Theatre for Development

In this paper, political injustice, corruption, and materialism which are so obvious in Near and Distant Cries by Olu Obafemi and in Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels by Femi Osofisan will be critically discussed. Using dramatics, it compares fictional storytelling to the modern Nigerian society, specifically comparing such events as the EndSARS protest with real life manifestation of governmental denial and misinformation. Obafemi, through his characters like Villager 1 and Wang reveals the lying tactics adopted by the political leaders to use the taxpayers money in the name of service delivery. Osofisan, however, paints the use of metaphors such as the crossroads and the minstrels to depict a society stuck between a non-progressive morality and a positive restructuring. What becomes most common throughout the plays is loss of psychology and social destruction of materialism run amok as a phenomenon that cuts across classes and stature in Nigeria.

Besides, the work argues that the only way to substantially change the society is to start with the individual. Unlike a rotten heart bearing rotten fruit, a morally upright person is in a position to impact positively to the surrounding society. The presentation of characters like Omele and Redio disclosed by Osofisan makes the statement stronger that power is something that fades fast and the real revolution is something that is inside a person and not the surface activism. The paper wraps up by proposing high accountability standards of eligibility of the office holders in politics by implying that, the only way sustainable change could be achieved is through moral awakening that should be initiated at the grassroots. Simply put, both the plays are shouts of self reflection, honesty and sincerity and devotion to the greater good of the country in light of national moral rot.

Comedy is the manifestation of societal realities that is often portrayed in mockery way. It entertaining acts and therapeutic functions to its live audience give healthy sensibilities. In Africa, comedy is a cultural practice in indigenous ritual performances though it implied. In contemporary days, comedy is mirth and succour to societal tensions. Previous studies examined it from entertaining and therapeutic aspects without deeply examining it from its evolution, significance and impact. This study, therefore, explores the dynamic role humour in African cultural expressions, examining its evolution, significance and impact. Through a critical analysis of various performance forms, this study reveals how comedic practices shape and reflect African identities, challenge societal norms, and navigate tradition and innovation. By investigating the complexities of comedic elements in African performances, this research provides new insights into the continent's rich cultural heritage and multifaceted nature of African comedy. Comedic performances were gathered across African continent. They were selected based societal significance and impact. Freudian theory was used to analyze data. Data were subjected to content analyses.

Various cultural as well as religious beliefs and indigenous performance traditions were condemned as pagan rites and almost forced into extinction through the coming in of Christianity and colonialism in Malawi (Nyasaland). These included spirit mediums that would be invoked upon to intervene in the bringing of rains through performances by designated rainmakers, in addition to transmitting messages received in a state of ecstasis. There was also the invocation of beliefs in other gods and the promotion of the existence of only one God and one medium in the name of Jesus Christ. The condemnation of indigenous cultural and religious beliefs in mainstream dramatic literature has promoted epistemological coloniality in various aspects. The resultant praxis has been the eradication of knowledge systems (epistemicide), as well as the suffocation of indigenous culture (culturecide). The challenge is that generations born after colonialism and Christianity eschew their own cultural beliefs under the guise of modernity. Through critical discourse analysis, this article analyses the attempts of two selected playwrights in decoloniality of knowledge and speaking back for indigenous Malawian cultural and religious beliefs. The critical discourse analysis is done through script analysis of Steve Chimombo's The Rainmaker and Du Chisiza Jr's Nyamirandu. A reading of the two scripts surfaces decoloniality and cultural promotion. Through the results of this research, it shall be seen how some plays have engaged with coloniality and fronted indigenous cultural beliefs.

ஏழுமலைப்பிள்ளையின் எழுத்துருக்களில் ஓர் ஒருமைப்பாட்டைத் தரிசிக்க முடிகின்றது என்றால் அது போரை எதிர்த்தல் அல்லது வெறுத்தல். அந்த யுத்தமும் பகையும்தான் மனித சமூகத்தைச் சின்னாபின்னமாக்கியிருக்கிறது. அவை புராண இதிகாசக் கதைகளில் இருந்தாலென்ன ஏனைய சிற்றரசு பேரரசுகளின் ஆட்சியில் இருந்தாலென்ன எல்லாமே ஒரே விதமான முடிவைத்தான் கொடுத்திருக்கின்றன. மாவீரத்துடன் போர் புரிந்த பீஷ்மரில் இருந்து மாவீரன் அலெக்சாண்டர் வரையுங்கூட இதுதான் நடந்திருக்கிறது. ஒட்டுமொத்தமாக போர் பற்றிய எழுத்துருப் பிரதிகளின் ஊடாக மானிட சமூகத்திற்கு போரின் ஊடாக ஏற்படும் விளைவுகள் துக்கமும் சிதைவும்தான் என்பதை வெளிப்படுத்துவதோடு அமைதியான வாழ்க்கையும் ஒருவரை மற்றவர் அன்பினாலும் நட்பினாலும் அனுசரித்துப் போகும் வாழ்க்கையுந்தான் வேண்டும் என்பதையும் காட்டியிருக்கிறார்.

