. Kwagh-hir is well positioned to achieve this by its very nature
which is dynamic, innovative and prolific.
Kwagh-hir as Rough Theatre
Peter Brook describes Rough theatre in the following words:
It is always the popular that saves the day. Through the ages it has
taken many forms, and there is only one factor that they all have
in common – a roughness. Salt, sweat, noise, smell: the theatre
that‘s not in a theatre, the theatre on carts, on wagons, on trestles,
audiences standing … audiences joining in, answering back….
Brook (1968:73)
Rough theatre is popular theatre. Kwagh-hir is popular and carries most of
the above itemizations in its identity. Kwagh-hir is characterized by saltiness,
sweat, noise, smell. Kwagh-hir also has been identified as having aspects of a
holy theatre. This holy aspects of Kwagh-hir lies in its supernatural elements. This
rough and holy dialectic in Kwagh-hir ensures its growth and dynamism.
According to Brook ―it is always the rough that saves the day‖. The rough
provides the source-base for enlivening the deadly. Kwagh-hir‘s roughness which
is grass-roots based, when engaged with the global, will enrich the deadly theatres
of Western Europe. In the same light, Kwagh-hir engaging with global media can
help achieve the MDGs.
Western theatre as found on Broadway and the West End has grown
deadly and has since been in need of life and innovation. This is amply illustrated
by the work of some Western theatre practitioners like Peter Brook himself.
Victor Turner and Richard Schechner are among those who have sought to engage
with the rough theatres of some indigenous world communities to enrich
experimental theatres in the west. Kwagh-hir offers a rich source-base for this
kind of engagement through cultural studies and enhanced practice.
In summary, we have attempted through this effort to trace the influence
of globalization on local indigenous media also known as folk-media. We have
tried to highlight the unequal relationship between the global and the
local/indigenous. Using Kwagh-hir theatre of the Tiv, we have demonstrated the
influences that globalization is having upon folk-media. We have also suggested
how Kwagh-hir can offer back to the world something of its own creativity and
innovation.
23 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Works Cited
Brook, P. (1968); The Empty Space. Penguin Books, Middlesex, England.
Ohiorhenuam, J. (ed) (1998); Cooperation south; Globalization. UNDP.
MacBride et al (eds) 1980); Many Voices, One World. UNESCO.
Simon, D. (2003), ―Dilemmas of development and the environment in a
globalizing world; theory policy and praxis‖ Progress in Development
studies Vol. 3 No. 1.
Simon, D. and Narman, A (eds) (1999); Development as theory & Practice
DARG Regional Development Series No.1 Pearson Education Ltd. Essex,
England.
24 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Ellison Domkap
____________________________________________________
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY: THE PARADIGM OF
CHRISTIAN VIDEO EVANGELISM IN NIGERIA
Abstract
The prophecy of Marshal McLuhan about the collapse and integration of
boundaries and territories of nations across the globe has since revolutionized
information and communications technology. The world has continued to witness
the increasing speed and impact of communication technology. This paper
attempts to examine this development vis-à-vis its efficacy in Christian video
evangelism. As background, the paper acknowledges the advancements witnessed
over the years in media and communication industry. An overview of historical
development of video narrative in Nigeria and emergence of Christian video
evangelism is equally presented. Issues of ideology and themes in Christian video
films are considered as paramount parameters in understanding the messages in
Christian videos. The paper engages video communication technology as a viable
modern medium for propagation of the gospel. To buttress this point, a number of
examples from Nigerian Christian videos are reflected. In conclusion, the paper
subscribes to the impact of video technology as a potential platform for Christian
evangelisation. The church, para- church organizations, Christian individuals
and independent Christian media groups and outfits are persuaded to engage in
video film production and mobilise same for evangelism.
Introduction
Communication, also recognized as the sharing of information, ideas, and
thoughts (Clive 8) is a vital part of human life and society. Media, the channels
through which communication takes place have continued to receive attention in
terms of their impact, influence and technological advancements in human
history. Historically, the development of media and communication has
significantly witnessed different stages of transition over the years which can be
traced through several overlapping eras in which newer forms of technology and
knowledge modified older forms (Campbell et al. 6). Of particular interest in the
context of our discussion is the increased access to information as a result of
technological advancements readily linked to Marshal McLuhan‘s mind-boggling
25 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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proclamation in the 60s that media and communication technology was going to
bring the world together under a ‗single‘ community called Global Village.
This development was to witness the ‗collapse‘ of national and
international geographic boundaries and territories. Today, physical time and
space are no longer barriers to accessibility of information and communication.
The resultant effect of this is what global media and communication environment
today provides - faster dissemination and accessibility of information which
shows a huge break from oral tradition, written and print.
Video film as a modern electronic medium has become a major
communication platform for documentation of cultural entertainment, religious
activities, and social events like festivals, ceremonies, sports and tourism. Video
narrative in Nigeria has emerged as a major popular entertainment medium since
its early introduction in the 80s and has moved significantly away from its early
restrictive and conservative role of documenting events like weddings, child
naming ceremonies, birthday parties, chieftaincy installation ceremonies, burial
ceremonies and communal festivals (Shake. 42). Today, like theatre and drama,
video narrative is being engaged for the purposes of entertaining, educating and
enlightening society on diverse social issues. It is worth observing that the wide
spread and popularity of the medium for production of cultural entertainment and
mediation of social process keeps rising by the day.
Religion, as a social institution in Nigeria is not left behind in the use of
video technology for spreading its activities among members and the larger
society. Christian religion for example, practises evangelism as one of the divine
injunctions. As an activity, evangelism involves communication. For Christ
commissioned the Church to propagate his mission to the ends of the earth (Matt.
28:18 – 28; Acts 1:8). This is primarily a communication task between human
persons and God. And as it could be noted in Bible times, God employed diverse
ways of communicating with Israel, his chosen nation and the prophets. Over the
years, the Church in a similar way has made use of different ways of
communicating/or propagating the gospel to the world. Probably it was on the
basis of this that Franz submits that it was through communication, preaching and
teaching that the Church grew all over the world (195). And as earlier mentioned,
technological developments had always responded by inviting newer forms of
communication to modify older forms. Such developments usually witness a
situation where society adopts new communication approaches and strategies that
are relevant to the times.
It is in recognition of such modern developments in communication
technology vis-à-vis easier accessibility and dissemination of information as
compared to what obtained in ancient oral tradition, that this paper seeks to
examine Christian evangelisation via video film. We shall specifically focus on
26 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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video activities of Mount Zion Ministries in contextualizing the discussion. The
attempt will aim at highlighting the early beginnings of Mount Zion in using
video films in evangelising within the country, before its gradual spread to other
parts of Africa and beyond. But, before delving into the case study, we would like
to consider a few background issues such as historical overview of video film in
Nigeria, emergence of Christian video narrative and themes and ideology in
Christian video films.
The Rise of Video Film in Nigeria
Video narrative which initially had a restrictive and conservative role has
witnessed a massive and significant change over the years. As far back as colonial
days right into the 70s, cinema‘s presence and impact was being felt. Films were
used for education of Africans by European governments when they took over the
administration of African colonies from missionaries (Onyero. 25). Nigeria, as a
colonial territory then also shared in the colonial film experience. The colonial
Film Unit and the missionaries made use of film in spreading their activities and
ideas among the people in communities around and outside Lagos.
Following the screening of the first film at the Glover Memorial Hall
Lagos in 1903, the public interest in the medium was aroused, so that soon films
were shown to full houses in Lagos. Up into the 70s, cinema culture was still
having a growing impact and enthusiasm. The Yoruba Travelling Theatres had
begun to turn to films after they were introduced to television. For these
indigenous entertainment groups, it was appealing and fascinating to have their
stage plays produced on celluloid. However, this development did not last long.
The major factor among others which was responsible for the relatively short life
span of film and cinema in the country appeared to be huge economic investment
needed to sustain celluloid business. Other factors like advent of television for
example, did contribute to the collapse of film and emergence of home video.
The introduction of television as a new artistic medium in the country
came with an emerging experience of enjoying home theatre by the public. This
development became more prominent in the 80s as television had become a major
family entertainment medium and many people would rather prefer to stay home
and be entertained than risk going out to cinema theatres. Security problem, crime
rate, dilapidated conditions of cinema theatres and bad economy were considered
factors that contributed to the decline of cinema business, and in a way made
practitioners of the business to chart a new course of survival. The first survival
strategy adopted by the practitioners particularly Yoruba Travelling Troupes, was
the option of falling back to their old base of stage dramas or selling of recorded
copies of their stage productions. This was the atmosphere under which the
Yoruba Travelling Theatre Companies started video recording their stage
27 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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performances for sale in the mid 1980s (Onyewo. 83).
Being a popular peripatetic theatre groups that were touring towns and
communities, acceptance of their video dramas by the public did not encounter
much problems. More so that the themes and subject matters of the plays were on
cultural and contemporary issues that the public readily identified with. Watching
televised dramatic materials and recorded plays was an excitingly novel
experience for the public. Given the rising interest in dramatic activities on video
and television by the general public, the stage for receiving home video films was
being prepared. Ayakoroma posits that there was a boom that accompanied NTA
soap operas in the 80s and 90s, although the major challenge on film makers has
signaled the collapse of cinema.
Taking cognizance of the early beginnings of the video as captured earlier
it could be submitted that the medium was not subjected to the rigour and vigour
of artistic narrative as the case is today. However, there is no denying the point
that some stages and phases of entertainment activities contributed to its rise and
acceptance, which have led to its present stage as a major narrative and
entertainment medium.
Nnebue Kenneth, a dealer in electronics is usually credited by film
scholars and practitioners for pioneering commercial marketing of such video
works which eventually exploded into a big business conglomerate for the
industry. He had started out by experimenting in the production of Yoruba
language – based videos such as Aje Ni Iya Mi (1989) and Ina Ote in 1990 (Shaka
42). Though, these early activities had registered a minimal level of presence of
video drama in the country, the one that sparked off an explosive awareness was
Living in Bondage (1992) and Glamour Girls (1994/1995) (Shaka 45) by the
same business – inclined Nnebue Kenneth. The initial productions of these videos
by Nnebue were in Igbo, but the warm reception and success story of the
productions got significant percentage of Idumota and Upper Iweka traders
pulling their resources into the business. This development in turn encouraged
Kenneth to launch subsequent productions in English language. This expanded
audience base and market prospects, and equally sparked off the enthusiasm in
others to follow with similar productions. These pioneering video productions in
Igbo and English languages remain a major landmark for the emergence of home
video industry in Nigeria. Looking back at the early years of its beginning, we
would agree with Mike Bamiloye that:
The industry has passed through various phases of development. It
has metamorphosed from epic stories to rituals and occult; from
action movies like ―Vuga‖ and ―Most Wanted‖ to adventures like
―Full Moon‖ and Igodo‖; and from love and romantic stories to
trans-national film settings like
―Osofia in London‖ and
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―Dangerous Twins‖ ( 123).
Today, the Nigerian home video has grown so big that it ranks as the largest in
Africa and the third largest in the world, especially in terms of market and
production base. With growing concern over the quality of productions and
scholarly criticism and discourse, the industry, hopefully would receive
professional refinement that shall position it better on the map of world
entertainment industry. With the rise of a video culture that was winning the
hearts of the general public through the entertainment value it provided, religious
groups too were not left behind in the move to engage the medium for religious
objective.
Emergence of Christian Video Film
The introduction of Colonialism into Africa exposed the continent to the
western form of theatre and culture. For early white missionaries who came into
Nigeria in the 1800s, the indigenous religions of the people needed to be
discarded and a new one (Christianity) offered as substitute. Essentially, the
mission of the early missionaries was the winning of converts to the Christian
faith. Every strategy that would abet the actualisation of this goal was employed.
Taking advantage of its entertainment value and its ability to capture life
situations intensely, early white missionaries used drama in preaching and
teaching Bible lessons. Drama presentations were used frequently by these
missionary groups in Lagos. Religious services had songs, sermons, dramas, and
recitations as part of the features for spiritual nourishment of worshippers.
Gbilekaa opines that early Catholic Church in colonial Nigeria was a leading
producer of drama, and along with other Catholic associations were frequently
involved in giving dramatic performances (6).
This atmosphere of theatrical presentations could be inferred to have
extended into the secessionist churches, which on breaking away from churches
founded by white missionaries engaged indigenous songs, drums and
presentations that were formerly frowned at and seen as irreverent in worship.
With the advent of film and cinema in the country, religious organisations,
churches, and missionaries cashed in on the visual appeal of the new medium for
proselytising.
The missionaries also made use of films to disseminate the
Christian message. As a matter of fact, one of the earliest
manifestations of film in Nigeria is the missionary cinema.
Churches organised film shows as a means of teaching Bible
message. Gradually, the film and the stage became adopted modes
29 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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for proselytisation (Ogunleye 108).
As the rise of home video could partly be attributed to influence of stage drama,
so also could the emergence of Christian video film be seen in a similar light. For
example, before the end of colonialism and dominant control of Christianity by
white missionaries, Hubert Ogunde had worked with the Aladura sect (Church of
the Lord), to produce Bible-based dramas in the 40s. The success story of
Ogunde‘s performances would have left indelible mark in the Church, and drama
would probably have come to find relevance in helping to portray religious
messages even after his (Ogunde‘s) exit from the church.
With the dwindling impact and running of cinema business in the 70s and
80s, video culture emerged. In the late 80s and early 90s when Nigerian home
video was being pioneered by few secular producers and directors, a handful of
Christian drama groups were already involved in presentations. Foluke Ogunleye
identifies some of these drama groups and posits that oftentimes the ones that are
into video productions have their roots from the stage. Such groups and
individuals as enumerated by Ogunleye include Kunle Ogunde (son of late Hubert
Ogunde), a leading pioneer of the trend of non-church Christian groups, who also
had the ambition to move into film, Mike Bamiloye of Mount Zion Faith
Ministries, Helen Ukpabio of Liberty Gospel Ministry, Evangelical Outreach
Ministries (E.V.O.M, ), Ogunleye‘s Multi-Media International, Media Village etc.
In his article, ―Yoruba Christian Video Narrative and Indigenous
Imaginations‖, Obododimma corroborates Ogunleye‘s position above and
attributes the rise of Christian video film to the influence of stage:
Nigerian Christian videos have developed from a tradition of
staging the word of God – from church services through festival
dramas (like Stations of the Cross) to concerts. With the revolution
in electronic culture, the site of the staging of the word of God in
Nigeria has shifted to video. Every Christian revival in Nigeria
includes a film or video show in which an attempt is made to reach
the individual participant through the ―rhetoric‖ of the image.
In Ayakoroma‘s view however, Bamiloye of Mount Zion Faith Ministries
International appeared to have pioneered the production of Christian video films
in Nigeria. Though Bamiloye is well known for his video films, his humble
beginnings could be traced to his stage drama activities in the 80s while in
College of Education Ilesha as a student. Bamiloye submits that Mount Zion Faith
Ministries started first by video recording their stage plays. Two of such early
videos were The Unprofitable Servant and The Beginning of the End produced in
1990 which were to set the pace in Christian video film productions. Today,
Mount Zion is a house hold name in Christian video films and has about over
30 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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forty titles of films to its credit. Some of the organisations mentioned here like
E.V.O.M, Liberty Gospel Ministry and Multi-Media International have also
produced inspiring Christian videos. The foregoing scenario has no doubt painted
the picture that though propagating the gospel through drama started on stage, the
advent of video technology has stirred up groups and individuals to engage the
medium for proselytisation.
Mount Zion Faith Ministries as opined by Ogunleye is the first to pioneer
Christian video film production. In an interview session with some members of
Mount Zion late last year (2008), they reported that their training institute
established in 1991 has produced about one thousand four hundred and fifty
trainees who are presently practising as actors, producers, directors etc, in drama
and film. This development signals growth and spread of Christian video film
productions.
Themes and Ideology of Christian Video Films in Nigeria
Christian video films are great avenues for evangelism in
contemporary Nigeria. They provide a means of probing into the
meaning of life and the mystery of existence. They involve
intellectual exercise as they critically examine the great issues of
human life and man‘s role in the universe (Adeniyi 238).
Theologians generally explain the fall of man in the Garden of Eden as the root
cause of the on-going war between good (God), and evil (Satan). They point to
this historical event as the bane and tragedy of all humanity. Besides other
scenarios in the Bible, the ‗Adamic‘ fall provides very useful ‗Theo-historical‘
material that explains the cause of sin and evil in society. It also serves as source
of thematic reference point and inspiration for evangelistic instances. Prior to the
great fall, the Bible records that man‘s (Adam and Eve) relationship and
fellowship with their creator was in harmony, without crack or rancour. We are
told that God himself initiated a special communion time with Adam and Eve;
and from time to time, He (God) would visit the couple in the Garden to ensure
continuity of this communion. But, since the day man was lured into swallowing
Satan‘s bait in the Garden, the battle line was drawn between good and evil.
This development plays a fundamental role in thematic issues in
propagation of the gospel. Probably, Oha‘s position that most Christian videos
feature a narrative approach that foregrounds conflict between God‘s forces and
Satan‘s in the affairs of human beings could be said to derive a biblical allusion
from this ancient scenario in the Garden of Eden. But, as it could be observed,
subject matters found in most Christian videos have an intrinsic link with the
doctrine and teaching of Christian faith. Generally, Christianity teaches
31 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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spirituality, morality and inviolability of character, expected to be embodied and
practised by adherents of Christian faith, both in and outside the religious
environment (Church). This essential stance of Christian religion aimed at
molding character and nourishing spiritual appetite of members is influential in
guiding themes of video materials by Christian script writers, directors and
producers. The overall objective as posited by Ayakoroma is to guarantee
preaching and teaching of the word of God with the core intent of winning souls
to Christ, to bring backsliders back to the fold again and also to increase or
strengthen the faith of believers. It could be noted generally that Christian video
producers/directors and writers show awareness and give attention to themes that
align with Bible - based practice. But fundamentally, as pointed out above,
themes of Christian video films reflect conflict between good (God) and evil
(Satan). Most of the time, Christian videos feature a hybrid of themes on
family/marriage, disobedience, rebellion, love of money, hypocrisy,
unfaithfulness, cultism, peer group pressure and other vices that pose as threat to
social cohesion and spiritual growth of the Christian believer. Ogunleye posits
that Christian filmmakers usually study their society/environment and capture
themes that are consistent with what obtains in life. She acknowledges the decay
found not only in the Nigerian society but even at global level, which brings about
total disregard to traditional values resulting in diverse socio - economic problems
such as;
Sexual promiscuity, crass materialism resulting in armed robbery,
confidence trickery and a host of other societal problems. These
have given birth to themes of prosperity, morality, salvation, and
diverse others which are supposed to instill hope, peace, and joy
into the lives of the audience, and to encourage them to live in a
positive and desirable way (Ogunleye 108).
Some of these thematic concerns could be seen in many Christian videos available
in the market. Take for example, The Storms of Life, a production by Mount Zion
Ministries. The plot features the family of Mr. Richards in a bad state. There is no
peace between husband and wife. The resultant effect of this rift in the family
leadership rubs off on the children. They become rebellious and drift into social
decadence. While Molade takes to campus prostitution, Tope ends up in prison for
armed robbery. Though in the end, the family realised their mistake and retraced
their step back in God. Destiny for Sale, a multi-plot material narrative technique
produced by Evangelical Outreach Ministries mirrors the theme of peer group
pressure, cultism, rebellion, pride and love of money. The Foundations by Mount
Zion captures character and moral question in the lives of some serving pastors
and ministers which lures them into breaking away to set up their own ministries.
32 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
The Enemy of My Soul, an award winning film by Mount Zion deals with another
subject matter on family and marriage. Shadows in the Night by Media Village,
addresses a more contemporary issue; indiscriminate relationship/sex and HIV –
AIDS among young people.
Essentially, it should be noted that thematic issues of Christian videos are guided
by Bible - based precepts and Christian ethics. The cardinal objective of these
Christian themes anchored on Biblical principles is essentially to show man the
way to God‘s salvation plan through Jesus Christ, to serve as correcting measures,
provide direction in life, enhance peaceful co-existence, inculcate Godly
values/virtues like love, joy, humility, forgiveness etc.
The practice of drawing from Biblical situations as source of thematic
issues in Christian video films by Christian producers/directors offers a good a
hint on ideological leaning of Christian video films. The Bible as a sacred
document of the Christian faith essentially provides sets of beliefs, ideas, ethics
and values that serve as guiding principles for adherents of the Christian faith.
Ideology itself is a system of beliefs characteristic of a particular class or group…
the general process of the production of meanings and ideas (Williams 55).
Christianity as a religious group derives its ideas and practice from the Bible, as
such the Holy book is not only a document on faith matters and practice, but it is,
as a matter of fact, an ideological definition of the Christian religion. In this sense
therefore, its ideology like other ideological projects is aimed at convincing
people and winning a followership for itself and against an opposing ideology
(Illah 3).
Evangelism on the Wings of Technology: The Example of Mount Zion
A look at the window of the historical milieu of how the gospel found
expression during the era of white missionaries would probably spark off a level
of appreciation of the import of technology in the propagation of evangelism in
contemporary times. Generally, the West saw Africa as an ‗ahistorical‘ continent,
and felt it was its responsibility to provide a socio-cultural and religious platform
that could help in civilising and proselytising the people. Thus, western ideology
was advanced along social, political, cultural, economic and religious fronts.
From religious angle, the missionaries had a tragic picture of a perishing
continent. The state of ‗perishing souls‘ of African people for instance, was
captured in the mission statement of Sudan United Mission whose desire was to
focus on the ‗Pagan‘ peoples of Sudan. Another mission organisation, Sudan
Interior Mission (S.I.M.) on the other hand was;
Obsessed by the need to evangelise the people of the Sudan, the
pioneers had no other agenda than to see the millions of people of
the Sudan turn to Christ before the end time. This obsession was
33 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
further illustrated by the knowledge the pioneers claimed to have
had about the Sudan and their call to the western church to act
(Maigadi 75).
Armed with such gloomy pictures of Africa and the conviction that it was their
duty to evangelise the continent, the missionaries set out to invade the entire
Sudan with the gospel. Their mission could be described as purely sacrificial and
based on love for the ‗dying‘ people of the Sudan. While the colonial masters saw
Africans as people to be exploited, the early SIM pioneers saw a people worth
dying for; this became their burden. It was on the basis of this love and burden
that the early missionaries took the risk and challenge to dare dangerous terrains
and jungles of ancient Africa. The task placed an enormous challenge on the
missionaries – leave families behind in far Europe, dare the turbulent seas and
oceans, defy the fears of diseases, health hazards and possibility of death; and to
head for a land (Africa), then referred to as the ‗white man‘s grave‘.
Physical presence and contact with people was the evangelistic approach
practised by missionaries in propagating the gospel around the world, especially
in Africa. Probably a better means of bringing the gospel to Africa would not
have been possible. First, the absence of modern communication technology like
radio, television, video, film, internet, telephone, satellite etc, that enable and
enhance easy interconnectivity and accessibility of information around the world
was a major hindrance factor. Second, pre-colonial Africa was considered as
‗dark‘ jungles whose inhabitants were carnivorous and not any where near
civilisation as defined by western standards. A situation such as this would have
made it extremely difficult for white missionaries to affect the continent with the
Christian religion by proxy. Today‘s modern technology has changed all of that. It
guarantees almost everything as far as communication and information
dissemination is concerned.
As Marshal McLuhan posits, the media is an extension of the human body.