This essay is part of our ongoing "AI Lexicon" project, a call for contributions to generate alternate narratives, positionalities, and understandings to the better known and widely circulated ways of talking about AI. Police records in India often categorize people as 'habitual' or 'dangerous' criminals based solely off of colonial constructions of caste. With the Indian State now digitising all police records for 'efficient' technology-forward policing, these measures will only entrench and legitimise casteist oppression and caste-based notions of 'criminality. ' Digitization obscures the caste bias on which such criminality is constructed and sows the seeds for AI-based 'predictive' policing. In this essay, we explore the historical origins of caste, its legacy in policing, and its relevance to AI in the context of the criminal justice system. We argue that any new AI-based predictive policing system will likely only perpetuate the legacies of caste discrimination and the unjust criminalisation and surveillance of marginalised caste communities-since the very nature of historical police data is casteist. We highlight that any analysis of the framework of predictive policing requires engagement with the complexities within the institution of caste itself. Finally, we call attention to the risks of 'efficient' and 'neutral' AI-based technologies enforcing a digital-driven caste system.

Police violence is cast as a graphic, brutal spectacle of power on the bodies of the poor. This popular understanding is only the most visible form of routinised arbitrary violence perpetrated by the police. In this article, we study the scope and forms of police discretion in ordinary policing tasks informed by Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 to argue that the police frame criminality not through evidence-gathering but through the power of language and distorted narratives that are passed off as discoverable truths derived from the institution of caste. Through a study focused on alcohol policing under the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act, 1915, this article seeks to underscore that police discretion is constructed by caste, resulting in the criminalisation of oppressed caste communities.

This study examines the impact of urbanization on the cultural practices of Isiokpo and Elele, two communities in Ikwerre land, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, from 1960 to 1970. Through a combination of historical and ethnographic methods, this paper was able to analyze the data collected from primary and secondary sources which provided a comprehensive understanding of the Impact of urbanization on cultural practices in Isiokpo and Elele, 1960-1970. This research will focus on the following aspects of cultural practices: wrestling, new yam festival, masquerade, intergroup relations, socio-religious rites, and the changes and transformations that occurred in the cultural values, social structures, and traditions of both regions. The paper will also argue that urbanization had both positive and negative effects on the cultural practices of Isiokpo and Elele, depending on the degree of adaptation, resistance, and innovation of the people. The paper will also suggest some recommendations for preserving and promoting the cultural identity and well-being of the Ikwerre people in the face of urbanization. Additionally, this work includes visual documentation through the incorporation of pictures that visually illustrate the cultural shifts and societal changes experienced during this transformative period.

Sequel to the outlaw of theatre from the church in the Medieval era, Christian theatre moved from the church to the trade guilds and even beyond but never ended. In Nigeria, the same cycle had been repeated following the introduction of Christian theatre into the church through the window of the Church Missionary Society, followed by early dramatists such as Hubert Ogunde, who temporarily succeeded to infuse theatre into Cantatas but soon deviated from the church centred themes and secularised Christian theatre. Hence, the emergence of Mike Bamiloye and his others in the later parts of the 20 th century with Christian theatrical productions which toured around the country under the umbrella of the Mount Zion Faith Ministries (MZFM) which would soon become the household name for Christian theatre and film productions in Nigeria. Although the MZFM diverted into film a few years later, the 21 st century saw the inauguration of her Christian theatre arm named Zion Royal Theatre (ZRT) targeted at churning out phenomenal Christian theatrical productions on the contemporary stage. This is a descriptive study which chronicles the events leading to the emergence and progressive practice of Christian theatre in Nigeria by the ZRT. It identifies the point of departure from the old and the styles of practice for the new. In-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders in Christian theatre practice in Nigeria coupled with other secondary sources to enhance the literature review. ZRT proves to draw a viable connection to the rebirth of regular Christian theatre in Nigeria with regards to Christian themes, techniques and method of dramatising biblical stories to contemporary audiences.

This research investigated the potential of folk opera as a tool for HIV and AIDS education in Papua New Guinea. It began with an investigation on the indigenous performativities and theatricalities of Papua New Guineans, conducting an audit of eight selected performance traditions in Papua New Guinea. These traditions were analysed, and five cultural forms and twenty performance elements were drawn out for further exploration. These elements were fused and combined with theatre techniques from western theatre traditions, through a script development process involving Australians, Papua New Guineans and international collaborators. The resulting folk opera, entitled Kumul, demonstrates what Murphy (2010) has termed story force, picture force, and feeling force, in the service of a story designed to educate Papua New Guinean audiences about HIV and the need to adopt safer sexual practices. Kumul is the story of a young man faced with decisions on whether or not to engage in risky sexual behaviours. Kumul's narrative is carefully framed within selected Papua New Guinean beliefs drawn from the audit to deliver HIV and AIDS messages using symbolic and metaphoric communication techniques without offending people. The folk

மெய்நிகர் கற்றல் சமூகங்கள் (Online Learning Communities, OLC) கல்வி மற்றும் தொழில்நுட்ப
வளர்ச்சியில் முக்கிய பங்களிப்பாக விளங்குகின்றன. இவை தனிப்பட்ட கற்றலுக்கான
இடங்களை வழங்குவதோடு, சமூக ஆக்கவியலையும் ஊக்குவிக்கின்றன. கொரோனா
தொற்றுக்காலத்தில், மெய்நிகர் கற்றல் தொழில்நுட்பங்கள் தொலைதூரக் கல்விக்கு மாற்றாக
பரவலாக பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டு,  திறந்த கற்றல் சமூகங்களை உருவாக்கும் புதிய வாய்ப்புகளை
ஏற்படுத்தின. இந்த ஆய்வு, கொரோனா காலத்தில் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில் நடத்தப்பட்ட 60
மணித்தியாலங்கள் கொண்ட ‘மனித உரிமை அடிப்படைகள்’ மெய்நிகர் பயிற்சியை
‘செயல்திறன் கோட்பாடு’ (Performative Theory)  அடிப்படையில் மதிப்பீடு செய்கிறது.
செயல்திறன் கோட்பாடு சமூகப் பார்வையில் கற்றலின் செயல்முறை மற்றும் அதன்
தாக்கங்களை ஆராய உதவும் கருவியாக விளங்குகிறது. ஆய்வின் தரவுகள் கோட்பாட்டு
பகுப்பாய்வு முறை மற்றும் தரத் தகவல் சிக்கலான மதிப்பீடு முறை ஆகியவற்றின் மூலம்
திரட்டப்பட்டன. பயிற்சியின் முடிவில், பங்கேற்பாளர்கள் மனித உரிமை சார்ந்த
பிரச்சினைகளைப் பற்றிய விழிப்புணர்வை முன்னேற்றும் நோக்கில் ‘மானுடம் சுடரும்’ என்ற
நிகழ்நிலை சமூகக் குழுவை உருவாக்க முனைந்தனர். வாட்சப் போன்ற மெய்நிகர் தளங்களில்
தொடங்கிய இந்த குழு, நிகழ்நிலை சந்திப்புகளுக்கு வேரூன்றியது. பங்கேற்பாளர்கள் மனித
உரிமை பிரச்சினைகளை பகிர்ந்து அதற்கான செயற்பாடுகளில் ஈடுபட்டனர். இந்த ஆய்வுஈ
மெய்நிகர் கற்றல் சமூகங்கள் சமூக இடைவெளிகளை குறைத்து, உண்மையான சமூக
அமைப்புகளாக மாறும் ஆற்றலைக் கண்டறிகிறது. மேலும், செயல்திறன் கோட்பாட்டின்
அடிப்படையில் குழுவின் செயல்திறனை மதிப்பீடு செய்வதன் மூலம், மெய்நிகர் கற்றல்
சமூகங்களை மேம்படுத்த புதிய வழிகளை முன்மொழிகிறது. இவ்வாய்வு, மெய்நிகர் கற்றல்
தொழில்நுட்பங்கள் சமூக ஒற்றுமையை மேம்படுத்துவதற்கான திறனைக் காட்டுவதோடு,
எதிர்கால சமூக கற்றலுக்கான புதிய திசைகளையும் உருவாக்குகிறது.