Information and communication technology (channels) are able to do the magic
that our limited physical bodies cannot do as much. They defy space and time and
guarantee availability of information to heterogeneous and diversified target
audiences at any given time frame within any given geographic location. It is that
function of communication technology (video film) to enhance dissemination of
information that this section of the paper wishes to examine. Using the efforts of
Mount Zion, we would like to examine how the video medium is aiding in
propagating the gospel? The online submission below by Internet Video
Magazine provides an instructive insight on the massive significance of video
technology:
Since the first introduction of moving images in the late 19th
34 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
century, we have been fascinated with its powerful entertainment
and story telling capabilities. Capturing the essence of people
moving around, talking, and gesturing is the highest power of
documentation. It surpasses the letters, diaries and still
photography that previously had been the primary method of
recording and communicating.
The power of video technology as reflected above does not only surpass
traditional media and some that were celebrated in the past, but it serves as a
credible alternative to verbal method of propagating the gospel. Video technology
is able to achieve much more in time and space far beyond what missionaries did
in their experience of sea navigations, enduring long treks from village to village,
cities, towns etc, as a result of lack of modern technology. As noted earlier about
the situation in Nigeria, the revolution in electronic culture and technology
witnessed a shift of the site of staging the word of God from the stage to video.
When the use of video technology was introduced newly in the 80s and 90s,
Mount Zion Ministries was about the first Christian organisation to employ the
medium for recording their stage dramas. The first instance of this experience was
in 1990 when the group had the kind gesture of some one who offered to sponsor
the video recording (shooting) of their stage play, The Unprofitable Servant. The
play was aired on NTA Ikeja, Lagos. The story behind the broadcast was a huge
success. After this first outing, a series of similar transmission took place virtually
in all the Yoruba - speaking stations in the south - west region, and eventually it
spread up north and to other parts of the country. In 2001, the group devised a
strategy of sending more of their video films free to television stations across the
country for airing. The aim of sending videos to television houses for
broadcasting was hinged on Mike Bamiloye‘s burning desire to have all the T.V
stations in Nigeria broadcast all Mount Zion films to millions of souls. By
strategising on using television for broadcasting their video productions, the set
goal of reaching wider audience was expected to be achieved, since television is
still the one mass medium that delivers content that millions can share
simultaneously (Campbell 145). Viggo Sogaard expressed more on the strength of
television in terms of dissemination of information to heterogeneous groups of
people;
It is a true mass medium that has an enormous appeal and impact
among a wide segment of the population. It can deliver the same
message to this large group at the same time, even to the whole
world if the right hook - ups are in place (114).
The television outreach strategy of broadcasting Mount Zion video dramas
recorded far-reaching coverage compared to their itinerant stage experience.
35 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
About twenty TV stations across the country at the time accepted the arrangement
of transmitting the ministry‘s video films. Many other stations accepted to do
same. As TV stations patronised and aired the videos on their stations, the
general public became increasingly aware of the films, thus spreading speedily the
awareness of the messages targeted at diverse groups of people (both church and
non - church) across the country at different locations, regions, and populations.
‗Bayo Abraham highlighted an instance when Agbara–Nla was aired on about six
TV stations in the western region of the country in 1993 and had a wild spread
through out the towns and villages up to neigbouring countries (49). This
development no doubt, boosted the morale of the group and motivated a vision to
map out more strategies on how to embark on similar projects outside the country.
The vision carrier (Mike Bamiloye), of Mount Zion echoed passionately the
burden on distributing their films all over the land.
I am a drama minister through and through. I have a very wide and
really wild vision on drama ministry. I am seriously engulfed with
how all the TV stations in Nigeria will broadcast Mount Zion films
for millions of souls. Each time I watch the African magic of the
DSTV which beams all over Africa, I feel jealous that inspired
movies full of real spiritual food ought to be on that channel too.
(140).
To an extent, we could say that the cry to have Christian videos on African
magic channel is partly in fulfillment as Nigeria‘s home videos which have a
combination of Christian religious movies are being aired on the channel. In the
same year (2001) that Mount Zion videos started receiving attention from stations
in the country, there was an external invitation from Trinity Broadcasting
Network, Lesotho to have the permission of airing the videos on their station. The
Lesotho invitation was to later implant a vision in the heart of the leadership of
Mount Zion which gave birth to project ‗Africa Reach‘. The project set up to
reach the entire Africa with video films sent to TV stations all over Africa.
Presently, Mount Zion has established African Missions TV Outreach to handle
the packaging of their films for onward transfer to TV stations across the entire
continent. The organisation appears to be aware of presence of language problem
arising from regional lingua franca in some parts of Africa. As it would be
recalled French and British systems of colonisation divided the continent along
English and French languages. Being aware of this language question, Mount
Zion has French Missions Unit which translates their drama and video scripts into
French language. The ministry is hoping that all other films shall published into
French books and made available to mission agencies who have gotten openings
in French countries. In the words of the president of Mount Zion, he throws more
36 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
light on the fact that;
The French Missions Unit has a French personnel and an audiovisual editor who mainly subtitles all Mount Zion films into French
language. It is our plan that all Mount Zion films which will be in
the market soon will be the French subtitled ones, so that the
language barrier around Nigeria could be removed and our films
could penetrate French countries in the entire African continent
(Bamiloye 141).
It is worth observing that the video production activities of Mount Zion
which first started at a very unattractive and sub-standard manner in the late 80s
gradually moved into approaching better technical mode of production. At the
initial stage it was its stage dramas that were taking them round the country before
their videos which were recorded copies of stage dramas sold or given free to
individuals at evangelical outreach programmes on campuses, at crusade grounds
and churches. They also gave the videos free to pastors, presidents and leaders of
ministries and churches/Christian organisations. All of these charity and
sacrificial efforts helped in pushing and spreading the videos to places Mount
Zion ordinarily would not have been able to go. The videos went ahead of them,
propagating the same message they were taking round on stage. Today, Mount
Zion films have gone beyond Nigeria and Africa. Europe, America, Asia are
among world‘s regions that Mount Zion films are penetrating and receiving
appealing interest from viewers. Such strides experienced with regards to pace in
propagating the gospel can only be attributed to the power of communication
technology (video). The experience and development arising from use of modern
technology in communication and propagation of the gospel could be contrasted
by early days of Mount Zion and their itinerants in stage repertoire as affirmed by
‗Bayo Abraham;
In 1988 and 1989, we were highly busy on stage... hardly was there
any weekend that we did not have at least four drama
ministrations. There were weekends we had one drama
ministration on Friday evening, two or three on Saturday and two
or three on Sunday depending on the distance of the venue of such
ministrations to each other… we had it like that in Kano, Jos,
Zaria, Kaduna, Warri, Benin and virtually all the states in the south
–western part of Nigeria ( 49).
Throughout the period of one month, for about 28 days the ministry would
be busy staging plays in churches around the country. This was the trend for
Mount Zion in their early stage of drama ministry. But, compared to the
development of video now available as modern communication medium, there is
37 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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obvious contrast and gap, in terms of time consumption and covering of
geographic locations. The energy and time put in to cover such distances,
locations and populations in twenty eight days could be achieved in a single time
frame of the length of the video material.
The propagation of the gospel as opined by Barje Maigadi is always
proclaimed in a geographical and socio – cultural context. This social milieu and
technological status of the age required physical presence of missionaries. The
task involved enormous time, resources, navigations and risk–taking against
turbulent seas, oceans, exposure to tropical diseases; most importantly,
missionaries must know their routes, whether in the sea or on land, in order to not
only arrive their destinations safely, but to also avoid dangerous ways. Grasp with
routes and map of Africa was of utmost necessity. But, as meticulous as this was,
communication technology of modern age defies it. For a television broadcast of a
movie does not necessarily require a knowledge of a given area by the
director/producer before the video product gets to, or is accessed by target
audiences.
Mount Zion Ministries may not necessarily have knowledge of, or
physically come in contact with people in Asia, Europe, America, etc, before they
have access to the ministry‘s video films. Communication technology, as
proclaimed by Marshal McLuhan has collapsed physical boundaries and
territories and is able to bring information right into the homes of people around
the world, day and night. At the moment, Mount Zion has soft-pedaled its energy
on stage drama. They are giving more attention to film which is has wider scope
and coverage. For example, their films aired on a TV station in London enjoy
coverage that spreads as far as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany etc. Besides selfefforts of Mount Zion in distributing their films to TV stations for onward
transmission, Christian individuals, churches, ministries and missionaries have
taken their films to different parts of the world like China, Korea, Botswana and
far eastern part of the world.
Conclusion
The focus of the paper has been on the role of communication technology
in propagating the gospel. The foregoing last segment of the paper dwelt on video
evangelism activities of Mount Zion in Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the
world. As we conclude, it is worth noting that Mount Zion also translates its films
into books, magazines, and any other channel or form that is worth exploring. The
example of Mount Zion as a pioneering organisation in Christian video
evangelisation in Nigeria has been able to highlight the convenience and wide
coverage within time and space necessitated by video film evangelism as
compared to the use of traditional communication channels or olden day‘s
38 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
missionary face to face evangelistic campaign. This development confirms Oha
Obododimma‘s position that, with the revolution in electronic culture, the site of
staging of the word of God in Nigeria has shifted to video.
As we conclude, it is worth reminding ourselves, and indeed Mount Zion
Faith Ministries and other Christian bodies that are into video film evangelism or
aspiring to be, that information and communication technology is dynamic. It will
not be an exaggeration to state that new ways and methods of communication
keep emerging by the day. In this wise, New Media forms for example, are
redefining communication approaches and practice marked by an overwhelming
interconnectivity, accessibility, convergence and space. Though, the Nigerian
Church is still grappling with professional art of drama and video production, the
inevitable challenge is for Christian video film producers – churches, Para church organisations and ministries to position themselves at the cutting edge of
communication technology and New Media that promise better and greater
efficiency, expediency and accessibility. We could submit in conclusion therefore
that what word of mouth and physical presence would achieve in five, ten, twenty,
fifty years or more, can be delivered within the shortest possible time frame by
means of modern communication technology.
39 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Works Cited
Abrahams, B. Ebenezar Armour Bearers in Drama Ministry. Ibadan: Mount Zion
Publications, 2005
Adeniyi, O. Victoria ―Beyond Entertainment: Christian Video Films and
Evangelism in Nigeria‖ Africa Through The Eye of The Video Camera.
Ogunleye, Foluke (ed.). Swaziland: Academic Publications.
Ayakoroma, Barclays Foubiri: Trends in the Development of Contemporary
Nigerian Video Film Industry: A seminar Paper Presented at the Annual
National Conference of Society of Nigerian Theatre Artistes (SONTA),
Nsukka; July 11-15, 2006.
Bamiloye, Mike. The Problems in Drama Ministry. Ibadan: Mount Zion
Publications, 2006
--- By Faith Conquering Kingdoms. Ibadan: Mount Zion Publications, 2006
Campbell, R; Martin, R. Christopher; Fabos, Bettina. Media and Culture: An
Introduction To Mass Communication. Boston, New York: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2004
Eilers, Franz – Josef.
Word, 1994
Communicating in Community. Manila: Logos Divine
Gbilikaa, Saint. Radical Theatre In Nigeria. Ibadan: Caltop Productions, 1997
Gifford Clive. Media and Communication. Canada: Stoddart Publishing Co.,
1997
Illah, John Egwugwu. ―The Ideological Project in Nigerian Drama‖ in Egwugwu
Illah (ed) Theatre, Politics and Social Consciousness. Jos: Leadership
Production Press, 2002
Maigadi, S. Barje. Divisive Ethnicity in the Church in Africa. Kaduna: Baraka
Press and Publishers, 2006
Obododimma, Oha: Yoruba Christian Video Narrative and Indigenous
Imaginations: Dialogue and Duelogue. (Online). 2002 (accessed 2008,
May
18;
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40 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Obododimma, Oha. Nigerian Video Films. Jonathan Haynes (ed.). U.S.A: Ohio
University Centre for International Studies, 2000
Ogunleye, Foluke. African Film Today. Swaziland: Academic Publishers, 2003
Onyero, Mgbujume. Film in Nigeria: Development, Problems and Promise.
Nairobi: African Council on Communications, 1989
Oyewo, A. Gabriel. ― The Making of Yoruba Video Films: An Actor‘s
Experience‖ Africa Through The Eye of The Video. Ogunleye, (Foluke
ed.). Swaziland: Academic Publishers.
Shaka, ‗Femi. ―Rethinking the Nigerian Film Industry: Technological Fascination
and Domestication Game‖ in African Film Today. Ogunloye, Foluke (ed.).
Swaziland: Academic Publishers, 2003
Sharwa, Dan‘aZumi et al. The Gindiri Mission Compound. Gindiri: Ulster
Church, 2005
Sogaard, Viggo. Media in Church and Mission: Communicating the Gospel.
Pasadena: California, William Carey Library, 1993
Williams, Raymond. Marxism and Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1997
http://www.internetvideomag.com/articles_2007/102607_imemorieshomevideos.htm
41 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Jeremiah S. S. Methuselah
________________________________________________
(RE)PRESENTING WOMEN BY NIGERIAN FEMALE
PLAYWRIGHTS IN RECENT NIGERIAN DRAMA
Abstract
Women playwrights have questioned the images of women in male centred drama.
They claim that these images are false and not a true reflection of women in real
life. One of the ways they have tried to address this problem is by writing plays in
which women are reified in titanic roles. The male gender on the other hand is
projected in menial, inconsequential roles. Generally, most of these female
centred plays objectify women as good, faithful and patient- forgiving and
forebearing the brutalities of men. A cursory observation will indicate that most
of these plays written by women have tended to vilify the menfolk to the point of
unrealism as much as they have blown the persecution of women to hyperbolic
proportions. However, there are plays by women that are more balanced in their
presentation of the female gender. This paper sets out to discuss some of these
plays. Specifically, Tess Akaeke Onwueme‟s Tell It to Women and Tracie Chimah
Utoh-Ezeajugh‟s Who Owns This Coffin? forms the basis of our analysis.
Introduction
The thematic concerns of literary drama in Nigeria highlight certain key
issues that relate to the imaging of women. There is a suggestion in some quarters
that pioneer playwrights and indeed most male playwrights had imaged women in
not too complimentary and positive light. (Harrow; 170; Palmer; 38; Salami; 43)
In the light of the foregoing, women have reacted by writing plays that
portray men as being sexist. They do this by completely obliterating anything
good in their male characters; choosing to make more of caricatures of them.
However, a critical consideration of these plays put up to ‗combat‘ these false
images of women are themselves questionable given their exaggerated content of
the brutish, intolerant, insensitive and uncaring male and the over emphasis of the
woman as a super perfect person.
Probably the reaction of women playwrights to the perceived
misrepresentation of women in male oriented literary drama, which has in turn
produced their skewed reaction is rooted in the socialization process which has by
and large over the years minimized their worth (Awe; V; Jeremiah; 152).
The implications of this, in our opinion, is that women playwrights, in
their attempt at subverting patriarchy, have ended up worse purveyors of this
‗crime‘ than men in this gender ‗war‘ within the literary intellectual ferment.
42 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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They have simply ―replace(d) the abstraction woman as created by men with
another
abstraction
Woman
(with
a
capital
W)
created
by
women.‖(Udumukwu;148)
Generally speaking, the corpus of female drama has arisen to challenge
this dominant ethos of women‘s images in male authored plays in Nigerian
literary drama. Over the years, the lot of women has been presented through the
eyes of women who have shouted with loud voices of this misrepresentation.
Many women playwrights have tended to project women as the prey and the men
as the predators. Consequently, male characters are imaged as some kind of
grotesque monsters with vampire instincts waiting to pounce on poor, helpless
women.
The point cannot be emphasized that realistically, there are good women,
but there are bad women too. Just as there are bad men in real life, there are good
ones, too. Therefore, the projection of all men as bad and all women as good in
female drama renders most of it unrealistic and patronizing. Plays like Stella
Oyedepo‘s The Rebellion of the Bumpy-Chested, On His Demise; Irene Salami‘s
Emotan:A Benin Heroine, More than Dancing, Sweet Revenge; most of Tracie
Chimah Utoh-Ezeajugh‘s plays except for Who Owns this Coffin; Julie Okoh‘s
The Mannequins, In the Fullness of Time, Edewede, Closed Doors, The Mask and
The Trials are good examples to cite of the ‗insensitivity‘ and ‗brutality‘ of men
towards women.
Furthermore, most of these female playwrights engage in name calling
using hate language which obfuscates the real issues at stake. The end result of
this bitterness gives these writings colourations of a gender war. This is in spite of
the fact that many of these women playwrights subscribe to the womanist
ideology. The women‘s issue can never be solved this way. In as much as male
playwrights need to redress how they signify women in their plays, women
playwrights need to apply caution in their reaction to this misrepresentation. This
is so because, as artists and cultural producers, it is very proper to reify issues in
the most objective manner. The acrimonious situation that exists within these
plays appears to make nonsense of the efficacy of drama as a medium of
instruction but which can also be used to mediate, modulate and refine society
given that it has degenerated to nothing but mudslinging and the use of bitter
language. No wonder, Acholonu cautions women playwrights to resist this
ideology of gender warfare which has been imposed on them by Eurocentrics to
distract them from the real issues which bedevil their communities. (Acholonu;
107)
A play should therefore attempt to show the diversity of these
characterizations including the good, the bad and the ugly of humanity, male or
female. It is in this light that the plays of Onwueme and some of the other
43 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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emergent women playwrights stand out.
This paper, therefore, sets out to explore plays by women who portray the
image of women in near realistic terms by foregrounding the various shades and
colours of women and womanhood. We have specifically chosen Tell it to Women
by Tess Akaeke Onwueme and Who Owns this Coffin by Tracie Chimah Utoh for
this analysis. This study is based on African Womanism, specifically its variant,
Motherism. According to Acholonu, the exponent of the theory, a motherist is one
who looks at the earth as a ―hologrammatic entity‖. And so motherism
concentrates on the whole ―gamut of the human struggle‖. She further posits that
―love, tolerance, service and mutual cooperation of the sexes, not antagonism,
aggressive militancy or violent confrontation‖ can help move the society forward
(Acholonu; 111)
An Exploration of the Selected Plays
An exploration of the two texts chosen for this study reveals a different
presentation of women by the two playwrights. The play Tell it to Women by Tess
Akaeke Onwueme highlights topical issues in the female question in Nigeria and
to a large extent Africa. She highlights the ironies and contradictions of the mass
mobilization programme launched by the then Nigerian First Lady and wife to
military dictator, Maryam Babangida. The programme in question, tagged Better
Life for Rural Women, was meant to spur women from their state of inertia and
illiteracy to become enlightened, empowered and conscientized.
She further interrogates this lip service programme of enlightenment as a
mere charade where the wives of big time government officials in league with
other women in non-governmental organizations collude to defraud government
by organizing these phony programmes where they bring poor rural women and
make long speeches but at the end of the day go home with fatter wallets while
the women trudge back to their villages to face the daily drudgery of trying to
make ends meet.
Yemoja, the representative of the Umuada of Idu village, travels to the
city with the duo of Ruth and Daisy, so-called women emancipators, to represent
the women in the launching of the Better Life for Rural Women Programme. She
ends up as a house girl in Daisy‘s house where she is brutalized and traumatized.
In contempt of her humble background, Ruth and Daisy display a complete
disregard for Yemoja and the traditional ways which they consider old and
archaic. They are impatient with her in spite of her resolve and effort to learn this
new ‗progressive‘ ways that are meant to bring development to them in Idu
village and especially for her who had to drop out of school when her parents
could not afford to pay school fees for her and her brother, preferring him to her.
44 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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In the First Movement, we witness the tongue- lashing of Yemoja by
Daisy.
Daisy: Now hear this. You may be "their queen" in that village.
You may be the most high in the blind eyes of the Umuada,
daughters of the clan. But know this here and now. You are
nothing! Nothing … Not even good enough to be messenger in my
office (p8).
The viciousness of this statement is ironical given that these are the same
women who went to the village and sweet tongued Idu women into sending
Yemoja to follow them to the city in preparation for the launching of the better
life for rural programme. The ferociousness with which they attack Yemoja
exposes the fallacy and false commitment to a true sisterhood that they so much
preach in public.
The playwright further exposes this hypocrisy in Movement Two where
Yemoja recounts the genesis of her present situation. As she cries herself to
sleep, she dreams of Idu, her home town and the great expectations that the
women had as they awaited the arrival of Ruth and Daisy from the city to come
and talk to them. For her, that visit by the two women was of great importance
given that she had big plans for her children. She, herself, could not complete her
teacher training school having been dropped in preference to her brother when the
school fees became too much for her parents to pay for both of them.
The much awaited meeting time came. Daisy and Ruth arrived to address
the women. The village women are however shocked and disappointed at the
message given to them by these two important women from the city. They are
scandalized by the vitriolic attack on men by the two campaigners. They are
equally disgusted that child bearing and mothering are regarded by these women
as slavery. As if that is not enough, the village women are further encouraged to
be disrespectful to their husbands. Couched under the most superfluous,
supercilious radical feminist language possible, Ruth expounds to the Idu women
the "tyrannical hegemony of patriarchy" and urges them to break free from this
‗marginalization.‘ However, the village women completely distance themselves
from a culture they consider to be completely foreign and against their local
culture and belief system.
Ruth further tries to sell her Eurocentric feminism which preaches global
sisterhood in spite of the very glaring and yawning chasm between her and the
village women in terms of status. These feminist campaigners failed to realize the
unique problems of these village women. Using these foreign ideologies resulted
to a ―unified and absolute construction of women‖ (Udumukwu; 149).
Idu women display to the campaigners that they are not the emasculated,
45 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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marginalized lot they think them to be. The way and manner they deal with Koko,
Yemoja‘s husband, clearly exemplifies a highly assertive and powerful group.
They maintain that it is not the acceptance of foreign feminist ideology that makes
them complete women. If anything, these foreign ideas have contributed in
destroying the customs of the people. And so the campaign of Ruth and Daisy at
‗conscientizing‘ the illiterate women of Idu fell flat on deaf ears.
These two women, Yemoja discovers, can never be an example of female
empowerment. Daisy is disrespectful to her husband. She neglects her children
and is busy running around looking for contracts in top government circles. Her
friend, Ruth, is no better example either. Single and fiercely independent, she
influences Daisy‘s household in the most negative way and it later turns out that
the two are lesbians. By their lifestyle and comportment, they lack the moral base
for speaking on behalf of women marginalization when they themselves are part
of the coercive machinery of suppression of the womenfolk.
Ruth and Daisy see the village women as illiterate, disease ridden and
unenlightened but the village women demonstrate a high sense of organization
and ends up proving to the two that they are the un-informed ones in the light of
how little they know about their own culture and tradition. The conclusion is that
if anybody should be pitied, it is not the village women but the city women
perpetually living on the state of ‗angst‘, cavilling over little, inconsequential
things to the neglect of their fundamental roles as homemakers. The play is
therefore a rejection of these Western feminist tendencies in all their
ramifications. As a corollary to this, it upholds the African cultural aesthetics in
their pristine form maintaining that it is better to remain in this state than adopt
these alien ideologies as 'progressive' as they may be.
The village women demonstrate this apathy after Her Excellency gave her
rabble rousing speech with the usual feminist catch phrases and clichés. Without
mincing words or using euphemisms, they unequivocally condemn and reject the
assertion that they are powerless, marginalized and oppressed. In defiance, they
dance in honour of Yemoja, the goddess of the sea to the chagrin of the very
important guests who grace the programme.
Who Owns this Coffin by Chimah Utoh also highlights the woman
question within the Nigerian socio-political matrix. Using strong language, the
play condemns the excesses of women who in the quest for power are willing to
go to any lengths to get it by throwing away all decency. She shows the good, the
bad and the ugly sides of women and refuses to toe the line of many women
playwrights who will rather cover up these atrocities under the veneer of fighting
male chauvinistic oppression.
The play begins on a very fast pace. The usual sloganeering and verbal
diatribe that obtain in most women's fora which calls for the end to female
46 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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oppression and marginalization are fore grounded. The narrator states how much
success has been achieved as a result of the struggle by women who have fought
for Affirmative Action in many African countries and have succeeded in getting
them into positions of power.
In Situation One, a group of dancing women under the name Dynamic
Women Dance Group are presented. During their meeting, speaker after speaker
lament the pitiable state of the woman. The usual refrain ―of being oppressed,
suppressed repressed and humiliated‖ find expression. They wonder why though
women have been able to make their mark in literary scholarship yet they are
unable to make any political inroads within the political spectrum. They maintain
that political power is the key to the liberation of women. They vow to leave no
stone unturned in achieving that.
In Situation Two, a clearer picture of the real motive of some of the
women in forming the dancing group is projected. Their president, Mrs.
Ekwutosi, bares her fangs at the women daring anybody to raise any voice of
dissent against her. She is intolerant, unfeeling, tactless and undiplomatic. Worse
still, she is authoritarian, greedy and over ambitious. The result is that many
women feel sidelined or intimidated from the group given that they refuse to toe
the line of Ekwutosi and her cohorts.
There is a sharp disagreement between Mrs Ekwutosi, Amtu and Binta on
one hand and Chief (Mrs) Sijuade, Mrs Jaja and Mrs Tansi on the other as to the
basic philosophy of the dance group. Ekwutosi and her friends, Amtu and Binta
see the group more as an avenue to get the attention of the high and mighty in
government consequently securing contracts and appointments. Mrs. Taja and
Mrs. Tansi on the other hand argue that a pulling together of the women to fight
injustice and corruption in these high places will enable the lot of the generality of
woman to be better. They propose that songs be composed in honour of past
women heroes. Mrs. Ekwutosi rejects this suggestion.
Mrs. Ekwutosi: We shall compose songs about our heroes no
doubt, but we must start with the leaders of the community. Those
in authority. Our king, his cabinet ministers and politicians, we
shall sing their praises so that our group shall be contracted to
perform during their campaign tours and celebration of political
victories (p. 31) .
It is clear from Mrs Ekwutosi‘s statement above that all her earlier strong,
vituperative language about marginalization of women is merely used as a
springboard to launch into being this dancing group to foist the selfish agenda of
most of the leaders- one of whom is her. Most of these women are therefore
merely interested in exploiting the organization for getting handouts from top
47 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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government officials many of whom they intend to compose panegyric songs
about.
While Mrs. Jaja and Mrs. Tansi represent the genuine members of the
mass movement of women who want to be given the opportunity to help in
moving the country forward, Mrs. Ekwutosi and her friends have a different
position having schemed their way through to high positions in order to further
their personal agenda.
Mrs. Ekwutosi … I want to remind you that this is just a women‘s
dance group and not some radical, militant organization bent on
correcting what you imagine are prevailing ills in society. We are
all here basically to make money (p 34)
For this group of women, the political process is not to be challenged.
They should plunge into the affray to get a piece of the national cake. Theirs is
not to challenge the system, but to help sustain it.
Mrs. Tansi cautions against this arguing that it will be tantamount to
selling their conscience.
Mrs. Tansi :..My concern is for the generality of our women who
are not privileged to have a voice. Our songs shall become our
tools. We could use them to raise mass consciousness among our
suffering women (P.35).
Given the foregoing examples, the play dramatizes the sit-tight syndrome
in Nigerian politics- the horrible acts of greed, the intrigues in high places and the
unscrupulousness of politicians, women inclusive. At the end of this scene, we are
shocked and at the same time scandalized to discover that the same Mrs. Ekwutosi
who has amply demonstrated how crooked she is actually serves as a pastor in one
of the churches. In a very ironical tone Mrs. Ekwutosi informs that her church has
invited ―a man of God‖ who will come and perform signs and wonders under
―operation naked the devil‖.
Situation Three mirrors yet another of Mrs. Ekwutosi negative traits. In
her quest to make it in the world of politics, she is willing to sacrifice everything
and everybody including herself and her daughter. Evidently, in her quest to
become a member of the National Assembly, she is willing to sleep with anybody
who has the influence to help her secure the ticket. When it appears that she can
no more appeal to the men, probably because of her age, she purposes to use her
daughter by proposing to marry her off to her sex mate under the guise of
providing her with a stable household.
If there are any doubts to the proper attitude of Mrs. Ekwutosi and her
friends Hajia Binta and Mrs. Amtu, Situation Four describes that. Here, the three
women‘s corrupt and selfish disposition is brought to the fore. Hajia Binta
48 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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blames Mrs. Jaja and Mrs. Tansi for her proposed transfer and possible demotion
even when it is clear she has been found wanting in the course of her duties.
Mrs. Amtu who is the Local Government Chairperson lies to Mrs. Sijuade
that the male councillors have all ganged up to impeach her because she is a
woman. When Sijuade berates her for abusing her public office, she begs for her
support in her bid for the senatorial seat arguing that it will further lift the status
of women if she goes to the National Assembly.
Mrs. Sijuade is however resolute and stern in her rebuke. She reminds
Mrs. Amtu of her colossal crime which borders on embezzlement of public funds,
extortion, intimidation and oppression of the masses of the people including, and
especially women.
By taking a clear ideological position, Mrs. Sijuade says:
Chief (Mrs) Sijuade … A woman must uphold the values of
womanhood. In this war with men, we must never imitate these
obnoxious vices which have eaten deep into their system (P.61).
The above is an indictment of the women‘s movement which has failed to
be any different from the corrupt system operated by men. In another vein, these
statements are probably a tacit rewrite or overwrite of the playwright‘s earlier
stand on this issue. In her earlier play, Our Wives Have Gone Mad Again, Utoh
demonstrates an overwhelming support for this kind of restless and antagonistic
politics where the end justifies the means. Here, women engage in the same
politics of repression, intimidation and blackmail that men are accused of.
However, in Who Owns this Coffin, Utoh disavows that position, hence distances
herself from it.
Even Mrs Ekwutosi is not spared Sijuade‘s tongue lashing as she exposes
her nefarious activities and berates her for playing the harlot and disgracing
womanhood by sleeping with all and sundry to further her political career.
In the case of these three women. that is exactly what each of them claims.
However, Mrs Sijuade is uncompromising. She stands strong as the ‗rock of
Gibraltar‘ even when insinuations and blackmail set in. This suggests that society
can still get it right if the few who are good insist on the right thing to be done.
Mrs Sijuade demonstrates this spirit even if she has to pay for it ultimately with
her life. The trio of Miss Amtu, Mrs. Ekwutosi and Hajia Binta all use diabolic
means to cause her death.
(Re)presenting Women in the Two Plays
It is interesting to note that both Onwueme and Utoh deliberately set out to
image women variously in these two plays. In most of the plays written by
women there is the reification of the woman as a kind of helpless victim who is
being visited by the chauvinism of the man.
49 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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However, true this may be, literary signification of women must not depart
from the realistic life situation. Like Ogunleye says:
It suffices that we have plays that acknowledges the place of
women in the ―drama‖ of life. It is not realistic to present women
as saints in womanist plays. We are interested in seeing women in
plays and also to see them in their various shades of human
behaviour (117).
It therefore suffices that just as there are bad men in real life, there are bad
men in literary production. And just as there are good and bad women in real life,
the same portraiture must populate literary production.
This is what Onwueme and Utoh suggest in these plays as they foreground
a spectrum of female images and characterization in the two plays. There are the
good ones, there are the bad ones and there are also the ugly ones all representing
the various classes and characterization in the society. There are the oppressors
and the rich on one hand and on the other hand, the poor, the educated and the
illiterates, all conveying in the drama of life not just about women alone but
society as a whole because women do not live in isolation. They are part of the
greater society with all these colourations of humanity.
For example, in Tell It to Women, we have good women like the village
women of Idu under the headship of Adaka. Though illiterate in the Western
sense, they demonstrate a high sense of fidelity to their culture which they insist is
better than the corrupt, degenerate and highly peevish Western model that the
women ‗emancipators‘ are trying to introduce them to.
Onwueme empowers these women to resist the imposition of this foreign
ideology of a so-called global sisterhood phenomenon as proposed by white
middle aged feminists and preached by the likes of Ruth and Daisy contending
that it fails to capture the reality of other ethnic nationalities because it is basically
―informed by racist and classist assumptions about white womanhood‖ (Hooks;
296). Oyeronke argues that this sisterhood is a legacy of the white American
family which is isolated and individualistic (Oyeronke; www.jendajournal.com).
The concept of female oppression as envisaged by Ruth and Daisy and by
extension all radical feminists is completely at variance with the reality in rural
Idu. While these feminists whose feminist inclinations are anchored on Western
militant style ideologies that views Mothering as a form of slavery, in Idu village
and by extension many other Nigeria societies, a woman is not complete until she
has brought forth a child. (Oyeronke; www.jendajournal.com)
On the flip side, Onwueme characterizes Ruth and Daisy, the educated and
highly successful women, as anything but good. They are exploitative, mean,
greedy and totally unscrupulous. Worse still, they are lesbians. Daisy, a Director
50 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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of Women‘s Affairs is a flighty character. She represents everything a woman
should not. She brutalizes Yemoja, the representative of Idu women who has been
sent to the city to precede them and get things ready for the inauguration of the
Better Life for Rural Women. This is the woman who comes to the village to
sensitize women on their rights and identify with them under the cloak of global
sisterhood promising to be co-partners as they agitate for a better deal for women
and womanhood. However, this is far from what she has in mind. She is only in
the business for what she can get. She disdains the villagers and has only
contempt for them.
Daisy …they are pigs…stubborn pigs. That is what they are. All
their wealth is poverty. And they‘re so backward that even if the
hand of clock was turned back a century, they won‘t know the
difference ( p.7)..
She keeps late nights with her lesbian lover. At one time, Okei, her
husband, asks her where she is going at such an ungodly hour. She
retorts angrily that it is not his business. ‗Daisy: I‘m no child. I
can take care of myself. I‘m not gonna take no instruction from
no one. I ain‘t gonna do it. And don‘t ever ask me where and when
I go (p.104).‘
The reality of this husband-wife relationship underpins the fact that in
some homes it is the women who are the oppressors. Daisy‘s bossy attitude is
deliberately used by Onwueme to deconstruct this dominant ethos in most plays
written by women where the suggestion has almost always been of women as
being oppressed by men.
Ruth, Daisy‘s friend and co-feminist campaigner, is no different in
character and comportment. If anything, she can really be said to be worse. At 45
years old, she is still single. She is mean and delights in encouraging, if not
fomenting, the frosty relationship between Daisy and her husband. A lesbian, she
has only contempt for anything that has a semblance of family life. Her seeming
interest to emancipate women like her friend Daisy is nothing but a fluke. She is
only interested in hiding under that umbrella to make money from the contracts
she expects to get.
Ruth… these rural women are very gullible you know. All you
need to do
is make them feel they are important. That‘s the
magic. I am sure it will work. And we need them anyway, maybe
even more than they need us (emphasis mine) (p 150).
Ironical as this statement sounds, it suggests some truth. The two women
need the village women more than the village women need them. They need to
51 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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appreciate the village life with its communal outlook, where everybody cares for
every one as against the artificial foreign ‗civilizing‘ culture they have imbibed
which robes them of any semblance of humanity turning them into vicious
mechanical exploiting machines in their quest for material things.
The same situation predominates in Utoh‘s Who Owns This Coffin. Here
the playwright signified women along two divides. There are the good ones
represented by Mrs. Sijuade, Mrs. Tansi and Mrs. Jaja. The bad ones are
represented by Hajia Binta, Mrs. Autu and Mrs. Ekwutosi. It is interesting to note
that the equal number allocated each group is deliberate by the playwright
probably to indicate where there is goodness; evil can also exist in equal measure
and vice versa.
The trio of Mrs. Ekwutosi, Hajia Binta and Mrs, Amtu abused their
respective offices. Mrs. Ekwutosi is a terrible mother who is willing to sacrifice
even her daughter in her craze for political power and contracts. Mrs Sijuade
queries her on this unbecoming attitude.
Chief (Mrs) Sijuade … you have desecrated womanhood. Do you
think that women empowerment is ―bottom‖ empowerment? Must
you debase yourself and mortgage your self esteem and pride just
to grab some crumbs from the tables of men? We women want to
compete with men on the basis of competence (p 64).
As for Mrs. Amtu, as a local government chairperson, other than embezzle
public funds, she also lacks any manner of decency. Her membership of the
women‘s dancing group is to further her economic goal. The same can be said of
Hajia Binta too. As a principal, she helps run down the system to a virtual
standstill. She collects bribes and admits unqualified candidates as well as
encourages the breakdown of law and order on campus by condoning cult
activities.
From the above, Utoh seems to suggest that women have played an equal
role in running down the socio-economic and political process in Nigeria. Even
when they shout with stentorian voices every day about marginalization and
equality, they cannot completely be excused from the wanton waste of public
resources. The few of them who have attained high positions can equally be as
corrupt as their male counterparts of whom they are perpetually criticizing.
Whether in the educational or the economic or political sector or as it pertains to
immorality, women have as much blame as men. They can be as bad as them, too.
Femi Osofisan said as much in the preface he wrote of the play:
…Against a background of feminist activities, now all too familiar,
in which female writers indict and vilify men for their prejudices
against women, Chima chooses to be different…Chima bitterly
52 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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reveals and denounces the opportunism of these mercenary women
in our society. She shows how through hypocrisy and cant, they
usurp and divert the struggle, muffle the genuine voices of protest
and kill off the true heroes (Preface to Who Owns this Coffin)
Evidence of this comes to light at the end of the play when the three
women plot and eliminate Chief (Mrs) Sijuade because she refuses to use her
influence to help them cover up their nefarious activities. Chief (Mrs) Sijuade,
Mrs Tansi and Mrs Jaja are the genuine protesters. They do not use the
organization for personal gain. Mrs Jaja canvasses for the use of their dancing
group to highlight the needs of women.
Mrs Jaja: …our songs will become a revolutionary tool in the
hands of women to combat the political and economic intimidation
of women in this community. (p 31& 32).
Mrs Tansi is also genuinely interested in helping the lot of the women. She
is willing to die for the cause when she is reminded that such revolutionary action
can invite serious backlash from the powers that be. She replies,
Mrs Tansi: So what if we get locked up or killed? That very act
will lend credence to our struggle and draw public attention to our
plight. It will shake people out of their slumber. (p 35 & 36).
She acknowledges that it is not going to be an easy ride to victory. The
irony is that it is even among women that these messengers of death exist, but
then the play argues further that this is a projection of reality itself.
However, the most articulate and focused of these three is Chief (Mrs)
Sijuade who ultimately pays the price for the struggle she so much believes in. As
a widow, she invested a lot of time and resources in helping the poor and needy.
Her joining the dancing group is to further actualize these ideals. However, she
notices with sadness that many of these women have their own agenda different
from what she visualizes. In answer to Mrs Ekwutosi‘s accusation of being
responsible for the death of her husband, she clearly demonstrates that she is in
tandem with her late husband in developing the community. She maintains that it
is people like Mrs Ekwutosi who cripple that effort by appropriating what is
meant to help the widows and the poor.
It is also pertinent to note that both playwrights are able to create female
characters that are assertive because of their sociological background. This is true,
especially of Onwueme‘s Tell it to Women where she explores the traditional
institutions of the Igbo society of the Eastern part of Nigeria that empower
women, investing them with some measure of autonomy and self government.
The Igbo society, like many other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, is basically
53 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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patriarchal in nature. All aspects of the socio-political life are controlled by them.
However, women are given some measure of independence in the sense that they
are allowed to take care of certain issues that affect women directly through the
female king known as the Omu.(Nzegu); www.jendajournal.com/vol1.1/nzegwu.html).
Conclusion
This paper sets out to explore the re-imaging of women in Nigerian by
female playwrights. The research findings indicate that in spite of the fact that
most women images in these plays by women are replete with exaggerations, a
number of these women have written plays that discuss the issue of women
holistically, bringing to the fore the good, bad and ugly sides of women.
Conclusively, therefore, it is pertinent to go beyond this individualistic
outlook on life. The important work of educating and sensitization of the masses
of the people far outweighs everything else, what with corruption, squandermania,
religious intolerance, the deft manipulation of the mass of the people by corrupt
politicians among many other evils. All hands need to be on deck to combat these
evils. The relevance of the playwright, male or female, in this sense cannot be
overemphasized. The two plays analyzed above attest to this. And so the
differences between male and female are immaterial in a world in which the
qualities of both are useful to the well rounded personality. Furthermore, if both
male and female writers redefine the social construct of the opposite sex in their
works this can go a long way in ensuring balance and realism.
54 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Works Cited
Acholonu, Catherine Motherism: The Afro Centric Alternative to Feminism,
Owerri: Alpha (1995) 107-111.
Awe, Bolanle Nigerian Women in Historical Perspective, Lagos:
Sankore/Bookcraft, (1992) i-v.
Harrow, Kenneth ―I ‗m not a Western Feminist but…‖ Research in African
Literature, 29 3 (1998) 171-187.
Hooks, Bell. ―Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women.‖ Feminist Review
No. 23, Socialist-Feminism: Out of the Blue (1986), 125-138.
Jeremiah, Methuselah, ―Women and ‗Heroism‘ in Modern Nigerian Drama‖
KADA:
Journal of Liberal Arts, 1 2 (2008) 151-169.
Nzegu, Nkiru ―Gender Equality in a Dual -Sex System: The Case of Onitsha‖
http://www.jendajournal.com/vol1.1/nzegwu.html (Accessed 23 April,
2008)
Ogunleye, Foluke. ―21st Century Image of Women: A Womanist Reading of Two
Nigerian Plays‖ South African Theatre Journal (SATJ), 18 (2004) 111-133
Okoh, Julie. Mask, Port Harcourt: Totan, (1988)
…,In the Fullness of Time, Owerri: Totan, (2000)
…,Edewede, Port Harcourt: Totan, (2000)
…,The Mannequins, Owerri: Corporate Impressions, (2006)
…,Closed Doors, Port Harcourt: Pearl, (2007)
Onwueme, Tess Akaeke. Tell it to Women, New Jersey: Africa Heritage, (1992.)
Oyedepo, Stella. Brain Has No Gender, Ilorin: Delstar, (2001)
…,The Rebellion of the Bumpy- Chested, Ilorin: Delstar, (2002)
Oyewumi, Oyeronke “Ties That (Un)Bind: Feminism, Sisterhood And Other
Foreign Relations” (http://www.jendajournal.com/vol1.1/html) (Accessed
23 April, 2008)
55 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Palmer, Eustace ―The Feminine Point of View: Buchi Emecheta‘s The Joys of
Motherhood” African Literature Today Eldred Durosimi Jones,
(ed), London: Heinemann, No.13. (1983) 38-55.
Salami, Irene ―Women in Benin Historical Drama: Emotan of Benin(Ernest
Edyang) and Imaguero (Evinma OgieriaxII)‖ Theacom Journal (ed) John
S. Illah. Jos: Andex 4 1. (1999) 34-56.
…,Emotan: A Benin Heroine, Jos: Mazlink, (2001)
…, More Than Dancing, Saniez,, (2003)
…,Sweet Revenge, Ibadan: Saniez, (2004)
Udumukwu, Onyemaechi. ―The Aporia of African Feminist Discourse‖ The Crab:
Journal of Theatre and Media Arts, 1 2. (2006) 139-151.
Utoh, Tracie Chimah. Who Owns this Coffin?, Jos: Sweetop, (1999).
…, Our Wives Have Gone Mad Again, Awka: Valid (2001).
56 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Bunmi Adeoye
_________________________________________________
RE-EVALUATING THEATRE FOR DEVELOPMENT
TECHNIQUES IN VOLATILE REGIONS
Abstract
Applied drama is a conflict resolution strategy or an ADR (Alternative
Dispute Resolution) technique. Going into warring zones and bringing factions
together to achieve peace is the ultimate goal. Facilitators/practitioners often
times have had to face fierce opposition to their project or its theme and forced to
abandon the mission. Nonetheless, some, undeterred, still forge ahead like
guerrillas on an operation. However, with the spate of terrorism all over the
world, there is the need to re-evaluate the techniques utilized. The field has
become more risky with more threat to lives of practitioners who now face
domestic terrorism which has eaten deep into the fabric of society transcending
religious and ethnic divide. In the Niger Delta region of Nigeria for instance,
domestic terrorism has become an insidious disease which has made Theatre for
Development practitioners tag that part of the country a “no go area”. Such a
trend left unchecked will send a giant to the doldrums. To avoid the impending
quagmire all stakeholders must be up and about using their tools to bring about
awareness, and a social change, hence this paper intends to look at alternative
ways of impacting volatile regions which is the multi-media approach, making
recommendations in the light of the global trend in ICT usage.
Introduction
It is imperative to, at the onset, clarify the issue of multiplicity in
nomenclature when using Drama and or Theatre as an interventionist tool for
communication or human development. Over the years, we have had Popular
Theatre (PT), Theatre for Development (TfD), Theatre for Integrated Rural
Development (THIRD), Community Theatre for Integrated Rural Development
(CTHIRD), Theatre for Integrated Development (TIDE), Applied Drama (AD)
and many more yet to be thought up.
Of recent however, the terms Applied Drama and Theatre for
Development have been used, sometimes interchangeably, to describe any work
that uses drama and or theatre to engender change. Malomo drawing from various
definitions, states that TfD ―in theory and practice is a communication strategy
and process that aims at community participation that achieves sustainable
development.‖(26)
According to Helen Nicholson, the term Applied Drama ―describe(s)
57 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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forms of dramatic activity that primarily exist outside conventional mainstream
theatre institutions, and which are specifically intended to benefit individuals,
communities and societies.‖(2)
―The applied theatre operates from a central transformative principle: to
raise awareness on a particular issue..., to teach a particular concept..., to
interrogate human actions..., to heal fractured identities..., to change states of
oppression....‖(Prentki 363)
From the foregone, it is clear that no matter the name, one is talking about
the application of drama and or theatre to the end that it brings about awareness or
attitudinal change in a given society.
Domestic Terrorism: A Threat to Applied Drama
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines
Terrorism as ―the unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person
or an organized group against people or property with the intention of
intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or
political reasons.‖
Another definition puts it thus:
Acts of violence committed by groups that view themselves as
victimized by some notable historical wrong. Although these
groups have no formal connection with governments, they usually
have financial and moral backing of sympathetic governments.
Typically, they stage unexpected attacks on civilian targets…. (The
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy)
Wordnet, on the other hand, defines Domestic Terrorism as ‗terrorism
practiced in your own country against your own people….‖ The connection
between Domestic Terrorism and conflict is umbilical with the latter serving as
the fuel of the former. Since conflict is said to be as old as man, it can therefore be
said that the origin of Domestic Terrorism can be traced to ancient societies.
Without gainsaying, conflict is that which kick-starts any act of terrorism. Any
community where disputes exist, domestic terrorism is bound to be in the offing.
Factions are bred and these metamorphose into guerrilla groups. The aggrieved
parties feel wronged, cheated and in order to redress the ‗injustice‘, they resort to
jungle justice or try to achieve peace through war or match terror with terror.
International terrorism, as we have seen it today, stems from domestic terrorism.
Land and boundary disputes, religious intolerance, political mayhem, fight
over resource control are the prevailing causes of internecine conflicts in Nigeria.
A case in hand is the level of violence in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria
which has escalated to a proportion that can only be succinctly described with the
58 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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words Domestic Terrorism. The antecedent of the conflict is well too known. The
lack of employment and career opportunities tempted many young graduates and
unemployed youths into criminal syndicates. Because of the terrain which is
covered by dense rainforest, sand ridges, mangrove forests, swamps, tidal
channels, streams, rivers and creeks, the activities of the militants who are
domiciled there, are hard to curb.