Regardless of the benefits that development has brought to some, it has largely bypassed the very people who most need a better standard of living: the masses in rural and semi-urban areas. The model of using participatory learning methods to explore the main concerns of a group and then creating a play to discuss the issues could be used in many situations. Theater for Development (TfD) is a relatively new way of using theater to enhance development in the real world. It is an art in which the Community Theater is used as a tool for mobilization, education, awareness, sensitization, and awareness of the community, all to achieve a change, either in individuals or in the community as a whole. This study aims to evaluate the relevance of theater in the concept of rural development and answer the question "What is the role of theater in the development process and how TfD can be a useful method for participatory development in the rural and semi-urban areas? "To obtain a comprehensive perception, this article goes further by explaining the TfD process and evaluating its advantages and disadvantages in the rural development process. The data used for this study is secondary data collected from previous studies using a qualitative and descriptive approach to interpret and analyze previous studies. This study argues that there is a strong link between development and theater and the latter can provide an opportunity to foster the process of development of marginalized groups in rural and semi-urban areas by creating a participatory platform that involves the local population in projects of development and make dialogue possible. However, there are some shortcomings in practice, such as fundraising or the influence of the governing systems that are the main investors that could misdirect the designated message. There are still gaps in the knowledge and practicality of the TfD method that should be overcome in the future.

Yoruba tradition of sacrifices are practiced in the offering of things to spirit beings for the purpose of procuring favour, obtaining a fruitful harvest, fulfilling a vow, warding off pestilence and death in honour and appreciation of the deity. The narrative content analysis, focus group discussion, and in-depth interview methods were adopted in analysing issues and themes in the movie. These methods were used to examine the gender role consequences of women as burden bearers of most of these sacrifices in the traditional Yoruba setting. Tunde Kelani"s movie, Arugba through a gender lens vividly raises the appropriateness of this tradition in view of advocating gender balance in modern trends. The film portrays women in different sacrificial contexts, and also reveals how socially-dictated roles for males are imposed on women. Women are seen as sacrifice burden bearer, subordinates in leadership to men, servants rather than leaders in the society, hence gender injustice and imbalance against women needs to be revisited for proper gender balance to promote appropriate relationship between men and women in the society.

This study examined the incarnate being phenomenon in West African society using the Egwu Afia in Igala, Kogi State; as a case study. One of the most discussed phenomena of our time is globalization and modernization. It has been argued from the cultural, socio-political and economic points that the underdeveloped economies of the world will definitely be most disadvantaged in this global change. Nigeria as a country with an embodiment of several communities who, in spite of the encroachment of globalization, nevertheless is embedded with individualities and identities that global forces cannot completely obliterate. Most of such identities are inherent in our indigenous cultural heritage and value. Our pre-occupation in this paper is a look at the Egwu Afia incarnate being of the Igala people in Kogi state as a symbol and promoter of the Igala identity, an agent of social justice and development within the diversified identity in Nigeria. During this research, data was collected through qualitative and quantitative methodology. The researcher used interviews, distribution of questionnaires and personal observation as tool for generating data. The study findings identified the uniqueness of this cultural phenomenon and the gap between the academics and the locale. It also identified how to bridge the gap and promote the incarnate being as a rich indigenous cultural heritage identified with the West African region with traditional Igala people inclusive.

Scholars and critics around the world interpret Femi Osofisan's literary oeuvre from different perspectives. Beyond aesthetics, his dramaturgy offers multiple vistas for a critical appraisal of society. Given the many interpretations of his works, it is problematic to circumscribe them within a single ideological chamber as many scholars and critics have sought to do. However, this study demonstrates that Osofisan's ideological profundity derives mainly from the Yoruba mythology which foregrounds the matrix of his literary haven. Utilizing the rich potential of Yoruba mythology, Osofisan projects his social vision by revalorizing the complementarities of opposites as inexorable items of social progress. Through the critical lens of deconstructive criticism, this study reveals another stratum of meaning in Osofisan's plays. Using his two plays One Upon Four Robbers and Esu and the Vagabond Minstrel, it is revealed that their primal ideological praxis derives from the Yoruba mythology. Thus, the Yoruba mythology provides an ideological imperative which galvanizes Osofisan's creative and aesthetic convictions. While scholars and critics may interpret literary texts from diverse perspectives, the success of Osofisan's creative leaning on the Yoruba mythology should encourage further interpretations of texts from other African mythological hues which are replete with suitable, ideological framework.