The Applied Drama worker apart from being handicapped by the terrain is
also a potential victim of kidnapping which seems to be the stock-in-trade of
some misguided youth who are not in any way fighting for the Niger Delta cause.
One would be a prey going to the lion‘s den because then the militants would
assume, maybe correctly, that some Western or European agency funded the
project and if the practitioner is abducted or kidnapped they would have more use
of the ransom money than the drama or message the TfD practitioner is preaching
to them.
Jos, in Plateau State keeps witnessing upheavals that threaten the peace of
the entire nation. Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Oyo, Ekiti and Rivers States are active
volcanoes. Needless to say, it is imperative to broker peace in these areas and also
important is the fact that these areas still suffer other development or health
problems which the TfD interventionist would like to address. For the
development worker, theory and practice have gone their separate ways in the
face of violence. More often than not, projects have had to be postponed or
cancelled outright because the target areas have become too dangerous to work in.
In the face of fierce battle, no one delineates between perceived enemies and
innocent strangers or intermediaries. The NYSC members who got killed in Jos in
2008 had nothing to do with the dispute but they paid with their lives. TfD
practitioners are at a similar or a higher risk.
The Need for Alternative Media: Using ICT
Zakes Mda after analysing the work of the Marotholi Travelling Theatre
concluded that mass media is indispensable. His study pointed out that ―Live
theatre is not mass communication‖ (181) and further concludes that
One major problem with theatre is that it is not multiplicative.
Mass media, on the other hand, can multiply a message and make
it available in many places...overcome distance and time....Theatre,
on the other hand, can only be performed in one place at a time.
This means that, in spite of its advantages over mass media, theatre
can never replace it.... (181-82)
Iorapuu and Bamidele opine that TfD ―is a development communication
tool which poses a challenge to and does have implications for other interactive
59 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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media, such as radio, television, video and literature.‖ (35) They stressed that ―no
single media can address the needs of household and/or community behaviour
change.‖ (39)
In the light of these and the need for all stakeholders to use any and all
resources and tools at their disposal to tackle issues especially those raised in the
Millennium Development Goals, opting for ICT would only be ideal. Today the
world has turned to electronic means of disseminating information and the TfD
practitioner must not be left out of its enormous opportunities and gains.
ICT, which is Information Communication Technology, deals with
processing and distribution of data using computer hardware and software,
telecommunications, and digital electronics (Encarta). The end of the 1980s
brought a new era of possibilities concerning ICT in Africa. Satellite technology,
which permits instantaneous transmission of images, has brought the continent
onto international information circuits. This has led to monumental trends such as
globalization.
The Internet in particular, holds a fascination for many as it offers an
immense opportunity for the exchange of ideas. It has served as an aid to the work
of development agencies, the media, and non-governmental organisations. As a
low-cost communication medium with more efficient and effective ways of
sharing information and knowledge, the Internet contributes to the free flow of
information. It dissolves differences in race, class, culture, gender and nationality.
Information gotten through ICT offer the panacea for social and economic
development and that is why the risks of failing to participate in the ICT
revolution are enormous. It would be foolhardy for any Theatre Arts practitioner
to jettison its use.
How TFD Practitioners Can Use ICT
Practitioners can have access to the internet anywhere in the world even
when they do not have a computer. With a WAP (wireless application protocol)
enabled mobile phone, he or she can communicate directly with anyone else on
the Internet, sending information to either a target group or indeed the entire
globe. One can send pictures or videos of theatrical pieces created in one‘s sitting
room or any ‗safe‘ place away from the volatile regions. They can then be sent as
email attachments to multiple email addresses which can be generated through
some service providers.
The low cost and nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas,
knowledge, and skills have made collaborative work dramatically
easier. Not only can a group cheaply communicate and share ideas,
but the wide reach of the Internet allows such groups to easily form
in the first place. (Wikipedia)
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It is also possible through the use of Webcams to connect ‗face to face‘
with one‘s target audience. This apart from being low-budget further enable the
participatory nature of TfD because then one can ‗chat‘ with one or more
individuals who are connected.
A practitioner can decide to set up a website some of which are free to
host. Through this he or she can upload pictures and videos. Eventually this
would take the form of the ‗outside-in‘ mode of TfD practice. Viewers are then
free to react to whatever issue raised and without inhibitions because then they
too have some form of privacy and the courage (for those who lack it) to say what
they want to say, any way they want to say it.
There are different types of websites, a number of which are relevant to
Applied Drama: Video sharing: A Video sharing site is that which allows the
user to upload videos. An example of such sites which the TfD practitioner can
use is YouTube. It is a website that allows registered users (free of charge), to
upload an unlimited number of videos each not exceeding ten minutes with a file
size of 1 GB. Videos can be those shot through the use of a mobile phone and
other digital devices. Viewers don‘t need to be registered and the issue of whether
target groups like Ijaw youth in the creeks can be reached, does not arise because
those who have access to sophisticated weapons can/do have access to mobile
phones with which YouTube can be accessed.
If big media organizations like the BBC and CNN upload some of their
materials on YouTube for public consumption, then it behoves the TfD
practitioner to utilize the privilege offered by this site. This writer has met other
practitioners from Hong Kong who after going on the street with Applied Drama,
uploaded the video and is now being viewed by a larger number of people. The
White Ribbon Alliance, an organization that treats the issue of Maternal Mortality
and Safe Motherhood, like several others, produces films clips in conjunction
with other NGOs or individuals and uploads these on their website with a link to
YouTube. They, at the same time, inform the general public of the existence of
such works through other web networks they belong to like Twitter or Facebook.
Some of these docu-dramas were used by this writer to facilitate a health-talk on
healthy pregnancies and safe childbirth during the 100th International Women‘s
Day celebration at the Redeemer‘s University. This multiplying effect of first
having online viewers and then others viewing it via projector in a faraway
country guarantees that the message is widespread hence the desired goal is
achieved.
Another type of website that should be of interest to the TfD practitioner is
the Community site through which people with similar interests interact with one
another by posting pictures, chatting or message boards. Popular among such
websites is Facebook reckoned to be the most popular for uploading pictures with
61 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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14 million uploaded daily. As at June 2008 Facebook is said to have attracted
132.1 million unique visitors. In a 2006 research by Student Monitor, USA,
Facebook was named the second most popular thing among undergraduates,
sharing the same position with beer and only ranked lower than the iPod. In the
Australian Capital Territory, Facebook is a valid protocol to serve court notices to
defendants.(Wikipedia)
With these mind-blowing attributes, the TfD practitioner cannot afford to
turn a blind eye to the opportunities open to him or her. In using Facebook, (very
popular among Nigerian youth) he or she can create profiles of photos that
‗speak‘ which could be a drama acted out in whatever location and taking graphic
pictures which is then followed by posting messages to a network of a target
group. One can alert colleagues or the selected network through ‗Status‘ about an
upcoming event or a burning issue on which one wants contributions. For instance
one can upload pictures of carnage or a health issue and seek for peoples‘ opinion.
Through this, the practitioner is still able to engender change. On this site, it is
also possible to share videos.
This writer uploaded some pictures of Ibidunni, a Choreo-Musical Drama
about Safe Motherhood on her page and ample comments were received within an
hour complimenting the fact that one should continue doing such awareness
raising performances. This further buttresses the fact that a TfD project done in
one‘s enclosed community can still be made available to a more people beyond
the confines of the physical location where the project was done.
Blogs, from web log, are websites that come in the form of a diary, more
or less like the traditional log book. Individuals use Blogs to enter commentaries,
describe events, or share other materials such as graphics or video. One of its
main features which is good for the TfD practitioner is that visitors to that page
can make comments in an interactive manner giving the him or her the
opportunity to have his IDI (InDepth Interview) and Focus Group Discussion
(FGD). The material gathered through this can then be made into a play by
amateurs or professionals. Readers can contribute to the script as when on the
field the audience or the target group contribute to the making of the drama.
Types of blogs include artlog, photoblog, sketchblog, vlog (videos), music (MP3
blog) and audio (podcasting.)
Conclusion
This is not a call to abandon Live TfD but a look at alternative means of
reaching targets. Apart from the terrain adding to the problem of accessibility, the
volatile state of some target areas now does not encourage TfD as one would want
to practice it. For Drama and Theatre to adequately serve as an interventionist
tool, it must not be narrow in its approach. With the vast opportunities offered
62 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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through the ICT especially the internet, a practitioner can still practice his art
without endangering his life. It is high time theatre artistes started moving with
latest trends which apart from being low-cost, cover more areas than being
physically present on the field and poses no threat to human life.
63 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Works Cited
Abah, Oga Steve. Performing Life: Case Studies in the Practice of Theatre for
Development. Zaria. Shekut Books. 1997.
Daws, Nick. The Internet for Writers. Plymouth Internet Handbooks. 1999.
"domestic terrorism." WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University. 18 May, 2009.
<Dictionary.com http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/domestic
terrorism>.
Dorner, Jane. The Internet: A Writers‘ Guide. London. A&C Black. 2000.
Malomo, Jide. ‗Community Participation and the role of Non-Governmental
Organizations in TfD for Children and Women‘s Rights‘. Osofisan Femi
(ed). Communicating Children and Women‘s Rights in Nigeria:
Experiences from the Field. University of Ibadan/ UNICEF. 2004.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008.
Mda, Zakes. When People Play People: Development Communication Through
Theatre. London& New Jersey. Witwatersrand University Press. 1993.
Nicholson, Helen. Applied Drama: the Gift of Theatre. London.Palgrave
Macmillan. 2005.
Ochieny, Ruth, and J. Radloff. ―Relevant and Accessible Electronic Information
Networking in Africa.‖
www.unsystem.org/ngls/document/publication.en/voices.africa/number9/6
ochi...2003
Prentki, Tim. ―Applied Theatre in a Global Village‖ in Tim Prentki and Sheila
Preston ed. The Applied Theatre Reader. London. Routledge. 2009.
Rudd, Peter. ―School Improvement Through ICT: Limitations and Possibilities.‖
Paper presented at European Conference on Education Research (ECER)
University of Edinburgh. 2000
Taylor, Nicola. The Internet – Making it work for you. Manchester. The Writers
Bureau. 2000.
"terrorism." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 18 May, 2009.
<Dictionary.com
http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/terrorism>.
"terrorism."The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third
Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. 18 May, 2009.
64 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
<Dictionary.com
http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/terrorism>.
The Niger Delta‘s troubled waters by Dan Isaacs. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//2/hi/africa/4732010.stm.2006.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.mht/internet. May 2009
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.mht/YouTube. May 2009
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.mht/blog. May 2009
www.whiteribbonalliance.org
65 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Amodu Musa Makhu
_________________________________________________
FUNCTIONAL USE OF MUSIC IN DRAMA:
CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
Abstract
History of the Theatre and Drama whether of Greco-Roman or of African
extraction reveal a copious use of music as part of the plot and character
development. The very foundation of Greek Drama shows a synergy reflective of
the Greek socio-spiritual convictions. The dithyrambic chorus summarized the
popular desire of the people just as the dance and music in the African context
effectively captures the people‟s spirituality and histology. Music in both contexts
served as a motto-vivendi or driving force which propelled an act or action
towards an end to achieve a specific desire or goal.
Introduction
Music involvement in the production of dramatic works in the
conventional Greek style or proscenium stage format, or the African ―Open
arena‖ format is as old as drama itself. Music is believed to be older than drama.
Music started to take on a role of complementing drama very early in man‘s
development. Logically, the argument that music satisfaction began to manifest at
the individual level of use set the stage for a revolutionary application in drama,
cartoons and film. The continuing quest for an understanding of man, the
environment, replicating and representing the ever expansive socio-political
ideologue in music and drama continue to pose a challenge to the theatre artist.
The thesis of this work is to determine the various musical options that are
presently available to the theatre artiste. The work will also locate the problems
that readily confront the practitioner during drama productions. Such problems
arise from the theatrical elements of time and space utilization during productions.
Relevant hints and suggestions for dealing with such problems shall be provided
in the course of the paper.
Music in the theatre for the purpose of this work shall be grouped into two
categories. The first category comprise of:
1.
Dramatic works which make use of music to a very large extent or has
music as its focus. The opera, dance drama, masque are in this
category.
66 Nigerian Theatre Journal
2.
Vol.10 No.2 2010
The second category of musical performances comprises of dramatic
works, which are presented in the context of music and music making
which aid the realization of a dramatic production on stage.
Music in this category is realized in several segmented applications. They include
a body of music so named because of their role and functional use in a dramatic
work. This category of music, erroneously referred to by some people as
background music is indeed a functional music mechanism used in films and in
drama. In this category are (i) Music for creating atmosphere (ii) Interlude music
(iii) Incidental or mood music and (iv) Pageant music. The list of options can be
expansive and elastic depending on the specific prevailing cultural background
and production demands at a particular point in time.
Why music in drama?
The great influence that music has on human beings as a motivator and
driving force behind man‘s spectacular achievements have been documented in
several academic publications and amplified at several forums. Frank Muir
observed that:
The power and influence that music is capable of exerting on man
is considered overwhelming, so much so that a zealot reformer in
the sixteen century recommended that just as the mint, putting
regulations and sanctions on the practice of music will not be
amiss!(2)
Music have become so much infused in man‘s subconscious to a point that
musical dialectics have been elevated to a status of great reckoning as sociospiritual icon worthy of individual and community respect and reverence. The
Aulos, a wind instrument among the Greek and Egyptians attracted hallowed
respect especially among those disposed to amorous and conjugal tendencies as
the instrument is considered to belong to and is representative of Dionysus the
goddess of love. The Aulos, to this day and by extension its music is effectively
used in films and drama as a ―leit motof‖ (musical signal) to emphasize or
represent the overflow of love tendencies. A recent and, to my mind, a most
effective use of the Aulos is aptly captured in the film entitled Titanic. Walker,
commenting on the influence of music on man observed as follows:
From earliest history, man has recognized the power of music to
express feelings, stir emotions and influence thoughts and actions.
By means of music, primitive man communicated with others. He
found delight in work and exercise, he expresses his love and fear,
he grew in bodily strength, grace and with music, he wants to fight
battles (3)
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This ability of music to express feelings and influence thoughts has to a
large extent endeared it to directors and producers of dramatic works over the
years. As the theatre artist continue to explore various techniques in a bid to bring
naturalness to his work, a well articulated musical work as part of this quest will
certainly prove worth the while.
Johan Matheson, in admiring the tremendous musical abilities of Handel
and hence the innate power of music notes that:
One can find in an Opera a conflux of all music beauties. For in
them a composer has excellent opportunity to give free reign to his
powers of invention. In them he can imitate very naturally, with
grace and with thousands variations, love, jealousy, hatred,
gentleness, impatience, desire lethargy, fear, revenge, valor,
timidity magnanimity, terror, calm, even heaven, earth, sea, hell
and all of the human activities associated with these passions
especially if our eyes are willing to give just little aid to our ears
(66)
The ingenious and inventive musical talents of Handel only become useful
to the theatre Artiste if and when he decide to give ‗free reign‘ to his creative
theatrical intellect when he learns to take full advantage of these endless
possibility that music is capable of engendering. A mastery of the musical
dialectics not only gives the director and producers iron hold control on thematic
exposition and expression, but also of the Kernels of the work and directorial
concept.
How can this be possible? This opinion from an ancient Indian ‗Sanskrit‘
gives us a clue:
If a kind and cultured man want to falsify the truth or embellish
falsehood, he can do it. Like a clever artist who can paint pictures
on the wall and make them seem as if they are coming out of the
wall when it is not so. He can also make them seem as if they are
going into the wall when they are not (n.p)
The make belief transposition of illusion into our unconsciousness through
a well-coordinated technique of deception has become an ever present fantasy
which will continue to enchant theatre goers and practitioners alike.
The
association of music with drama presents various useful functions in performance:
The didactic function of music is effected through logical
organization of lyrics and performance practice, some lyrics are
presented in direct or indirect satire through such speech figures as
simile, metaphor, alliteration, allusion and short anecdote to
convey the observation or/ opinion to a witness-audience. In other
68 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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situations, other activities in performance, teach both viewers and
participants the coded lesson(s). (Idolor 66)
The manipulation of light in such a manner, which creates the illusion of
burning, flames, is in this category. In the same manner cinematographic
technique ‗special effects‘ helps to achieve realism in film. Music can help the
theatre artist to the point that the level of empathy on the part of the viewers
becomes significantly enhanced.
Available Options
1.
Music for creating atmosphere
2.
Interlude music
3.
Incidental or mood music
4.
Pageant/ Place music.
Music for Creating “Conducive” Atmosphere
Music for creating atmosphere ‗conducive‘ for the production of dramatic
works comes in various forms. Before a drama production is staged, it is the
custom in University of Jos to embark on publicity campaigns to notify and
inform the immediate public, for instance the University community that a drama
performance is scheduled to take place. Such publicity is anchored on the premise
that the playwright/dramatist is a socio-political activist whose focus is to sway
minds and win over minds to that particular cause. Being a master of his
environment, he anticipates his audience state of mind and envisions possible
future occurrences with a prophetic accuracy. Olorunyomi, Sola, reports Braimoh,
Ihimele, views on the artiste and his environment thus:
if you must have a balanced artist…you need a knowledge of your
environment, and the ability to appreciate suffering and
deprivation. It is only then you will have a higher mind, if you
don‘t see your environment, you cant be an artist… (85)
1.
Such publicity usually take the form of students moving around the campus
dressed in the appropriate manner of their calling to invite the public to the
performance. Topical songs found appropriate and in consonance with the theme
of the production are highlighted. This ―general attitude‖ of the students in such
moments as this, is a regular spectacles associated with the staging of drama in
Nigerian Universities. It thus creates in the public psyche a sense of expectation
and a craving to witness first-hand the event canvassed.
More importantly, this sort of music is also realized within the arena of
performance. As the audience awaits the production to commence, music (in
some instance dance) is performed this time not on stage to keep the audience
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entertained. There is usually no restriction to the sort of music used. However,
live music is more effective as the audience relate more easily with such
performance than to sound coming from gramophone records and CD. The effect
this sort of music have on the audience is similar to effects Christmas carols have
on Christians before Christmas and the effects a salvo of gun shots by villagers
skirting the town perimeters before a major cultural festival have on the villagers
psyche.
In recent rimes, ―stand up, comedians‖ provides ―support Acts‖ alongside
music renditions to get the theatre ―atmosphere‖ truly charged before the curtain
rise for commencement of production. The time allotted for this exercise should
be short. No music can effectively calm the nerves of time conscious theatre goers
when production schedules are not met as indicated on the bill boards.
2.
Interlude Music
Interlude music is music performed in between Acts on stage. Interlude
music ideally should have a character of its own. Music that bears or has
relationship with what has happened previously or points to what is likely to
happen is more appropriate. If it could be helped, specially, composed tunes,
topical in content will be more effective. The tone should be speculative rather
than being conclusive. Interlude music is performed to allow for the change of
scenes between Acts. The music serves to hold the attention of the audience while
the stage is prepared for the next Act. Interlude music should by convention be
short as possible and not turned into the main Act by being allowed to run
indefinitely.
3
Incidental or Mood Music
From the earliest time in the history of theatre and drama, to the beginning
of movies, Incidental music was identified to be an important aspect of drama and
film productions. Incidental music otherwise known as mood music was
specifically composed piece of music which was played at specific moments
during a production to give added emphasis, and complement the expected flow
of human feelings which could be somber, happy, sad, etc. A piece of music
(Incidental) could indicate gaiety, anger, violence, and or mourning. In similar
vein:
In Nigerian contemporary drama, music emanates from the scenes
as part of a total unit art. Consequently…music is made at
prescribed moments to precede, accompany various aspects and
stages/ scenes of the ritual or drama. Music in both the traditional
and contemporary drama is used to dictate or maintain a particular
emotional state. (Mokwunyei 130)
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Incidental music helps the producer/director to properly situate the mood
of the drama. And when properly indicated, the viewers become emotionally and
mentally involved. At this point, commitment is extracted from them. This affects
their level of empathy and attachment to the action on stage or scene. It is at this
point that followers are won over to the cause or agenda being canvassed.
Incidental music can be produced in two ways.
(a) The first and more important method is to commission a
musician/musicologist to compose specifically for this purpose.
(b) The second option is to select suitable music from an existing
repertoire for use.
Composing and scoring music for drama is a difficult assignment and one
must be familiar with the technique to achieve the desired effect. The composition
starts after due ―working moments‖ in a collaborative effort involving the
producer and director of the work to be put on stage. The director and producer
points out and identifies areas for specific music ―message‖ or treatment. This
process is known as spotting. After due observation and an understanding is
reached on what is required, the musicologist commences his work.
The second option, which involves selecting appropriate mood music
from an existing repertoire, is fraught with several setbacks. Due care and caution
should be taken to avoid the common error of misrepresentation. In areas or
countries where the copyright law is effective, producers and director should
obtain the necessary permission depending on the level of usage. Musical works
which indicates moods or situation other than that which is intended will certainly
not help the production.
4 Pageant and Place Music
This category of music represents a presentation of music complete in
itself as part of a drama production. Hence, a scene is set which presents a
carnival-like atmosphere involving music and dance. A celebration of victory,
triumph of an army and the victory dance that follow is regular feature in most
African drama.
Pageant music should be well organized. Pageant music and the series of
events leading to its performance should be related. The entire action should be
relevant within the scheme of things. Several arguments are often advanced for
the presence of pageant music in drama. To some, it adds glamour to an event
which otherwise may have been boring. To others, it provides the playwright
ready tool to divert attention and create suspense. And to others, it serves to
showcase and satisfy a socio-culturing craving of the playwright. In pageant
situations and elsewhere, as Okoro, Justice suggests:
Music and dance performance competence, and the like, typical of
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a given African community are indispensable factors in the context
of communication. In this case , the said community has to convey
to a given enculturation audience the plight or fortune surrounding
them through bodily demonstration, effectively accompanied by
traditional musical instruments.(102)
Dance at this point, serves as a communicative weapon in the armory of
the dramatist Dance in its various coded forms: ―rhythm and beat are the essential
ingredient that determine the dance. The dance becomes the interpretation of the
occasion‖(Awoonor Kofi 63). However, the various points of view do not in any
way detract from the vantage point of optical and psychological fulfillment which
the average viewer derive from observing a pageant music performance.
Challenges in Live Music/Dance Context
Music performance before a live audience or otherwise is a challenging
event. Aside from pageant music in drama, live music is performed as part of a
dance drama on stage. Dance drama poses specific challenges of its own in view
of the close association that music has with coordinated dance patterns
(choreography) on stage.
On one occasion during a production rehearsal, it was observed that the
dance was not going according to plan with the music. Several attempts were
made to correct this disorder. On first attempt the dancers on stage were held
responsible. It is either that they were showing lack of commitment, or simply
fatigued from a previous exercise. The second attempt was directed at the drum
orchestra. The musicians were either too slow or not concentrating on the
performance. The performance never really improved after these observation and
impressions. It was obvious some thing was amiss. After some time, it was
observed that two things were basically working against the performance. (i)The
first one was the positioning of the orchestra. (ii)And the second was the span of
space between the orchestra and the dancers on stage.
(i) Positioning of the Orchestra
It was observed that the orchestra (being in an open arena) was playing
against the wind flow. The orchestra was positioned in front of the stage facing
the dancers directly against the wind flow. One of the causes of this unimpressive
performance shows that while the drummers were exacting their muscles drawing
rhythms from the drums, the full impact of the rhythms was not getting to the
desired destination in ―one piece‖ and on time.
The implication of the ‗one piece‘ and ―united whole‘ is best understood
when one realizes that sound on impact travels and gradually loses full impact
72 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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(disintegrates) as it travels. Some of the weakened components die off (decays)
soon enough not to be felt or heard afar. Instead of reaching the dancer
effectively, the wind was driving the sound waves back to the source.
(ii)The Span of Space between Orchestra and Dancers
The span of space between the dancers and the orchestra was realized to
have been far in between. It was realized that if the space had been much reduced
and had the orchestra been located in close proximity to the stage, the distortions
caused by the wind would have been very minimal.
Thus, in practice, the positioning of the orchestra in relation to the stage,
ether to the side of the dancers, to their front or behind them matters a lot. Not
only that, the proximity or closeness of the orchestra and dancers on stage should
be adequately assessed for effective collaboration.
By implication therefore, distance and positioning also affect the assessor
or music and dance evaluator. The setbacks indicated earlier on ultimately affect
the evaluator‘s sense of judgment and his opinion on the entire performance may
therefore be faulty.
Listening or rather educated listening demands that one understands the
process and principles of sound organization and dispersal. To be well informed
and to get the best out of listening, it is not advisable to get too close to the
orchestra. It is also not advisable to be too distant from the source of sound. In an
enclosed auditorium, the best place to sit is the middle; it is believed that at this
point, the sound is not too intense or too weak to detract from the performance
impartation.
Conclusion
The place of music in drama cannot be fully captured in a paper such as
this. One thing has always stood out of this unity of drama and music. And this
one thing is the total utility and added value which the theatre goers derive from
watching a well packaged and performed drama. Music and drama cannot
ultimately be separated or averse to each other as each exists in the other in so
many recognizable forms. There is music in drama and there is drama in music.
Collaborative enterprise and study is an encouraged method of research in various
quarters in recent times. Thus the union of drama and music is not a recent
occurrence but had existed within time space for several centuries.
The functional roles of both music and drama have more similar features
than differences. They both seek to objectify, to inform, entertain, educate and are
geared towards reformation of the society. An art form with complex features
such as music is apt to present complex changes, which only complex reflexes can
decipher. Incidentally, music art equips the performer with certain air of audacity
73 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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and authority:
Musical attributes therefore automatically confer honour and
dignity on the Musician. As principal custodian of public morality
and corporate history, the musician knows that he cannot afford to
be frivolous in discharging that duty. Musical wisdom entails
social responsibility. The drum therefore also symbolizes
power….power anchored on social responsibility. Erring members
of the society as well as leaders who engage in social malady face
the potential wrath of a musician who always has his ―ears to the
ground‖ (Omojola 26).
Recent strides in technological development continue to present
challenges of its own in the area of sound application especially in areas of drama
production. Collaborative performance involving the use of local instruments
resource base and western instrument also present challenges of a different nature.
The ultimate desire in collaborative drive is creative artistic experience in
application and increased satisfaction and realization of set objectives and goals.
This can only be achieved through careful planning and realistic deployment of
resources.
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Works Cited
Awoonor, Kofi. The Breast of the Earth. A Survey of History, Culture and
Literature of Africa South of the Sahara. New York: Nok, 2005.
Idolo, Emurobome. Music to the Contemporary African in Music in Africa: Facts
and Illusions. Ibadan: Stirling-Horden, 2002
Johan, Matheson et al Opera History. London: Oxford, 1987.
Kalila wa Dimwa Originally composed in about 300 AD in the Indian (Sanskrit)
Language, n.d.
Mokwunyei, Joe. Relevance of Nigerian Art Music in Nigerian Contemporary
Theatre in African Art Music in Nigeria Fela Sowande Memorial. Ibadan:
Stirling-Horden, 2001
Muir, Frank The Frank Muir Book. An Irreverent Companion on Social History.
London:Corgi,1976
Okoro, Justice African Music and Dance in Global Communication. Ibadan:
Ibadan University Press, 2008.
Olorunyomi, Sola. Afrobeat Fela and the Imagined Continent. Ibadan: IFRA,
2005.
Omojola, Bode Popular Music in Western Nigeria Ibadan: IFRA,2006.
Walter, Don c Man and Music in Music Culture. New York: Meredith, 1969
75 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Ambrose Uchenunu
____________________________________________________
THEATRE: A FALLEN STAR AND THE EMERGENCE OF
HOME VIDEO MOVIES
Abstract
The celebration of Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture [FESTAC],
which culminated in the construction of the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, was
one good achievement that happened to live performing arts practitioners and
arts lovers in Nigeria. The celebration ushered in a reassurance of hope for the
industry with the provision of modern day tools and space for the performing
industry. The celebration also came with a wind of change that swept Nigerian
Theatre Artists off their feet and as it rounded off, stage artistes began to develop
a voracious appetite for motion picture production. This was the period that
witnessed the gradual decline of the star-Theatre, which was later exacerbated by
the proliferation of production of movies onto video. Even though Peter Brooks in
The Empty Space writes that it only takes a man to walk across an empty space to
spell performance, (11) that does not apply to the Nigerian situation as the
epidemic that consumed production of movies on celluloid which Nigerian film
scholars has harped on, actually mutated from the theatre. This work looks at
the socio-political structure of Nigerian art in a new millennium, taking on board
the regional cultural differences, religion and the rapid change introduced by
technology and how it shoved the theatre into an inconsequential entertainment
medium. While the decline of theatre for home video movies is the main focus,
drawing up comparison with some other cultures of the world would further the
pedagogy of the essay.
Headstrong against all gales, breathless
I try master your shining prowess
Swimming into oceans of love‘s plenitude, in its strength, its
magnitude
I dare caress left stardust, blindly seeking paths, culmination
Falling star, you fill my heart with fire!
_ (Mair).
Introduction
The celebration of the 2nd Festival of Black and African Arts and
Culture, FESTAC in 1977, which culminated in the construction of the National
Arts Theatre in Lagos, was one good achievement that happened to live
performing arts practitioners and arts lovers in Nigeria. The celebration ushered in
76 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
a reassurance of hope to the industry with the provision of modern day tools and
equipment for the performance industry. The celebration also came with a wind of
change that swept Nigerian Theatre Artists off their feet and as it rounded off,
stage artistes began to develop a voracious appetite for motion picture production.
This was the period that witnessed the gradual decline of the star – Theatre which
was later exacerbated by the proliferation of production of movies onto video.
Even though it is fast becoming a cliché that all that it takes for a performance is
just a space and someone in that space, that does not apply to the Nigerian
situation as the epidemic that consumed production of movies on celluloid, which
Nigerian film scholars have harped on actually mutated from the theatre.
For some reasons, I find it difficult to write about Nigeria without a
reference (no matter how minute) to the diverse cultural, socio-political and
religious elements, the pedestal which Nigeria sits, and which have bedevilled this
beautiful country. Nigeria has not attained the ugly status of a failed state, but if
you have seen other countries, you will agree with me that we are not the best that
we should be. May be political scientists might have a name to tag the level in
which we are presently. It appears that we have given up on corruption, tribalism,
political bickering, decorum or social disorder, perfectionism, and above all,
fanaticism by highly placed and ‗respected‘ statesmen and women.
The theme, Millennium Development Goals, Culture, and Theatre in
Africa seem to be a reflection of the past or a reawakening of a fallen star which I
perceive of the theatre. Immediately I finished my undergraduate studies in the
University of Calabar, without going into the industry, I knew the theatrical
profession was not sounding loud and was fast declining, and so had to tilt
towards film studies in my future academic pursuits. Because of this tilt, I have
been shut-off from the theatre and how it is faring amidst the rapid change in
entertainment technology towards which the youths are drifted. This essay is
focused on the decline of the theatre in favour of a more versatile medium of
entertainment - the film lately popularised by home video movies. The decline of
theatre for home video movies is the main focus. However, drawing up
comparison with some other cultures of the world would be necessary even
though they possess totally different cultures from Nigeria.
This work explores the socio-political structure of Nigerian art in this
millennium, taking on board the regional cultural differences, religion and the
rapid change introduced by technology and how it shoved the theatre into an
inconsequential entertainment medium. My proposed development goal would be
to look beyond what our coloniser left behind - a theatre that will reach even the
lowly and not just the bourgeois.
Nigeria in Global Historical Context
77 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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The home video movie has done what the cinema or the theatre would not
have achieved in the international circle. Nigeria on the entertainment map would
not have attained the number two level home video movie has brought it to if left
to theatrical stage performances. It is sad to note that during the boom in celluloid
film production very little space was accorded Nigeria in major world history
books on cinema. There was an obvious inadequate documentation of Nigeria nay
Sub-Saharan African cinema in two major volumes of World cinema history
books. Nowell-Smith in a publication as late as 1997, used twelve words only to
describe Nigerian cinema with passing references to Ola Balogun, just as a
producer of musical films based on Yoruba theatre (672). His research on SubSaharan Africa climaxed with his tenuous statistics of ten features per year during
the 1980s (674). In similar circumstance, Magombe‘s reference to Nigeria, in his
six-page documentation is very tangential and absolutely non-representative in
world cinema circle (667-672). The fact that on the average, Nigerian producers
released approximately ten features per year in the 1980s, before celluloid
production peaked in Nigeria, gives credibility to Maier‘s observation of the
discountenance Nigeria suffers from the outside world (xx).
Maier‘s observation gives an insight into the internal and external political
turmoil that have ravaged Nigeria, and have affected every facet of life, including
the movie industry. Irrespective of the wealth of human resources and the large
economy the country boasts, the wrong political foundation laid by the
colonialists, and which was imbibed in total by indigenous government, became a
debacle for the thriving of the individual or public without overt references to the
government that has failed to provide amenities and legislative support to the
performing industry. What was then noticed was the decline in theatrical stage
performances, and then celluloid movie rose to a crescendo and then plummeted
in an embarrassing manner, giving rise to home video movies which lost chunk of
its investment to pirates (Ajeluowu, Chikwendu 8). The reason behind the decline
of theatrical live performances has not really occupied the minds of theatre arts
scholars as many see the video as the culprit.
As a post-colonial study of the exhibition and reception of the performing
arts, this study applies the concept and theory of post-colonialism particularly that
of Benedict Anderson‘s Imagined Communities, which relates to the sociopolitical and cultural practice in Nigeria, as it informs the performing industry.
Even though Young posits that there is no nation without borders, he
acknowledged that there are nations without borders with specific reference to the
Nation of Islam dispersed all over the world yet bonded together by the Quran and
seeming Western opposition to the survival of its doctrines (59). Members are
bordered by their shared stern belief as an imagined nation, the utopia of their
ideal world is carried along with them and whoever does not share in and carry
78 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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out their doctrines, is imagined of belonging to another nation, if not a potential
enemy that must be squashed. Irrespective of whether they physically live next
door to each other or not, they lacked the common goal which is vital to the
tranquillity of their immediate environment.
Young asserts that people of a nation should have striking similarity both
physically and behaviourally, but if on the contrary, they look different, spoke
different languages, practised different religion, then the ‗imagined community‘
of the nation, as particularly theorised by Anderson, is considered threatened (60).
Anderson‘s theory sounds utopian because in respect to his observation of the
diverse political situations of nations in the world, there is hardly any that satisfies
the three elements stated above, and in the case of Nigeria which is our primary
focus here, the situation is even far more dense by the very forces that lumped
what should have been different nations together as one. While this was
unavoidable, there was no concerted effort by the colonial forces to emulate the
steps taken by the United States, by harmonising diverse groups together and
enforcing one language of communication within the diverse tribal groups, even
though the case of the United States is different. As a nation, people in the United
States are united particularly by their status as immigrants or offspring of
immigrants after the subjugation or near extermination of the native land owners,
and enactment of a constitution which recognised the new order (Young 60).
This form of all superseding constitution was consequently absent in the
amalgamation of Nigeria by the observation of Barber, Collins and Ricard in
West Africa Popular Theatre. They opined that the Richard and Macpherson
constitutions of 1946 and 1951 further exacerbated the harmonisation of the
diverse cultural groups by accelerating the ethnicisation of Nigerian politics,
which hitherto was being channelled on national and pan-African footing. Barber
et al recount that the constitutions did not just split the Nigerian nation along
regional borders, but further along tribal axis (4). It is this ethnic identity well
adopted by the Yorubas that put forth the ‗ethnic cultural nationalism‘ of the
renowned performing arts culture of this ethnic group.
If the division was created for easy political administration, the failure to
promulgate an act that would have declared all lands as government owned to
facilitate easy migration of the diverse cultural groups to wherever they deemed
comfortable, contributed to deep ethnic commitment in Nigeria. It marked the
beginning of the problems of national identity which has beleaguered the country
and the performing industry till the present day. What is obtained instead are
ethnic identities in place of national identity, which takes us back again to
Anderson‘s un-workability of a nation that does not possess the three elements
that makes up a perfect nation (looking alike physically, speaking the same
language, and practising the same religion). Because of the molten nature of
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Nigerian politics, strong stance on the development of the performing industry
was not legislated on as a national issue, particularly when those in government
were averse to entertainment as one of the silent medium which a ‗nation‘s soul
could be remoulded and up-built‘, to borrow Munsterberg‘s theory (Staiger 53).
Because the Nigerian government sees itself as representative of a nation, in
theory and not in practice, it pretends to be in sole charge of all activities, but
which are handled with some form of levity. This disinterestedness of politicians
obviously affected the development of the performing industry thus harped upon
as the reason why the industry could not blossom into a viable venture as obtained
particularly in U.S. and Europe, and South-Western Nigeria.
On the Excellence of Yoruba Performing Arts
The reason why the Yorubas excelled in theatrical performances as well as
reception amongst over 250 Nigerian indigenous tribes cannot be well explained
by writers and critics of the performing arts. The closest documented reason was
their evolution from the Alarinjo cult masquerade. Undisputable as this may be,
the question why the other tribes did not develop along this line is still very silent
in the academics and obviously outside the scope of this study even though they
possess their own unique form of cult Ekpo/Egwugwu/Egunu/Masquerades as the
case may be. The Kwaghir theatre of the Tiv Kingdom in Benue had enough
potential to emerge from its wealth of puppetry and fantastic mimicry to at least a
renowned puppetry theatre to 3D animation filmmaking culture, but up till this
moment has failed to manifest. So also are the Igbos, Kalabaris, Efiks and Ibibios,
not to mention the Benin Kingdom and the numerous multi-tribes of the NigerDelta. The hypothetical explanation for the development of the Yorubas in the
performing industry would lie in a sociological research on the social culture of
the people, which again, is entirely out of the scope of this study.
The credit of the travelling theatre owes so much to the Victorian Lagos
churches of the 1930s and 1940s, (Ogundele 92) which staged Christian morality
plays during important Christian festivals like Christmas, Easter and annual
church harvests, the stable from where the travelling theatre emanated. Hubert
Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola and Duro Ladipo were three theatre exponents credited
with the introduction and popularity of the travelling theatre and the three of them
were off-shot of the Church. Duro Ladipo was an educationist in northern Nigeria.
He returned to Oshogbo in 1956, and he was employed by an Anglican primary
school. He became a choirmaster to the Anglican Church, and in his most radical
moments, composed a Christmas cantata, and decided to infuse some elements of
the traditional Alarinjo cult performances — bata and dundun drums into a
Christian most holy period celebration — the Christmas. He was excommunicated
as a result of this scandal, and as would be expected, he had failed to present
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himself as a role model to the pupils he teaches, and was in like manner relieved
of his duties as a teacher.
This signalled the moment that he answered his calling by forming a fulltime theatre company. His performance of Oba Koso, Moremi and Oba Waja,
were legendary performances which, while glorifying the Yoruba heritage were
deeply infused with Sango (Yoruba god of thunder) cultic worship. Oba Koso,
regarded as Duro Ladipo‘s greatest performance, cannot be staged effectively by
non-initiates of Sango‘s cult, because it involves the invocation of thunder,
lightning and rain storm at the frenzied moments of the performers. It is not
unlikely that it is this spiritual ecstasy that captures the imagination of Western
audiences and artistes, the likes of late Ulli Beier and late Ms. Esi-Kinni
Olusanyin (Akinola).
Ladipo‘s clarion call for cultural nationalism found the ears of Kola
Ogunmola and particularly, Hubert Ogunde who later took the struggle beyond
the live stage. His influence and introduction of Ghanaian highlife music and his
gradual drift from mytho-ritual plays to performances that lampoon the
government of the day, was a milestone achievement in his career. His desire to
reach a wider audience prompted him to perform his plays in English and Pidgin
English. He shot to prominence with his performance, Hunger and Strike (1946),
which depicted the general strike of 1945 in Nigeria. And as it is expected of a
draconian government, he suffered the high-handedness of the government
particularly in 1964, for performing Yoruba Ronu/Yorubas, Think — a critical
attack on the western regional Premier. This effort saw him being banned from
putting up any performance in the region until 1966.
Even up to 1978, the government of Olusegun Obasanjo still dreaded the
impact of the play. The performance was cancelled by order from the government
after it was scheduled to run in the National Arts Theatre, which incidentally was
part of the brainchild of Ogunde (Punch). Ogunde is also credited to have
introduced women as professional artistes in their own right for the first time in
Yoruba theatre in 1946 with the cast of The Tiger's Empire.
Hubert Ogunde‘s plays, largely improvisational were performed not just
throughout Nigerian villages, towns and cities, but he constantly took his itinerant
troupe to West African countries of Ghana and Sierra-Leone. Through this
format, he set an example for a successful commercial theatre and prepared
audiences all over Nigeria for his followers. The fluidity of popular art and the
desire to infuse changes to capture the audience could have won Ogunde the title
of ‗father‘ or doyen of Nigerian theatre particularly, with his introduction of
filmed episodes within a live performance due to limited stage technical
resources. This signalled the gradual drift from stage to cinema, even though the
travelling theatre troupes were already making regular appearances on television
81 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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prior to the transition.
So when Ogunde abandoned the stage for cinema in 1978, with the
production of Aiye/World, seasoned artists like Ogunmola and Ladipo were no
longer alive to respond to Ogunde. The sort of competition that would have arisen
in the cinematic world between Kola Ogunmola, Duro Ladipo and Hubert
Ogunde, was stillborn due to their untimely deaths. Those who seemed to have
responded were artists who do not have the grooming of the three fore mentioned
artists, and obviously seemed more like the shadows of Ogunde. Majority could
not really define a distinct path of their own. Like Ogunde, their narratives
comprised of serious themes of Yoruba mythology in which rituals, magic or juju
glorification dominates the entire movie narrative.
The constancy of change has become a cliché, thanks to Heraclitus, and no
matter how much we hinged the change in Nigeria entertainment medium on a
particular factor, [FESTAC and the National Arts Theatre], rapid change in
entertainment technology would have affected the popularity of the theatre. The
next sub-section treats the FESTAC events and the National Arts Theatre
extensively as the major culprit that ‗killed‘ the ‗Star‘― theatrical performance in
Nigeria. This is complemented by other minor reasons which are still plausible to
the declining old art. These minor reasons are listed due to the limitation of space
in academic journals.
The effects of FESTAC and the National Arts Theatre on Theatrical Stage
Performances in Nigeria
The celebration of FESTAC in 1977 opened the floodgates to indigenous
feature film production in Nigeria. Its impact on the speedy development and
how it reshaped entertainment medium in Nigeria was either not recognised or
was completely neglected, hence theatrical scholars were caught unaware and up
till this moment have not yet reconciled where the problems that beleaguered the
theatre emanated. The period following FESTAC celebration, left behind an
amazing result of cultural revival in academic institutions, pride in the African
ethos, and a fantastic growth in the nation‘s performance industry. The events that
engendered this growth, included: Drama, Music, Dance, Literature and Popular
Dressing, Boat Regatta and Colloquium (14-15). Besides the live performances,
there was ―a continuous showing of films from many countries‖ (18). Nigeria
presented two feature films — Ovonranwen Nogbaisi and Shehu Umar; two
documentary films — God Dance, Man Dance and Going Places; two short length
films — Osiezi Festival and Faith of our Ancestors; and two educational films —
T.B. Can Be Cured and First Things First (28). The scantiness of movies in such
an international festival exposed the weakness of that aspect of the performing
industry. This shame of failure brought the government to throw its weight behind
82 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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the movie industry. Irrespective of its poor implementation, the effort gave birth
to twenty-seven movies in a short period of time (Ekwuazi 122). In this
circumstance, the live stage is abandoned as the drift from the theatre gathers
momentum. The government did not help matters as the appallingly small number
of indigenous film production companies that participated, became a driving force
which propelled the government to look ―beyond censorship to actual production
and the possibility of engaging in distribution and exhibition‖ of indigenous
feature movies as well, writes Ekwuazi (122).
Obasanjo expressed his heartfelt wish that the National Arts Theatre
(henceforth NAT) with its numerous and state-of-the-art facilities would bring
about the growth of the creative arts amongst the youth of Nigeria, and foster the
spirit of fellowship, and oneness on a national level, is in similitude with Shehu‘s
wish on the impact of the festival on the film industry (4) and certainly, the NAT
facilities did infect the performing industry, but to the detriment of the live stage.
It did not just revitalised leisure activities in Nigeria, but also redefined the way
the picture houses were regarded. Profoundly criticised however for its
extravagant imitation of Nigeria‘s colonial past, the NAT encouraged not just
production of movies, but subsequently enhanced the exhibition arm of the movie
industry creating an exodus from the theatre. It complements as well as evolving
some of the ideals, which FESTAC stood for. While FESTAC lasted for only two
weeks, its effect which would have just lived in the memories of the public that
witnessed it was sustained by the resplendent NAT, leading to the growth of
Nigeria film industry.
In The Place of the Audience: Cultural Geographies of Film Consumption,
Jancovich, Faire and Stubbings, demonstrate that while cinemas in the 19th
century Britain puts up a façade of liberalism in audience admission, beneath
however, was class segregation dictated by the price of the ticket and the design
of the auditorium.(47). The NAT also put up similar class segregation which
according to Gbade Sanda, ―One needs to be in the hall to see the inequality of the
proletariat and the middle class, and the sky-high [falleration] of the ‗noble‘ high
class‖ because of the sitting arrangement and reserved areas meant for the ruling
class in white drapes (Sanda). In their study of the ethnographies of film
consumption, Jancovich et al unravelled the motive for people‘s desires in going
to the movies. Using the observations made by Hiley; Harper and Porter on
audience study of British cinema between the 1920s and 1950s, Jancovich et al
demonstrated that a good percentage of movie goers attend the movies for
reasons other than actually going to watch movies — for social activities. Most
audience attend for shelter, dates or to celebrate a special event. Similarly, these
factors were applicable to the Nigerian situation particularly informed by the
decoy of the NAT. Its immense contribution to the sudden surge witnessed in the
83 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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entertainment industry as an exhibition space conforms to the above conclusion
drawn by Jancovich and his team (8). The lure of the NAT was uppermost, but
that is not to say it did not fulfil the purpose of a rendezvous for friends and lovers
who might just escape either parental stares, or boring usual home environment
into a cosy one. As there was no other place which met that standard, its cultural
intention was well felt. The cultural impact reflected in its patronage, negating
gender, age and social inhibitions prevalent in Nigerian cinemas and public places
of like nature.
Encarta online dictionary describe theatre (performance), as ―an extension
of religious festivals, as a means of spreading political ideas or propaganda to
mass audiences, as entertainment and as a form of art‖ When the NAT in Lagos
was opened as a venue for theatre or performances, the activities it played host to,
embody the four functions stated above. It also featured as a constituent part of
the opening speech made by the Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo. The
―Theatre was dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture... (Daily Star).‖ With
so much optimism for the inspiration of the Theatre on artists, Obasanjo expected
that the wealth of facilities and opportunities of the Theatre would encourage the
―growth of the creative art among Nigerians and foster the spirit of unity and
oneness‖ (Daily Star). This aspiration hit hard on artists who put their acts
together to utilise the NAT to their advantage. The state of the art facilities
nevertheless captured the interests of the public audience, who began to record
regular attendance to the theatre.
Added to the fact also that the NAT affected cinemas and leisure activities
particularly in Lagos immediately after its commissioning, it became too small to
contain its activities following the attraction it generated (Oshikomaya). To
suggest that NAT caused the awakening of social activities in Lagos could be
contested, but the unfolding record of events obtained in this research, dispels any
doubt surrounding the Theatre as a project for the ―revival, promotion and
preservation of [the] cultural and artistic heritage‖, of the people of Nigeria
(Obasanjo 1).
The Effect of Colonial Contact in the NAT
In his theory on ‗Official Nationalism and Imperialism‘, Anderson quotes
in verbatim, Babington Macaulay‘s declaration that, ―‗a single shelf of good
European library is worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia‘‖, and
obviously Africa too (91). Macaulay hijacked British Parliament‘s intention of
parallel promotion of Oriental and Western native education. Macaulay‘s
derailment from the original blueprint amounts to ‗ethnic cleansing‘ which Young
defines as [among other probable despicable activities,] ―involves destroying
knowledge and histories as well as people‖ (24). What Macaulay did to the whole
84 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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native manuscripts of India, Arabia, and if I may add, Africa/Timbuktu, (Rainier,
Rashidi) and other parts of the British colonies, that were and would have been, is
not documented, because of his profound pet crusade described by Anderson in
astonishment, as ‗ineffable‘ (91). Macaulay succeeded in indoctrinating the
natives through European books by creating a class of people, physically Indians
or Africans as it may be, but practically English in mentality (Anderson 91).
The corollary of the ‗mental miscegenation‘,(91) to borrow Anderson‘s
phrase again, is the impossibility Nigeria faces, trying to eliminate the influence
of colonialism from the construction of the NAT. This mental grip, from Western
world, exposed Nigeria to Western culture in formal entertainment medium.
Approximately two decades after the demise of colonialism, the influence was
still very visible and not likely to abate, going by Young‘s observation. By the
achievement of national sovereignty, the transition to independence is expected to
be fully entrenched, but for the indelible grip which cannot be expunged, makes
independence to look like in dependence or indebtedness. Thus, the world powers
entrenched indirect rule without any form of noticeable politico-economic
transitional growth expected in the decolonised states (Young 3).
It is this scenario that informed the architectural design and construction
of the NAT by Nigerian government.
European contact with Nigeria was first established in 1472 by Portuguese
merchants, before Britain established her colony in the loose confederal states in
1807 (Marris 7). The arrival of the British brought this loose confederacy
together, and the name Nigeria emerged as an entity by which the loose
confederacy became identified. The people living in this semi-autonomous state,
in the words of Anderson, came to ‗imagine‘ themselves as belonging to a new
larger than life community by the name — Nigeria. Gradually, they willingly or
otherwise, came to owe allegiance to that imagined community and in turn, to
claim whatever resources the country has to offer (6).
The twist in most former European colonies, Nigeria being one and a good
example, is the high level of dependence on the mother country after the clamour
and eventual attainment of what is erroneously referred to as ‗independence‘.
Some former colonies, for no obvious reason cling on to the tradition of the
mother country that was once despised in what, Davies rightly tagged, ―the trap of
postcoloniality‖ 22-23). The reason being that the elite, (especially of the third
world states) that took over power were often not sophisticated enough politically
to carry on governmental activities, without some form of reference to or reliance
on the mother country. Besides the complex nature of the alien political system
inherited by the elite, the psychology of the elite, to recall Fanon, was ―that of
business man and not the captain of [an] industry‖ (153-157). This is what
Nigerians coined the ―politics of the belly‖ or politics of ―I chop, you chop‖
85 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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embracing and glorifying corruption in all its manifestations as vividly
documented by Bayart (235). The involvement in government by the elite was
motivated by how much they can enrich themselves and not the nation whose
affairs they purport to stir. This political limitation in the elite class was informed
by the motif inherent in colonial structures.
This political limitations of the bourgeoisie, to whom power was handed,
prompted Fanon to posit that ―it is only too true that the greed of the settlers and
the system of embargoes set up by colonialism have hardly left them any choice‖,
(57) choice and unbridled freedom to explore the limitless horizons that the
economy has, and is willing to offer them. The gimmick of the contact made the
leaders to be so dependent that they did not deem production, invention, building
and labour of any significance within a politico-economic setting. Flirtation with
the mother country did not only lead to an imitation of foreign cultures and
ideologies myopically, but indolently made third world countries look toward the
mother country in what Fanon describes as ―frenzied appeals for help,‖ (156)
even when not absolutely necessary. This was the applicable situation that saw
Nigerian leaders embarking on over six hours‘ flight to Bulgaria in a ‗frenzied
appeal‘, for a contractor to design and build the NAT at the expense of its owntrained architects, leading to the failure of the NAT.
The failure of the Theatre is hinged heavily on the reliance on postcolonial
contact. Neither the Bulgarian construction company nor the short-sighted
Nigerian government are to be exonerated for the construction flaws of the
Theatre. Nature‘s impossibilities became redeemable with the Bulgarian
construction company as long as the terms of contract were favourable and money
was readily made available. However, the celebration of FESTAC was barely
over when, in 1978, less than five years into the guaranteed fifty years
maintenance-free Theatre, urgently needed a refurbishment thus, making it fall
short of its objectives.
Failure of the Theatre’s Objectives
The failure of the Theatre was hinged mainly on the architectural design,
which required cooling at all times. This strenuous demand was not realistic,
culminating in the air-conditioning failing earlier than predicted. This was the first
and a major impact that the Theatre suffered before the decline of indigenous film
productions aggravated the already bad situation. In addition to this, there are
other crippling determinants which resulted in the quick decline of the Arts
Theatre.
On the Silver Jubilee of the Theatre in October 2001, the Minister of
Culture and Tourism mildly alluded to inadequate funding being responsible for
the failure of the Theatre and therefore, ―blamed the poor funding […] on
86 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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successive military governments, as well as the economic woes of the nation‖
(Anikulapo 26-27). The neglect caused by poor funding, which left the airconditioning system incapacitated, had its toll on potential clients and those who
had made the use of the Theatre a regular pursuit. Several important personalities
turned down invitations to chair occasions at the NAT, because of the lack of
ventilation (Anyiam). Unable to generate enough revenue to maintain itself, the
much talked about national monument in 2000, was headed for the hammer of the
auctioneer, but for the radical and timely intervention of the numerous artistic
bodies joined by public outcry (Osinaike).
When it was noticed that the surroundings of the Theatre was sinking, the
press quickly hyped on the story that the Theatre itself was sinking. The
publications of the sinking Theatre further exacerbated the already dampened
image of the Theatre complex, spelling sleeping madman and his burning roof.
Patrons felt it was too risky to go there for this obvious reason even though the
caretakers arose to debunk newspaper reports. A twist amidst this assurance was
that events meant to be hosted in the Theatre had gradually shifted to MUSON
Centre in downtown Lagos Island. Even the National Association of Nigerian
Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) that are meant to promote the cultural
village, were wary of the state of the Theatre. In respect of this, they decided to
host their advocacy dinner in the MUSON Centre. The most hypocritical aspect of
the programme was when Mr Jimmy Atte, a member of NANTAP and the general
manager of the Arts Theatre, received an award for excellence on NAT
management, in the MUSON Centre over what every right minded individual will
ponder about. If the secretary general Segun Ojewuyi meant what he said, ―with
all sense of duty, Mr Jimmy Atte‘s management of the theatre complex is
something that all Nigerians should be proud of‖ (Ofulue 9), then, why did they
decided to eschew the ‗well managed‘ NAT‘ for the MUSON Centre to host this
occasion? This no doubt makes the sinking speculation very plausible.
However numerous the problems that besieged the Theatre from its postcolonial contact and political maladministration, which eventually led to its
untimely failure, the contribution of the Theatre to the uplift of leisure and
entertainment in Nigeria, is immeasurable. With its unique location, architecture
and the myth surrounding it, it lured people from their homes, who unexpectedly
found themselves in the performance halls and found the new experience quite
exhilarating. It became a regular weekend activity, which the travelling theatre
troupes and entrepreneurially minded individuals later benefited. By the mid
1980s, all the major Yoruba travelling theatre troupes which boasted over fifty
members per troupe had abandoned the old act of stage performance for movie
productions spelling why this essay was necessary for this millennium
achievement.
87 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Reiterating my earlier instruction at the initial stage of this essay, the
celebration of FESTAC and the National Arts Theatre was the major reasons that
led to the decline of stage theatrical performances hence the extensive treatment
of the sub-topics. I had to mention the myriads of reasons which in no doubt,
cannot be overlooked. The bourgeois culture in theatre; Change in Urbanisation
and the Growth in Crime; Religious Faith and the Rejection of secular public
places; Declining and unavailability of performance venues in major and minor
cities and towns; Infrastructural Inadequacy in Nigerian Socio-Culture;
Uncertainty in Nigerian Political Climate; Economic Recession on Leisure
Audience; Television, Video and the Home video movies; Entertainment Tax
Burden; Cost of production; Large Nigerian Families. One can only imagine the
harm done to the popularity of the Nigerian theatre by these aforementioned
factors, leading to the gradual extinction of the live performance theatre.
With these challenges still very much in place, and exacerbated recently
by upsurge of professional kidnapping for ransom, and a global meltdown, the
theatre curriculum at the universities will need to be redesigned with a mind to
infusing the new media which may never stop changing. What with cable and
satellite televisions? May be one day soon we may not need to buy films any
more with a guaranteed internet services that people cannot hack into. Just upload
your movie and charge a minimum amount that would make piracy more
expensive.
In his victory speech, Barack Obama says change has come to America
and change must we embrace. While the live theatre cannot be totally
extinguished, it cannot however stand up to the new electronic entertainment
stars. The earlier we accept this fact, the better for us to foster and forge ahead
with the development of the theatre.
We cannot make the same mistakes, grumbling and petty bickering which
the professional filmmakers made at the initial stage of the home video movies
industry. Change must come and the ability to envision the change, accept it and
channel it towards the development of an existing phenomenon is what makes us
creators that we are, but not by waiting for the developed world to invent and then
we adopt.
It is not enough to carry on reassuring ourselves that the theatre still
thrives in the cultures of the world that introduced it to Nigeria. Those are
politically stable and bourgeois culture. Nigeria has not attained the level of
where the basic things in life are not what bother the popular public. How do we
now expect the roadside corn seller to think of the leisure of theatrical
entertainment? Over there, people earn and live on their meagre wages without
88 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
thinking of personal large family and extended ones. Let our environment inform
us on how to adapt our profession to fit our social culture if not, where is the art
of improvisation in us? We have serious work to do to revive the fallen star.
89 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Works Cited
Ajeluowu, Anote and Madu C. Chikwendu. ―Lagos State Censors Board.‖ Movie
Nigeria 2003.
Akinola, Christopher. Personal interview. 29 December 2004.
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities. London: Verso, 2002.
Anikulapo, Jahman. ―Dance of Theatre Jubilee.‖ The Guardian. 5 Oct. 2001: 2627.
Anyiam, Charles. ―Theatre Saved from Hell.‖ Evening Times. 15 December.
1980.
Barber, Karin, John Collins, and Alain Ricard. West African Popular Theater.
Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1997.
Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. London: Penguin Group, 1968.
Daily Star. 2 Oct. 1976.
Davies, Carole Boyce. ―The Trap of Post coloniality.‖ Interventions: International
Journal of Post colonial Studies. ed. Robert J.C. Young. 1998/1999.
―Drama and Dramatic Arts.‖ Encarta. 25 Nov. 2002 <http://uk.encarta.msn.com/
encyclopedia_76155 2006/Drama_and_Dramatic_Arts.html>.
Gbade Sanda. ―How National is the National Theatre?‖ Daily Sketch. 8 July
1977.
Ejeta, Julius. Personal interview. 29 May 2009.
Ekwuazi, Hyginus. Film in Nigeria. Jos: Nigerian Film Corporation, 1987.
Fanon, Frantz. ―National Culture.‖ Post Colonial Studies Reader Ed. Bill
Ashcroft, Gareth Gates and Helen Tiffin. London: Routledge, 1995. Ohio:
Ohio University Centre for International Studies, 2000.
Federal Government of Nigeria. FESTAC 1977: Report and Summary of
Accounts. 1977.
Jancovich, Mark, Lucy Faire, and Sarah Stubbings. The Place of the Audience:
Cultural Geographies of Film Consumption. London: British Film
Institute, 2003.
Magombe,Vincent P. ―The Cinemas of Sub-Saharan Africa.‖ Film History: An
Introduction. Ed. Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell. 2nd Ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003.
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Maier, Karl. This House has fallen: Nigeria in Crisis. London: Penguin Books,
2001.
Mair, G Charllote Falling Star June 01 2005, 25 05 2009 <http://www.authorsden.
com/visit/ viewPoetry.asp?AuthorID=3117>
Marris, Peter. Family and Social Change in an African City. London: Routledge
& Kegan Paul, 1961.
Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey. The Oxford History of World Cinema: The definitive
History of Cinema Worldwide. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Obasanjo, Olusegun. Speech: On the Occasion of the Official Opening of the
National Theatre, Lagos. 30 September, 1976: 4.
Ofulue, Godwin. ―Tragedy at the National Theatre: General Manager Laments
Regrets.‖ Saturday Punch. 4 June 1994: 9.
Ogundele, Wole. ―Yoruba Popular Theatre.‖ Nigerian Video Films. Ed.
JonathanHaynes.
Osinaike, Gbenga. ―National Theatre: Going, Going… Gone?‖ Sunday Punch. 9
April. 2000:14.
Rainier, Chris. ―Reclaiming the Ancient Manuscripts
NationalGeographicNews.28May2006.
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news>.
of
Timbuktu.‖
Rashidi, Runoko. The Great University of Sankore at Timbuktu: A Brief Note.28
May 2006.<http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/timbuktu. html>.
Staiger, Janet. Interpreting Films: Studies in the Historical Reception of
AmericanCinema. Princeton, N. J: Princeton University Press, 1992.
―Yoruba Ronu Play Stopped.‖ Punch. May 1978.
Young, Robert J. C. Post colonialism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford:
University Press, 2003.
91 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Jeleel Ojuade
____________________________________________________
THE PLACE OF MUSIC AND DANCE IN THE ATTAINMENT
OF MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN NIGERIA
Abstract
This study looks at Music and Dance as being at a crossroad in the
attainment of Millennium development goals in Nigeria. The study seeks to know
how, what, why and where Music and Dance lie in applications leading to the
attainment of the goals. The study applies descriptive and historical analysis to
discuss Music and Dance and their subsequent roles in the development of
millennium goals in Nigeria. The study finds out that Music and Dance have been
veritable tools in the organization, establishment, administration, discoveries,
orientation and teachings of human development in Nigeria. It therefore
concludes that the application of Music and Dance in the administration of people
should further be clarified and given definitive roles to play rather than used as
abridged version, serving supportive roles as „use and dump‟ occasionally when
required.
Introduction
The study is a product of a reflection on Prof. Yakubu Nasidi‘s keynote
address at the conference organized by Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists
(SONTA) about a decade ago. It is actually to x-ray some of the curiosities
agitated and questions asked by him in his piece titled ‗Theatre and Media in the
Next Millennium (1999,1-8). Incidentally, theatre which is an aspect of his
presentation has Music and Dance as parts of the basic components which it
(theatre) thrives on.
Interestingly, these two vibrant aspects of the theatre, in and out of
performance(s) can exist and function aesthetically, but are regarded inseparable
in total theatre applications. The reliance on one another gives this researcher a reassurance that Music and Dance deserve a ‗cogent‘ place in the attainment and
achieving the millennium development goals in Nigeria. Thus, a country‘s status
and position on the global development scale is measured to a very large extent by
its economic structure, in line with sectoral contributions of the primary
(agriculture and mining), secondary (manufacturing, utilities and construction)
and tertiary (all services activities) sectors respectively to national output, income
and employment generation.
The primary sector of the Nigerian economy is pre-occupied with
extractive activities for the production of primary resources, the secondary sector
92 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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is engaged in the production of goods and services relying on inputs from the
primary sector and itself. The tertiary sector takes care of the distributory aspect
of what is produced.
In consideration of the above, Dancing which is both the most artistic of
social pastimes and the most social of artistic pastimes. In all societies, dancing
forms an integral part of the lifestyle; it is an art of which the basic material is the
movement of human bodies in space and time. However, Music creates the
background which the dance is built on.
With the unending questions posed by the keynote speaker in the
aforementioned conference, and the spade of time, we can deduce that the concept
of change is imminent with a lot of transformations recorded in the industry.
Thus, this paper further reflects on how music and dance can be more relevant in
the constant changing environment with more relevance.
The Principle of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)
MDGs principles are couched on the need to achieve peace, progress,
environmental security, equity, development and the upholding of the human
rights of all citizens.
THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS)
GOALS
1) Eradicate poverty
and hunger
2) Achieve Universal
Primary Education
3) Promote Gender
Equality and
Empower Women
4) Reduce child
mortality
5) Improve material
mortality
6) Combat HIV &
AIDS, Malaria and
other diseases
7) Ensure
environmental
TARGETS
1) Halve the proportion of people whose income is less
than $1 a day: 1990-2015
2) Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
1990-2015
3) Ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and
girls alike will be able to complete a full course of
primary schooling
4) Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary
education, preferably by 2005 and in all levels of
education not later than 2015
5) Reduce by 2/3 (1990 -2015), the under-5 mortality
rate
6) Reduce by 2/3 (1990-2015), the material mortality
ratio.
7) Halve halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV
AIDS.
8) Halve halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the
incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
9) Integrate the principles of sustainable development
into [olicies and programmes and reverse the loss of
93 Nigerian Theatre Journal
sustainablity
10)
11)
8) Develop a global
partnership for
development
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
Vol.10 No.2 2010
environmental resources.
Halve by 2015, the proportion of people without
sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic
sanitation.
Have achieved by 2020 a significant improvement in
the lives of at least 100 million rural dwellers.
Development of an open, rule based predictable,
non-discretionary trading and financial system.
Address the special needs of LDCs (including tareff
and quota free access for LDCs exports, enhanced
programme of debt relief for highly indebted poor
countries (HIPCs) and cancellation of official bilateral
debt and more generous official ODA for countries
dedicated to poverty reduction).
Address the special needs of land locked developing
countries and small island developing states (through
the programmes of action for the sustainable
development of small island developing states and
22nd general assembly provisions).
Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of
developing countries through national and
international measures to ensure sustainability in the
long term.
In cooperation with developing countries, develop
and implement startegies for decent and productive
work for youths.
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies,
provide access to affordable essential drugs in
developing countries.
In cooperation with the private sector, make available
the benefits of new technologies, especially
information and communication technologies.
The above represent the appropriate pre- requisites for attaining
sustainable growth and development. The United Nations and global stakeholders
have set the 2015 time frame for these goals to be met. However, evaluations
show that many Third World nations including Nigeria are at different stages, and
with different chances of meeting the goals.
Nigeria‘s MDGs status indicate that the most pressing challenge is that of
eradication of poverty and hunger. If poverty and hunger could be eradicated
through appropriate and adequate policy measures, all other challenges would
ease out. This is based on the premise that the intensities of poverty and hunger
94 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
seem to be on the increase because the proportion of the extremely poor compared
with moderate poor is higher in the Nigerian economy.
The gender equality is another challenging and closely linked to poverty
eradication. An analysis of Nigeria‘s current MDGs status reveals an intrahousehold male preference whereby educating male is prefered to investing in the
education of femele children. It translates to disparity in human capital
development and subsequently reflects in the disparity in labour force
performance.
Despite the heightened efforts in health care delivery system, child and
maternal health has worsened overtime. Ajakaiye and Olomola noted in their
report based on ststistical information, that from 1985 to the late 1990‘s, real
income per capital, private consumption and the overall welfare of Nigerians
remained below the 1980 level.
The report shows that the population within the poverty bracket increased
dramatically over the period, and that there is a decline in the class of the nonpoor; while the core poor is on the increase. The enumerated points above suggest
that the MDGs may not be vivsible at the set date of 2015. What then should be
done to enable the country achieve the MDGs targets? It is our utmost believe in
the ‗theatre‘ world that Devising performances targeted at achieving the goals,
with the inclusion of Music and Dance would be a good strategy.
Devising Performances (Music and Dance)
Devising in non-theatre parlance, suggests the craft of making within
existing circumstances, planning, contriving and tangentially investing (2006:2).
The word ‗devising‘ describes the set of practices for making theatre (which
include Music and Dance), that is traditional rehearsal and staging of a play-text.
However, for the purpose of this study, devising is a process of creating
performance without a pre-existing script.
Incidentally while this study was going on, a student walked into the
researcher‘s office to discuss a proposed topic in the area of dance studies. The
topic seemed interesting but we discovered that there were no documents relating
to or support it. The discussion further served as an impetus/challenge to locate
Music and Dance in the strive to attain Millennium Development Goals in
Nigeria.
On the other hand, President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua‘s seven-point
Agenda did not emphasize a niche for theatre development. In fact, the trend has
been since Nigeria‘s attainment of independence in 1960, not to place preference
on the personality and considering the professional background of who heads or
direct affairs in the Ministry of Culture/Tourism. However, other ministries like
Justice, Health, Aviation etc., are with strict compliance on professionalism in the
95 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
appointments into such offices.
Despite the above mentioned challenges, theatre has been devised on a
number of occasions to find a place in strive towards millennium goals
achievement. Such instances occurred at the local environment where Music and
Dance either at local or urban centres, are devised. It is in an effort to correlate
what Barnes states as ‗each of us can only learn by making sense of what happens
to us through actively constructing a world for ourselves‘ (123). Also, festivals
are devised with the exclusive inclusion of Music and Dance in application during
performances. Such examples are the annual Argungu fishing festival in Kebbi
State, the Osun Osogbo festival dance in Osun State, the Olu of Warri coronation
dance in Warri, Delta State, the Eyo (Adamo Orisa) festival dance in Lagos State
and others all around different communities in Nigeria.
Significantly, the aspect of devising takes its toll in various theatre
arts/performing arts departments of Nigerian Universities. For instance, at the
University of Ilorin, Ilorin, the annual fiesta of the final year student‘s production
(PFA 499: Special Project) is a unique, well researched aspect of teaching and
learning, which keeps turning out performances every year. Sally Banes, writing
about American avant-garde performance of this nature, has articulated the
significance of government funding by individuals, corporations and foundations,
but also trust funds from wealthy parents, more modest support by middle class
parents, and even real-estate speculation... in particular colleges, universities and
churches have played a central role in the development of avant-garde
performances, serving as research and development centres, values, catalysts and
patrons (217).
It is an act of collaborative efforts of students that forms the crew of each
of the groupings. This idea means that all members of the group contributing
equally to the creation of the performance or performance script. The
collaborative idea is with freedom which Odey observed that:
there is a freedom of possibilities for all those involved to
discover; an emphasis on a way of working that supports intuition,
spontaneity, and an accumulation of ideas (Odey 1).
Improvisation in some instances forms a part of the devising process. For
instance, groups or companies whose working practices involves an initial period
of creative development of ideas in the studio. Frost and Yarrow‘s (1990:5) study
of improvisation is informative and charted a range of Western precursors. Some
groups in their performances have taken the impetus of improvisation further and
emphasize the element of spontaneity which brings about free creative expression.
Henry Gates emphasized the role of structure and limitations of freedom in jazz
improvisation as follows:
96 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Improvisation, of course, so fundamental to the very idea of jazz, is
‗nothing more‘ than repetition and revision. In this sort of revision,
again where meaning is fixed, it is the realignment of the signifier
that is the signal trait of expressive genius. The more mundane the
fixed test (‗April in Paris‘ by Charlie Parker, ‗My Favourite Thing‘
by John Coltrane), the more dramatic is the signifyin(g) revision. It
is the principle of repetition and difference, this practice of
intertextuality, which has been so crucial to the black vernacular
forms of signifyin(g), jazz and even its antecedents, the blues, the
spirituals, and ragtime (Gates 63-4).
The idea of repetition and revision makes perfection in theatrical and
improvisational performances. Such examples are those occasionally observed at
the Ariya Garden of the famous Kwara Hotels in Ilorin, Kwara State, where the
musicians entertain the listening audience. As the performance is prepared and
then repeatedly performed, experience of a successful range of interactions builds
between the performers and the audience. Of course, improvisation is not only
part of the process of making work, it include editing, designing, structuring,
choreographing, writing and rehearsing. Thus, it reflects what McNaughton
found that the areas where theatre might be particularly useful in Education for
sustainability were in engendering sympathy and empathy, in developing a range
of skills such as communication and collaboration, in exploring values, and in
providing a meaningful context for research about environmental issues (139155).
Strategies of Developmental Goals
The challenge posed by the drive towards the attainment of Millennium
Goals in Nigeria is geared towards positive changes in different spheres of the
economy. However, it seemingly creates ‗fear‘ in theatre practitioners both within
the ‗town‘ and ‗gown‘, which Neelands draws a parallel between ‗the public and
social theatre of active democracy‘ and drama in that they both hold ‗the same
potential for audience to listen to and be moved stories and claims of others who
hold different values, purposes and traditions from our own‘. This ‗fear‘ is hinged
on the relevance of purpose in performances and application (35).
The concepts of theatre right from the ‗colonial‘ period of history in
Nigeria have followed the same pattern with slight changes. The concepts of
performance (Music and Dance) have been to ‗entertain‘ rather than to serve other
positive functions.
The strategies designed for the implementation of the Millennium Goals in
Nigeria measured up with the required growing economy of developing countries
97 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
of the world. Thus, the reverse is the case is the aspect of theatre practice. Efforts
are being made by practitioners in order to stem up and partake in the
achievement of the Millennium goals through participation in organized
concept/ideas of an ideal theatre practice. It has been observed that such
occasions/events still lack the total support of the government. Meanwhile, in
budgetary planning of the government, theatre enjoys a minute while others
spheres are given considerations over and above the arts of performance. Such
example is the dwindling condition of our National theatre and States Arts
Councils (Theatre). They all represent the gory sight of yester-years and in some
instances a ‗function-less edifice‘.
In spite of several attempts at measuring up with the achievements and
making a representation of theatre practice, it is still far from the position it need
to occupy within the ‗economic circle‘. It is pathetic that most performances end
at their presentations or venues without follow-ups or encouragements on the part
of the government. Such can be in form of supports to further research and
teachings of arts, funding, procurement of sophisticated equipments, construction
of up-to-date theatre buildings in all the states of the federation including colleges
and higher institutions of learning etc. Thus, it will bring about change in theatre
practice (which involves the practice of Music and Dance).
The Challenge of Change
Performance, for a time, can be new in content, form, dialogue, costume
language and performers, but none is a fixed entity (Harding 2002:18). It is
however imperative that the usual ‗dance parade‘, ‗dance carnivals‘ for mere
entertainment, musical concert of less relevance constitutes set-backs for a place
in the achievement of Millennium goals. Though the situation was the same
during the 1950‘s and 1960‘s, when there was a steady ‗revolt‘ evident across art
forms, including the work of the Beat writers, and of Pop Artists who framed the
material productions of advanced capitalism as art. Merce Cunningham and John
Cage began considering the everyday, movement and sound, as properties of
dance and music, alongside ‗chance as creative property; and the writing of
Antonin Artaud produced originally in the 1940‘s but not published in English
until 1958, was given serious consideration by many performance makers. Thus
Sainer observed that;
Everything came into question: the place of the performer in the
theatre; the place of the audience; the function of the playwright
and the usefulness of a written script; the structure of the
playhouse, and later, the need for any kind of playhouse; and
finally, the continued existence of theatre as a relevant force in a
changing culture (12).
98 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
This is indeed a challenge to the practitioners. There is a need to stand up
to this challenge, inventing methodical approaches for the discovery of their
relevant roles in the society.
Music, Dance and Attainment of Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria
All said, the place of Music and Dance in the attainment of the
Millennium Goals in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. To start with, education
is one of the main goals for 2015 which is just around the corner. Music and
Dance have the power to develop the child‘s cognitive perspective by making him
think more creatively, taking him out of the ordinary to that which spells out the
philosophy of learning. Music and Dance can make the child begin to develop
wide visions of perception since children generally learn through play. As the
child listens to the use of proverbs, riddles and puns he asks those more
knowledgeable than he is what these mean. Of course before doing that he would
have thought them through. These wise sayings can help the child think more
logically. For example, a popular musician (Alhaji Chief Sikiru Ayinde Barrister)
in Nigeria sings:
Baluwe to loun lomi nile tokun,
Ko mai lomi nile to mi odo,belentase omi okun,
Alagalugbu oba omi;
Ye rokun fin mo
Agbo isegbe oda lode
Ye rokun fin mo.
That is the one should respect and honor the other especially when it is
clear that the other is superior to one. There is no allowance for disrespect or
rudeness since age and experience cannot be stumbled at or bought with money.
This song can help reduce the level of violence in schools today when
appropriately applied in class. The learner comes to see the need to respect the
teacher knowing that he will always benefit from the teacher. Therefore, causing
him harm will not be to the learner‘s advantage. This can make the school more
peaceful and conducive to learning.
Some songs even teach the child how to calculate. For example:
Ookan a tookan eeji
Eeji a tookan eeta
Eeeta a tookan eerin
Eeerin a tookan aarun-un
99 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Aarun-un a tookan ééfà
Eefa a tookan eeje
Eeeje a tookan ééjo
Eejo a tookan eesan-an
Eesan-an a tookan eewaa.
This can be arithmetically presented below:
1+1=2
2+1=3
3+1=4
4+1=5
5+1=6
6+1=7
7+1=8
8+1=9
9+1=10
This is how the teacher can use Music to teach addition to even the dullest
of all learners. We focus on the young in this section of the paper because these
are the leaders of tomorrow and the Millennium Goals are set with them in mind.
When the youths are educated the rate of troubles in society reduces and the
society is able to set its priorities aright.
What about Dance? As the child learns to dance to the rhythm of music,
he learns the steps to be taken and this teaches him the needed skills. Remember
too that when the whole body is exercised by dance, the body is more relaxed and
ready to learn.
Music and Dance are also therapeutic. One of the problems faced by the
country over the years now has been stress which, coupled with the problem of
poverty in the country have really told on the health of the citizens. Music and
dance can lighten the ‗load‘ and make the singer or dancer happy and encouraged;
this also applies to the listener and those who watch the dance. The pent up
emotions in them are dispelled by the power of music and dance. When people
are healthy, they are more productive. Music and Dance can help attain this goal.
Thus improving people‘s quality of life.
As can be seen in the country today, Music and Dance are a source of
income to many Nigerians especially the young ones, the youths. Some of these
go into HipHop music, Fuji Music, Juju Music, Traditional Music, Atilogu Dance,
Traditional Dance as trainers of other. And they are really making a lot of money
in the country thus reducing the level of poverty in the country.
100 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Conclusion
In consideration of the above analysis on Music and Dance as theatre
mouthpiece, coupled with its current state, one tends to ask the question that how
does theatre adjust in the attainment of the development goals? Though faced with
several challenges, there is the tendency that survival is imminent and if
positively utilized, will further enhance the targeted goals in the millennium.
It is obvious from the analyses and discussions above that the Nigerian
development status is dismal relative to its chances of achieving the MDGs. The
situation calls for measures that would ensure economic reconstruction, social
justice and self-sufficiency.
However, ‗changes‘ can occur if policies of the government change. We
therefore advocate for government‘s required attention in the area of arts (which
include the arts of Music and Dance). It is equally essential to place priority on
professionalism in the appointment of who the Minister of Culture/Tourism will
be at any particular time. Thus, it would enhance the performance of using
‗theatre‘ as a mouthpiece of the MDGs across the country.
Importantly too, government should further assist in the area of funding;
organization and implementation of festivals and performances to further
encourage tourism and attract more foreigners/visitors and tourists to Nigeria. At
the same time, there is ‗urgent‘ need for government intensifies efforts or research
grants/projects that are of arts related to support scholars/researchers in our
universities in Nigeria in order to stem up studies geared towards attainment of
MDGs and create reforms to achieve such goals.
101 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Notes
1.
Argungu fishing festival in Kebbi State, Osun Osogbo festival dance in
Osogbo, Osun State, The Olu of Warri coronation festival in Warri, Delta
State and the Eyo (Adamo Orisa) festival dance in Lagos are examples of
other festivals observed annual across various communities in Nigeria.
2.
Ariya Garden is a relaxation centre within the yard of the Kwara Hotels,
Ilorin, Kwara State Nigeria where talented artistes display/entertain
relaxing audience occasionally.
Works Cited
Ajakaiye, D. ‗Nigeria‘s Economic Development: A Review of the Experience‘
Ibadan: NCEMA, 2003
Banes, S. ‗Institutionalizing Avant-Garde Performance: A Hidden History of
University Patronage in the United States‘, in J. Harding (ed.), Contours of
Theatrical Avant-Garde, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000
Barnes, D. The role of talk in learning, in: K. Norman (Ed.) Thinking voices: the
work of the National Oracy Project, London: Hodder and Stoughton
Educational, 1992
Bottomer, P. Ballroom Dancing: Step-by-Step, London: Anness Publishing Ltd,
2006
Frost, A. and Yarrow, R. Improvisation in Drama, Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1990
Gates, H. The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African American Literary
Criticism, New York: Oxford, 1988
Harding, F. The Performance arts in Africa, London and New York: Routledge,
2002
Heddon, D. and Milling, J. (2006), Devising Performance; A Critical history
(New York: Palgrave Macmillan).
McNaughton, M. J. Educational drama in the teaching of education for
sustainability, Environmental Education Research, 10 (2), 2004
Nasidi, Y. ‗Theatre and Media in the Next Millennium‘, in Nigeria Theatre
Journal, vol. 5, No.1, Ibadan: Sam Bookman Publishers, 1999
Neelands, J. The Idea of IDEA, Drama Journal, 12 (1), 31-39, 2004
Oddey, A. Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook London:
Routledge, 1994
102 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Asen Marcellinus Aondohemba &
Iorngurum Saa-Aondo Don
__________________________________________________
INCULCATING CULTURAL AND MORAL VALUES IN
SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NIGERIA: THE CHILDREN’S
THEATRE STRATEGY
Abstract
It is an indisputable fact that if a society must develop, it must not compromise its
social, moral and cultural values. This is because these values instill a sense of
discipline in the citizenry and enhance the spirit of patriotism for one‟s nation. In
this way, most of the common vices in the society can be minimized. Children are
future leaders of the society and all efforts must be made in preparing them to
take up leadership positions in the society. From the home through schools and
churches/ mosques, they need to be properly taught cultural and moral values of
the society. This will help them develop respect for elders and the societal norms
in general. Primary and post-primary schools are saddled with the responsibility
of holistically bringing up children. This incorporates educational, social, moral,
and cultural responsibilities. This, as a matter of fact, is not an easy task and
coupled with acute lack of teaching aids and methods, the effect is the declining
standard of education. By implication, this is the cause of the decaying cultural
and social values, lack of patriotism, corruption, examination malpractices,
cultism etc. This paper explores the possibility of inculcating cultural and social
values in school children through the children‟s theatre methodology. Since the
natural means of study in children is play, this paper proposes activities such as
drama, songs, music, dance; etc to be used in teaching cultural and social values
in children in order to enhance the desired discipline necessary for development.
The paper recommends that, theatre and drama should not only be used as a
recreational activity in schools as the case is now, but as a tool for teaching
children.
Introduction
Each time the issue of Nigerian educational system today is raised, the
first set of thoughts that come to mind are: decline in standard, deterioration of
facilities, examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome and the like
before any other thing else. This calls for an in-depth study and analysis aimed at
tutoring each and every stakeholder in the educational sector on how their actions
and inactions have individually and collectively contributed to the collapsing state
103 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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of education in Nigeria. In any case, knowledge and skill acquisition which
education is all about cannot be over emphasized. According to the World Bank,
Successful development entails more than investing in physical
capital, or closing the gap in capital. It also entails acquiring and
using knowledge as well as closing the gaps in knowledge (25).
Thus, to successfully confront the challenges of development, a developing
country must undertake three major tasks: Firstly, acquire and adapt global
knowledge and create knowledge locally. Secondly, invest in human capital to
increase the ability to absorb and use knowledge; and thirdly, invest in
technologies to facilitate both acquisition and the absorption of knowledge.
According to Wikipedia,
Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a
formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an
individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which
society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills
and values from one generation to another (1).
Going by this explanation and in relation to the state of education and its
process in the country today as well as the attitude of its providers-Government at
all levels and private investors; one will be compelled to ask such questions as
what has actually gone wrong considering the enormity of its effect on the output
from the system in the area of productivity and the degree of acceptance in the
labour market and educational institutions, especially outside the country?
Response however, will be its militating factors stemming from the incidence of
examination malpractice – poor facilities – indiscriminate mass promotion
syndrome in schools. The causes of these could be traced to (i) Government
insensitivity to education needs (ii) Government and private institutions open
encouragement of low productivity and (iii) the lack of the spirit of hard-work
among growing number of students. These are responsible for even the
evaporation of cultural and moral values in schools and school children.
Children are referred to as the leaders of tomorrow, says a popular adage.
This however cannot come on the platter of gold as cogent efforts must be made
in the training and upbringing of children in other to enhance their potentials.
Primary school is the foundation of the educational process. This foundation is
further developed and built upon in the secondary school through the higher
educational system. To have a holistic child development, cultural and moral
values must be inculcated in the training of children. This will enhance the desired
discipline that will enable them to study. No doubt, discipline is paramount for
academic excellence and it must be emphasized and treated with outmost priority.
This explains why the children‘s theatre approach becomes most appropriate in
104 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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inculcating these values in children hence they learn better through play.
Cultural and Moral Values
The word culture etymologically comes from the Latin word ―cultura
stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate" (1). However, the word culture is
most commonly used in three basic senses:
1. Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high
culture.
2. An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that
depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning
3. The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that
characterizes an institution, organization or group.
Cultures are externally affected via contact between societies, which may
also produce or inhibit social shifts and changes in cultural practices. War or
competition over resources may impact technological development or social
dynamics. Additionally, cultural ideas may transfer from one society to another,
through diffusion or acculturation. This has been the case with the Nigerian
society whose cultural ideals have been submerged as a result of foreign or
western cultures.
Groups, societies, or cultures have values that are largely shared by their
members. These values identify those objects, conditions or characteristics that
members of the society consider important and valuable. According to Benedict,
The significance of cultural behavior is not exhausted when we
have clearly understood that it is local and man-made and hugely
variable. It tends to be integrated. A culture, like an individual, is a
more or less consistent pattern of thought and action. Within each
culture there come into being characteristic purposes not
necessarily shared by other types of society. In obedience to their
purposes, each people further and further consolidates its
experience, and in proportion to the urgency of these drives the
heterogeneous items of behavior take more and more congruous
shape. Taken up by a well-integrated culture, the most ill-assorted
acts become characteristic of its particular goals, often by the most
unlikely metamorphoses (46).
Although Benedict felt that virtually all cultures are patterned, she argued
that these patterns change over time as a consequence of human creativity, and
therefore different societies around the world had distinct characters. This
explains why in Nigeria, from the mode of greeting, eating, clothing, etc different
ethnic groups have their cultural ways of life. In Yoruba land, the boys/men greet
105 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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elders lying down while the girls/women kneel. In Hausa land, the boys/men and
girls/women, squat on the ground to greet their elders. In Igbo land, men and
women, boys and girls bend down to greet their elders. These cultural values
differ among cultures and it‘s very important that children are brought up
culturally so that they will not depart from their roots.
On the other hand, a lot have been said of moral values, but very little
about what those two words actually mean. In most societies, they express the
fundamentalist Christian positions of anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, and anti-stem
cell research. But are these positions actually moral values? The term morality
deals with how right or wrong a particular human conduct is. According to Kerker
and Anyam, ―it assesses the quality of human behaviour to ascertain whether that
behaviour is good or bad, right or wrong for the well-being of man and harmony
with the supernatural‖ (1). Moral refers to being capable of making the distinction
between right or wrong conduct. While values are the social principles, goals or
standards held or accepted by an individual, a class, a society, etc. It seems fair to
pin the definition of moral values down to: beliefs and personal opinions about:
(1) What is right (honest, ethical, true) conduct and
(2) What is wrong (dishonest, false, harmful) conduct held by
individuals and held collectively by socially cohesive groups of
individuals. According to Robin, it also seems safe to say that
moral values would likely exclude things like:
―Intentional lying.‖ Lies of omission (deceiving others by omitting
the truth), peddling half-lies as if they were the whole truth,
distorting the truth, ignoring or distorting biblical passages,
censorship of opposing views, using inflammatory rhetoric,
egocentric chauvinism, political and sexual repression,
heterosexual and homosexual hypocrisy, religious and racial
bigotry, oppression of women, political tyranny and subjugation,
disregard for the rights and beliefs of others. Anti-social and
criminal behavior: Inciting to riot, intimidation, harassment,
invasion of privacy, threats, assault against persons, reputations,
and property. Secret criminal behavior: violence, vandalism, arson,
and murder‖ (1).
Moral values at the national level are idealized family values projected
onto the nation. Progressive values are the values of a responsible nurturing
family, where parents are equally responsible. Their job is to nurture their
children and raise them to be nurturers of others. Nurturance can be seen from
two aspects: empathy and responsibility- both for yourself and your children.
From this, all progressive values follow, both in the family, education and
106 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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politics. If you empathize with your children, you will want them to have strong
protection, fair and equal treatment and fulfillment in life. Fulfillment requires
freedom, freedom requires opportunity and opportunity requires prosperity. Since
your family lives in, and requires, a community, community building and
community service are required. Community requires cooperation, which requires
trust, which requires honesty and open communication. Those are the progressive
values-in education, politics as well as family life.
Children’s Theatre Approach of Inculcating Cultural and Moral Values in
Primary and Post – primary school children.
This method proposes to allow children to present their view on the
relationships between natural resources and sustainable improvements in
livelihood in a scenic form – and then to allow adults in a second step to
comment recordings of this scenic presentation. This method allows school
children to present their knowledge about the world of adults in a creative
way. The suitability of this approach as a research method is grounded in
the fact that children‘s fantasies represent the ideas of adults to a large
extent – either directly or in opposition to them. Within the creative space
of a theatrical play – the scene of which is located in ― a faraway time‖ on
purpose – they can safely express their own views on current realities. Even
potentially threatening conflicts can thus be represented – conflicts which
neither children nor adults would be willing to talk about openly.
Also, this method should be followed by comments on the children‘s
play by adults – who should preferably not be present during the first
staging of the play to avoid intimidating influences. This commenting
allows a comparison between the children‘s view and the view of the adults
themselves. The discussion among the adults will be directed – in as subtle
a manner as possible – towards the question of how ― realistic‖ the fantasy
play of the children appears in the eyes of adults – to what extent it
contains facets of the reality as adults themselves see it. The method
proposed here creates a forum within which different concepts of reality
and different desired futures can meet in a neutral setting without
immediately raising suspicions about intentions and possible consequences
for concrete actions among those participating in this communication
experiment. The aim of moving the discourse into an imaginary space
created by the children‘s play is to enable participants to talk about social
processes and structures (particularly with respect to the management of
natural resources) which are under normal circumstances either barred from
open discussion in order to avoid open conflict or on the contrary are only
discussed in the context of fighting for the realization of concrete interests.
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The children‘s theatre approach is made up of the following phases:
Phase 1: This is the preparatory phase which entails getting in touch
with teachers and seeking their involvement in the exercise. In the event
that it is a school project, it will be easier for the authorities to make
provision for the necessary items needed for teaching and learning to take
place. Otherwise, preliminary contact with school authorities might be
necessary to obtain official permission to work with students and
teachers.
Phase 2: Students tell or write a story about a
fictitious
―development situation‖ on the basis of the elements mentioned.
These stories will be written and collected as data for the teaching of
cultural, social and moral values.
Phase 3: Based on the written stories the school children develop a
plot for a play under the guidance of their teacher or preferably,
someone with experience in theatre work for educational or
development purposes. To what extent the play will follow a written
script or contain elements of improvisation and will depend on the
talent and skills of the students and the teacher and / or drama expert
working with them.
Phase 4: The play is performed at school and recorded on video
with at least the other students of the school as audience. The
performance will then be discussed with the other students of the
school and this discussion will also be recorded on video. This will
allow a primary assessment of the extent to which the other children
find their own life experiences represented in the play. Indirectly, it
also allows an assessment of the extent to which the children who
developed the play were able to present their own experiences in a
realistic way.
Phase 5: The recording will be presented to an adult audience who
will be asked to comment on the play. Beginning with rather open
comments which might simply express the adult‘s view on the
dramatic talents of their children, the discussion will be directed in
as subtle manner as possible towards the relevance of the plot and
the characters to the life experiences of the adult audience: to what
extent do they discover in the play elements which remind them of
situations in real life? This will certainly make strong statements on the
eroded cultural and moral values in Nigeria.
The teaching of cultural and moral values to children can also find
108 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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expression through the use of songs, folktales, puppetry etc. vices such as secret
cults, examination malpractices, descent dressing, good manners of approach,
greetings, good eating habits etc can be captured by drama and theatre in order to
produce the desired caliber of future leaders for our society.
Benefits of Teaching Children through Art and Theatre
Most educators believe that it is important to teach students to think
critically and creatively reason because doing so helps students do a better job of
constructing and interpreting the meaning of things, which is what, sooner or
later, all learning is about. Here are four reasons why art makes a particularly
good starting point for teaching..
1. Art invites thinking. Responding to art is about constructing and
interpreting meaning. This is perfectly obvious to children, whose first
response to a work of art is typically either to invent a story about it or
guess what it means. Because art is multi-layered and complex, because it
is metaphorical and ambiguous, it naturally invites, and rewards, critical
and creative thought.
2. Thinking about art encourages visual literacy. Our culture is
increasingly visual. From computer and TV screens to newspapers and
billboards, we are bombarded by visual images that need decoding and
interpretation. Increasingly, students need to be able to probe and interpret
visual images thoughtfully, critically, and creatively. Because works of art
are complex visual objects that invite multiple interpretations, thinking
about art is a great way to develop visual learning skills.
3. Thinking about art draws on different learning modalities. Thinking
and talking about art naturally brings together multiple modes of
perception and cognition. When children talk about works of art they
freely refer to a variety of senses-they talk about what they see, feel, think,
and hear. And they naturally use all of these information cognitively. That
is, they use information from all of their senses to make meaning out of
works of art. Consequently, emphasizing the cognitive dimension of
responding to art helps children develop an integrative rather than a "dry"
concept of thinking-one that includes emotions and perceptions and any
other faculties that contribute to insight and understanding. Also, because
art invites multiple modes of perception, it is accessible to children with a
range of different thinking styles.
4. Forms of thinking that are central to art are also important in other
disciplines. The forms of thinking emphasized in this curriculum-
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reasoning, perspective-taking, problem-finding and metaphor-makinghave been chosen because of their centrality to thinking about art and their
centrality to thinking in other domains. For example, reasoning
thoughtfully about interpretations is important in art, and it is equally
important in science, history, and other subjects. Similarly, adopting
multiple perspectives is a powerful way to explore an artwork, just as it is
a powerful way to explore historical events, scientific phenomena, and
social issues. Metaphor-making and problem-finding have the same kind
of cross-domain relevance.
Children have the competencies and skills necessary to understand
complex theatrical performances and to engage with them on a number of levels.
However, unless children are actively encouraged to take that engagement further,
it exists primarily on a limited and immediate level. That is, it often lasts only the
60 minutes or so of the performance. There is nothing actively wrong with this,
but to settle here would be to neglect the richness and playfulness of the responses
that emerge when children are provided with structures through which to take the
narratives or characters or techniques of a production in to view for themselves.
The advantages of actively encouraging children's engagement with theatre
include providing the opportunity to reflect on the messages and meanings of a
production; generating a deeper understanding of the structures and styles of a
performance; developing theatrical knowledge that will deepen future
experiences; providing children with a sense of ownership of their experience and
of the value of their own responses and opinions; and enhancing children's
creative ability to engage in constructive play using the tools provided by a
performance. Children's theatre can be a fabulous distraction and entertainment
for 60 minutes. Or it can be that and a starting point for structured and facilitated
play, reflection and investigation.
Conclusion
Theatre and the arts play an important role in the broad development of
children, contributing directly to both formal aspects of the education curriculum
and to informal areas of child development (educating the child holistically).
Within this area there are broad spectrums of benefits that are perceived as
deliverable through an arts education. Implicit within such perceptions is the idea
that the theatrical encounter has an impact beyond the immediate experience
itself. This paper suggests that this can be the case if active steps are made to
extend the children's engagement. One of the challenges for teachers and cultural
coordinators is to seek ways of actively engaging children as actors or viewers in
a manner that does not misconstrue their perceptions of the art form but instead
110 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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allows children to engage more deeply on critical and creative levels. To fulfil this
objective it is necessary to ensure that teachers have the skills, confidence and
resources to effectively extend children's engagement with theatre on intellectual,
emotional, cultural, moral and aesthetic levels.
111 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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Works Cited
World Bank Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience. Washington D.C: The
World Bank. 1994.
Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary. 2001.
Kerker, J. and Anyam, D. Morality and Discipline. Makurdi, Obetta
Press, 2005.
Continental
Benedict, R. Patterns of Culture. Boston: Houghton Miflin Company, 1934.
Federal Government of Nigeria. Higher Education in Nineties and beyond. Report
of Longe Commission on the Review of Higher Education in Nigeria,
main report. 1991.
http://en.wikipedia free encyclopedia (accessed Jan. 10, 2008)
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Rosemary Asen
___________________________________________________
CULTURE AND THE MDGs IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF
TESS ONWUEME’S THE REIGN OF WAZOBIA AND JULIE
OKOH’S IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
Abstract
The paper focuses on cultural inhibition against female emancipation in
Tess Onwueme‟s The Reign of Wazobia and Julie Okoh‟s In the Fullness of
Time. The former play highlights the practice of women exclusion from
leadership positions while the later dwells on women subjugation in the marriage
institution and the practice of female circumcision. These cultural practices
against women have to be done away with for the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goal of gender equality and women empowerment. The paper
recommends that theatre has a crucial role to play in attaining this goal.
Introduction
The United Nations has been making concerted efforts to integrate women
into the development process worldwide. There was the declaration of the United
Nations decade for women from 1975 – 1985 meant to realise the objectives of
the United Nations plan of equality development and peace for all. The Beijing
women conference in 1995 was another platform for women to participate in
shaping policies for economic, social and political development of their societies.
The Millennium Development Goals are eight goals that the United
Nations member states have agreed to implement and to achieve by the year 2015.
The Millennium Declaration was signed at the September, 2000 United
Millennium Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York city. The
objectives of the goals are to stimulate real progress by 2015 in tackling the most
pressing issues facing developing countries. These issues are poverty eradication,
achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and
empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health,
combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental
sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.
The position of Women‘s Environment and Development Organization
(WEDO) is that the Millennium Declaration reflects widespread international
acknowledgement that empowerment of women and the achievement of gender
equality are matters of human right and social justice. It is another indication of
the successful efforts of women to put gender on the global policy agenda.
The third goal of the MDG which is gender equality and women
113 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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empowerment is an essential component for poverty eradication, human
development and human rights. The goal is therefore very important for the
realisation of the other goals. This goal is the focus of this paper.
Expatiating on this goal, Charity Angya states that women are seen as
disempowered in a number of ways and therefore need focused attention while
gender equality refers to the concept that all human beings both men and women
are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the
limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. (1).
A major obstacle to gender equality and empowerment of women in
Nigeria is negative cultural practices. Discriminatory cultural practices against
women have been the thematic preoccupation of many female playwrights
including the two plays chosen for analysis in this paper.
The terms that are central to this paper are culture, gender equality and
empowerment. They are conceptualised as follows:
Culture is defined as:
The shared ideas, norms, values, and beliefs of a people, and has
both material and non-material components. The non-material
components of culture comprise of the inner behaviour attributes
ideas, desires, values and norms of a group of people, expressed in
the form of customs, folkways, mores, language and other external
symbols (Aina 3).
Culture encompasses the totality of a people‘s way of life which gives
them identity. It is a social construction that is learnt and transmitted from
generation to generation. The existence of these cultural practices over a long
period of time is referred to as tradition.
Some cultural practices are anti-progressive. Many of these in Nigeria
elevate men over women and are a major hindrance to female emancipation. The
view of Mary Modupe Kolawole is that gender inequality in many African
societies is a product of the manipulation of culture. Often, culture is used as a
sledgehammer of oppression and to perpetuate inequality and specifically gender
injustice (11).
It can be seen from the above view that culture occupies a special place in
gender relations in Nigeria. Therefore, the quest for gender equality and women
empowerment is bound to fail if negative cultural practices against women are not
done away with.
Gender Equality: This refers to non-discrimination between the female and male
sexes such that none is regarded as being superior to the other. It means that both
sexes are given equal opportunity for participation in national development.
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According to Gender and Development Manual, there has been:
an increasing awareness of inequalities due to institutional
structures. Given that women are usually in a disadvantaged
position as compared to men, promotion of gender equality implies
an explicit attention to women‘s needs, interest and perspective in
order to change unequal structures in societies. The objective here
is the elevation of the status of women in society, with gender
equality as the ultimate goal (127).
Empowerment: This is defined as a bottom up process of transforming gender
power relations through individuals or groups developing awareness of women‘s
subordination and building their capacity to challenge it. (Reeves and Baden) In
Nigeria where women have been marginalised for a long period, there is need for
conscious and consistent effort to put an end to this and also help women
participate equally with men in bringing progress to the nation.
Issues of gender equality and women empowerment are reflected in the
plays The Reign Of Wazobia and In The Fullness Of Time. The plays depict
negative cultural practices as major obstacles to the attainment of the gender
equality and women empowerment.
The Reign of Wazobia
The play is focused on women‘s struggle to change the patriarchal system
of women exclusion from political power. It is based on the Bendel Ibo kinship
system. On the death of King Ogiso, Wazobia, a young and progressive woman is
chosen to act as a regent. She is to act for three seasons, after which a male king is
to be chosen by the people, because this is the practice. At the end of the three
months, Wazobia refuses to step down for various reasons. She tastes power and
finds it sweet and according to her self praise, she had served the people well. She
is also against the unfairness in using women as regents but not as kings.
During her reign, she pursues programmes that enlighten women of their
potentials and rights but which go against the tradition of the people. The men
become afraid and insecure and plot to overthrow her. They get some women on
their side but the plot fails. Omu (the head wife of the deceased king) who had
initially resisted Wazobia‘s new ideas rallies the women together against their
oppressors (the men) and the saboteurs (their female allies). As a last resort, the
women use the unusual solution of dancing naked in the belief that a radical
problem requires a radical solution. The men retreat and abandon their plan to
remove Wazobia by force due to the belief that the women‘s action has disastrous
consequences for the land if not heeded.
The major theme of the play is that of women and leadership based on the
115 Nigerian Theatre Journal
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exclusion of women due to cultural beliefs but within this theme other issues that
affect women in the land are also highlighted.
The belief of the land is that women are not fit to be placed in kingship
position though they can be used as regents that rule for only a limited period.
Though, Wazobia rules well as a regent, tradition demands that she steps down
after three months for an elected male king. Wazobia protests this and determines
to continue as king. This is opposed by most of the men symbolised by Iyase and
Idehen. Iyase‘s statement: ―we are the head, women can never rule over us‖ (56)
portrays the male attitude towards having a female as king.
In addition, Wazobia has to be dressed in the robes of King Ogiso, which
is a male regalia. This suggests that kingship belongs to the domain of men.
Wazobia has to hide her woman identity in the robes of the king. Only then can
her rulership be recognised. In addition, Wazobia herself, is confused with the
pronouns he and she while referring to herself.
The issue of exclusion of women from leadership position highlighted in
the play correlates with women‘s position in contemporary Nigeria. In most
Nigerian society, traditional leadership is the exclusive preserve of men. In the
political arena Odepidan notes that there is a high level of mismatch between the
number of female voters and female presence in elective political offices and that
this seriously reduces their effective participation in decision-making and
governance (135). In the present democratic dispensation, political leadership is
still overwhelmingly a man‘s affair. For example, the President and his deputy are
all males. At the senate, out of 109 members only 9 are females. There is no
female governor in the 36 states of the country while only six out of the deputy
governors are females.
The major reason for exclusion of women in the play from kingship
position is the cultural practice of the people. In the play Iyase one of the chief
opponents of Wazobia states:
Iyase: Wazobia has stayed beyond her limit. She is only a regent
And tradition stipulates That a regent can reign only three seasons. The
chiefs know this. The men know this (41).
Wazobia‘s insistence to remain on the throne and the changes she makes to
enhance the welfare of women goes against the people‘s tradition. These are the
reasons for the men‘s attempt to forcefully remove her from the throne.
A related work to The Reign of Wazobia is a publication titled Women
Marginalization and Politics in Nigeria edited by Jibrin Ibrahim and Amina
Salihu. The book highlights various impediments that female contestants faced in
the 2003 elections. This included cultural factor. Ibrahim and Salihu assert that:
A … negative labeling strategy used to exclude women aspirants
has to do with the cultural deviant label – that Nigeria culture does
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not accept assertive, or public, or leadership roles for women.
Concerted allegations and campaigns portraying women aspirants
as people acting in ways that contradict their culture were
systematically used as part of the strategy of marginalisation (8).
The above revelations indicate that cultural inhibitions against women
attaining leadership position are still a contemporary problem. This needs to be
tackled in order to achieve gender equality and female empowerment by 2015.
There are many advantages for the nation and for female emancipation if
women have greater access to leadership positions and opportunities for
involvement in decision-making. Their views would be more reflected in national
issues including easier legislations against harmful cultural practices against
women. The opinion of Omolara J. Olusi is that ―women‘s non involvement in
decision making represents a rape on the right bestowed on them by nature and a
wrong approach to solving national problems‖ (268).
In The Reign of Wazobia apart from exclusion of women from kingship
position, there are other examples of condescending attitude and inferior status
men ascribe to women in the land all due to cultural beliefs and practices. These
include the opposition to Wazobia‘s innovation of including women in discussing
issues on her governance of the land. Idehen‘s position is that ‗serious matters of
state concern are too heavy for the brittle heads of women and children‘ (27).
Another example is the dehumanising ways widows were treated in the
land. This is shown in the treatment meted to the widows of the deceased king
Ogiso. Their dressing is as follows: ‗Black piece of cloth, tied from chest down,
no blouses, hair bead-less, shaved right round and carved in bonds to number
three‘ (p.9).
Interestingly, Mabel Evwierhoma‘s view is that Tess Onwueme in
handling the idea of female power and rulership has brought into focus other
interrelated themes, which revolve round empowerment and the disempowerment
of women (143). The play highlights various ways women are marginalised in the
society particularly the issue of women exclusion from leadership positions. The
play also encourages women to be assertive in realising their rights as the equal of
men.
In response to the MDGs, there have been some efforts in Nigeria to build
a just society devoid of discrimination and to enhance the involvement of women
in governance. Examples include the fact that Nigeria adopted a National Gender
Policy in 2007. The objectives of the policy include harnessing the full potentials
of all social groups, promoting the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and
protecting the health, social economic and political well beings of all citizens in
order to achieve equitable rapid economic growth. The policy specifies that
117 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
women should occupy a minimum of 30 percent of all elective and appointive
positions. In addition, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social
Development organized a pre-summit on participation of women in politics. It
took place on February, 23 2010 at Abuja. The participants were provided with
tips on constituency mobilizing, campaign organizing and developing a lasting
social contract with voters.
Another issue discussed was the challenges faced by women during
elections. Recommendations made to enhance women participation in the political
process include enforcement of the National Gender Policy, capacity building for
individual‘s goals and aspirations and community based strategies which should
include breaking of negative cultural and socio religious and other gender
barriers.
League of Democratic Women (LEADS) is an NGO that is involved in
engaging both state and non state actors in Kaduna, Kastina and Jigawa states to
strengthen alliances towards mainstreaming gender in governance. The group also
organizes skill acquisition workshops for female politicians.
The Independent Electoral Commission organized a round table discussion
for political parties on the 22nd of April, 2010 at Abuja. The discussions included
bridging the gender gap in Nigeria‘s political frontiers. Some of the
recommendations to bridge the gender gap in political participation include
involvement of women in constitution drafting, ensuring proportional
representation system and putting into place election mechanisms that require all
citizens to vote for men and women in order to accustom people to vote for
women.
The above efforts by the government and non governmental groups are
commendable. However, there is need for the substance of these efforts for the
target of gender equality and women empowerment to be met.
In the Fullness of Time
The play is a call to women to realise their rights and free themselves from
obsolete customs and traditions which cause them to remain subjugated to men
and are unable to realise their full potentials as human beings.
The play focuses on the relationship between Adudu and Ofure, his wife.
He is described by the wife as a tyrant, oppressor and hater of women‘s progress.
In the prelude of the play, Ofure is a crippled patient in the hospital. This
condition is a result of the maltreatment by her husband. As the play progresses,
in Movement One, it is revealed that any woman Adudu marries dies due to his
attitude towards them. His immediate past wife, Etemini was injured and
traumatised until she suffers a nervous breakdown and dies. His house is full of
sad memories of women unjustly crucified in the name of culture and tradition.
118 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Movement Two of the play dwells on the treatment Ofure receives from
Adudu. Adudu imprisons Ofure inside the house and instructs her for hours on the
behaviour expected of a good wife. She is to regard herself as the property of the
husband and should be completely dependent on the man. Her major objective is
to please the man. These beliefs are all based on the traditions of the people. The
long period of indoctrination and the weight of her role lead to her collapse and
she becomes crippled. She loses her spontaneity, freedom of choice, selfdetermination, assertiveness and confidence. However, in the hospital, the
treatment she receives and her personal efforts enable her to walk again.
The play highlights the subjugation of women in the marriage institution
due to adherence to cultural beliefs and practices. It also encourages women to
emancipate themselves from men‘s domination and rustic rural culture and
traditions. These messages are passed across symbolically.
The subjugation of women in the marriage institution is shown clearly
when Adudu tells Ofure what the society expects of wives. These include the
point that she is to respect a man, (her superior in everything); should see the
world through his eyes, is never to act without being told, has no opinion of her
own and cannot take part in any decision – making process. Adudu also treats
Ofure as a slave. This is shown in the scene that he orders her to wash his dirty
clothes, turn down the television, and gets him a bottle of cold beer and
newspapers. She serves him genuflecting.
Adudu‘s treatment of his wives is due to cultural beliefs and practices. He
is shown to be obsessed with the concept of culture and spends time educating
Ofure about this. He states that Ofure‘s happiness depends on adapting to the
cultural demands of the community.
Female circumcision which is also a result of cultural practice is also
highlighted in the play. At the beginning of the play, a female patient is stated to
have died as a result of circumcision. In addition, Esele the nurse laments about
her personal experience. Her mother got thrown out of the father‘s house because
it was discovered that she was not circumcised. She was threatened with death for
defiling the home. She had to run away with her children who were considered as
untouchables. The mother later dies mysteriously.
The second thematic preoccupation of the play, which is a call for women
not to remain docile in the face of oppression but to assert their rights, is also
portrayed symbolically. Ofure as a crippled patient represents oppressed women.
She receives encouragement from the nurses to be determined and make efforts to
walk again.
119 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Culture, Theatre and the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals
The two plays analyzed in this paper portray how negative cultural
practices are serious impediments to female emancipation. It therefore follows
that the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals of Equality and Female
Empowerment cannot be realised if such cultural practices are not overcome. The
first play, The Reign of Wazobia demands that women be considered as capable
as men for leadership positions.
In addition, women would be greatly empowered by being in leadership
positions. The importance of this is further underscored by the fact that the
acceptable system of government in the 21st century is democracy. It is against
democratic principles if women who are about half of the nation‘s population are
not given equal access with men to leadership positions.
The second play dwells on the issue of women subjugation in their
matrimonial homes due to cultural beliefs and female circumcision. Women in
these situations are likely to be depressed and suffer from low self-esteem and
therefore, become incapable of realising their full potentials for national
development. This is certainly against their empowerment. Female circumcision
also has serious health consequences that at times lead to death.
It is obvious, according to Kolawole that ―culture needs to be revisited and
deconstructed for any attempt at African women‘s empowerment and the search
for gender equity and democratisation to succeed‖ (3).The deconstruction of
culture is possible since it is a man made system. However, cultural practices are
so deeply entrenched that there is need for a systematic and continuous effort for
the negative ones to be done away with. In relation to this point, Catherine
Acholonu proposes that:
Cultural healing can be effected in two ways by Grafting and by
Transfusion. Grafting is done by the process of cutting off the
diseased part or the bad cultural habits and replacing them with a
new, more proactive behavioural pattern. But when a cultural trait
is deeply embedded in the soul of a people, the process to be
employed is Transfusion i.e. flushing out the unwanted behaviour
pattern from the entire system and replacing it with … new idea,
custom or tradition, tested and proven. This is the terrain of the
storyteller i.e. The Artist (cited in Salami – Agunloye 22).
The two plays corroborate Acholonu‘s point in the above quotation
regarding the role of the artist in deconstructing culture. The plays highlight the
point that negative cultural practices impede the development of women and
therefore they should be done away with.
120 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
The theatre has been used over the years for social mobilisation,
conscientisation and emancipation. It can therefore play a crucial role in the
attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. The two playwrights discussed
in this paper have contributed to this by highlighting negative cultural practices
against women and showing how they can be overcome.
In The Reign of Wazobia the heroine gets emancipated in the area of
women and governance. Wazobia achieves these through assertiveness, courage
and determination. The opinion of Josephine Odey is that the play is perhaps
Onwueme‘s most confrontational testament against patriarchy. With this play, it
appears that Onwueme has moved into the arena of governance and is no longer
satisfied with talking about forced marriages and inhibiting traditional practices,
which dis-empower the female (164).
In the second play In The Fullness of Time, the playwright motivates
women by using the symbol of a woman who was crippled by her husband but is
able to walk later by the acquisition of qualities such as perception, motivation,
determination, courage and perseverance. The playwright summarises her
message to women in the play as follows:
The dramatist shows the female character, instead of negating
herself, striving to transcend her state of immanence to gain her
status as an independent, self conscious being determining and
executing her own actions. She is unable to attain this position
until she analyses her situation critically, … By releasing herself
from her bondage to fear and applying herself diligently to work,
Ofure is able to lift up herself from her wheelchair, symbol of her
enslavement, thing hood, infirmity and dependency. (Okoh,
Theatre and Human Right (120)
Okoh further states that following the example of Ofure, contemporary
Nigerian women must change according to the demands of their time. They must
learn to take firm control of their life, direct their action and actualize themselves
in order to have a sense of self-fulfilment. They can only do these if granted
freedom to exercise their rights in making choices at least in matters that concern
them. This by itself demands a fundamental shift in the way Nigerian society
conceptualize women and their rights. (Okoh 120 – 121).
The two playwrights discussed in this paper have messages for women
and the general society. These are useful for the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goal of gender equality and women empowerment by 2015. The
importance of this goal is underscored in the following view:
Gender equality is not only a goal in its own right but an essential
ingredient for achieving all the MDGs, be they poverty eradication,
121 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
protecting the environment, or access to health care. Attempting to
meet the MDGs without incorporating gender equality will both
increase the costs and minimize success. Because the MDGs are
mutually reinforcing, success in meeting goals will have positive
impacts on gender equality, just as progress toward gender
equality6 in any one area will help to further each of the other
goals (WEDO Action Guide Online)
The attainment of the goal of gender equality and women empowerment in
Nigeria still requires much work. There is need for continuous deliberate policies
of gender equality and women empowerment strategies,, such as inclusive
development policies for women affirmative policies and addressing harmful
gender based practices.
Conclusion
The two plays analysed in this paper highlight the fact that negative
cultural practices are a great impediment to the realization of the Millennium
Development Goal of gender equality and women empowerment. The plays also
indicate through their thematic preoccupation that the theatre has a crucial role to
play in the attainment of the MDGs.
It is therefore recommended that the Nigerian society should be
consistently educated on the need to do away with obsolete and harmful cultural
practices that hinder development. Also Theatre-Artists should make themselves
more available by contributing to this mobilisation through their works.
122 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
Works Cited
Aina, Olabisi ―Women, Culture and Society‖ in Nigerian Women in Society and
Development Odebiyi (ed) Ibadan: Dokun publishing House, 1998.
Angya, Charity. ―Gender Equality, Women‘s Empowerment and Development:
An overview‖ A Lead Paper Presented at the International Conference on
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals Through Gender Equality
and Good Governance held at Imo State University, Imo State Nigeria.
Evwierhoma, Mabel. Female Empowerment and Dramatic Creativity in Nigeria.
Ibadan: Caltop Publications, 2002.
Gender and Development Manual: Concepts and Definition, BRIDGE
development-gender Report No.55 February 2000.
Ibrahim, Jibrin and Amina Salihu. Women, Marginalization and Politics in
Nigeria. Osiwa, Global Rights, CDD 2004.
Kolawole, Mary Modupe (ed) Gender Perceptions and Development in Africa A
Socio-Cultural Approach. Lagos: Arrabon Academic Publishers, 1998.
Odepidan, M. ―National Policy on Women and Affirmative Action‖ in Women‟s
Rights are Human Rights. Abuja: Madol Printers and Publishers, 2000.
Odey, Josephine Egbor. ―A Reader Response Inquiry into Gender Semiosis in
Selected Plays of Tess Onwueme‖ Unpublished Ph.D Thesis – Benue
State University. Makurdi, 2004.
Okoh, Julie. In The Fullness of Time Owerri: Totan Publishers, 2000.
--- Theatre and Women‟s Human Rights in Nigeria Port Harcourt: Pearl
Publishers, 2002.
Olusi, J. Omolaria, ―Socio-Cultural, Economic and Environmental Determinants
of African Women‘s Poverty and Disempowerment: The Nigerian
Example‖. In Gender Perceptions and Development in Africa Kolawole ed
Lagos: Arrabon Academic Publishers, 1998..
Onwueme, Osonye Tess. The Reign of Wazobia Ibadan: Heinemann Educational
Books, Nigeria l.t.d. 1988.
Salami – Agunloye, Irene. ―Cultural Practices and the African Woman as
Portrayed in Some Selected Dramatic Texts‖ in Women, Theatre and
Politics Contemporary Perspectives Jos: Saniez Publishers, 2006(17-49).
Women‘s Empowerment, gender quality and the millennium development goals:
A WEDO information and action guide. http://www.wedo.org/library.aspx?ResourceID =5
123 Nigerian Theatre Journal
Vol.10 No.2 2010
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