The interaction of various dynamics which determine a society's socioeconomic reality is always affirmed by the inevitable forces of demand and supply. However, observable dialectic of these socioeconomic dynamics portrays lopsidedness in the distribution of wealth in favour of a category of citizens to the exclusion or disadvantage of another set of citizens. Through this kind of pervasive polarity, violence is enunciated within the underclass who feels alienated, deprived, and exploited. In response, the underclass reciprocates violence with brutal violence by plundering social spaces, partaking in the collective patrimony through banditry and brigandage. This paper argues that, to a good degree, armed robbery, banditry, and sundry acts of violence are caused, maintained, and sustained by contemporary social forces subliminally upheld by the government of the day. Femi Osofisan's play, Once Upon Four Robbers dramatizes the activities of four armed robbers who, in reaction to neglect by the subsisting power apparatus, unleash mayhem on society. The play provides a suitable platform for a critical exegesis of the socioeconomic interplay that gives rise to violence which subsumes multiple vices. The attention of the public and the government is called to their remote complicities in the enthronement of violence. In this way, contact is made, awareness is created, and the general perception of violence is realigned.

In as much as there is no society without its past, it is therefore the duty of each society to bring its past into remembrance, so that the present generation who did not witness the past will have the privilege of knowing and appreciating the past. Therefore, it is against this background that traditional festival was examined as a store-house of African culture as well as a repository of history. The paper examines traditional festival as an instrument of diplomacy and tools for unity and integration, especially in a heterogeneous society like Nigeria. The paper also takes a cursory look at the importance of festivals in the socioeconomic and political development of Nigeria, while the relationship between history, religion and festival is examined. Furthermore, some selected festivals in Nigeria and their significance in the society also form part of this intellectual discourse. The paper is concluded with the roles of the government in promoting traditional festival in Nigeria and its achievement so far.

Sequel to the outlaw of theatre from the church in the Medieval era, Christian theatre moved from the church to the trade guilds and even beyond but never ended. In Nigeria, the same cycle had been repeated following the introduction of Christian theatre into the church through the window of the Church Missionary Society, followed by early dramatists such as Hubert Ogunde, who temporarily succeeded to infuse theatre into Cantatas but soon deviated from the church centred themes and secularised Christian theatre. Hence, the emergence of Mike Bamiloye and his others in the later parts of the 20 th century with Christian theatrical productions which toured around the country under the umbrella of the Mount Zion Faith Ministries (MZFM) which would soon become the household name for Christian theatre and film productions in Nigeria. Although the MZFM diverted into film a few years later, the 21 st century saw the inauguration of her Christian theatre arm named Zion Royal Theatre (ZRT) targeted at churning out phenomenal Christian theatrical productions on the contemporary stage. This is a descriptive study which chronicles the events leading to the emergence and progressive practice of Christian theatre in Nigeria by the ZRT. It identifies the point of departure from the old and the styles of practice for the new. In-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders in Christian theatre practice in Nigeria coupled with other secondary sources to enhance the literature review. ZRT proves to draw a viable connection to the rebirth of regular Christian theatre in Nigeria with regards to Christian themes, techniques and method of dramatising biblical stories to contemporary audiences.

The Denotified Tribes (DNTs) or Vimukta Jatis in India are those communities within the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes who were removed from a list that notified them as criminals under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. The Act that included around 200 communities under the category of hereditary criminal tribes, cementing their social identities as outcasts, and liable to constant police harassment, was repealed and replaced by a Habitual Offenders Act (HOA) in 1952. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in 2007 further criticised this Act and asked India to repeal it and rehabilitate the tribes. Some of the government initiatives towards this end have been the commissioning of the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) established in 2006, the Renke Commission Report in 2008 and the Idate Commission Report in 2017. A Development and Welfare Board for NCDNT has also been constituted in 2019. The DNTs in India have largely remained outside the purview of scholars, historians, artists and analysts, and are also in want of an official population estimation. These facts make the book an especially valuable addition to the literature on issues faced by the DNTs in India. The book under review is based on an indepth study conducted by the authors in some of the major settlements of DNTs in India and is divided into five parts, each covering a major objective of the study. The first part of the book deals with the concept of DNTs, its origin and proliferation in society through the colonial period. This part also differentiates and defines the Semi-Nomadic and Nomadic Tribes which were so far clubbed under the title of Denotified Communities (DNCs), thus, scrutinising the evolution of the concept of stigmatised communities in India. However, a frequent switch-over between the concepts of DNTs and DNCs in this part may confuse a neophyte. The authors quote various studies and academicians to describe what conditions led to the emergence of looteras, bandits and thugs amongst them. The book states that faced with famine, abject poverty, forced serfdom under powerful castes and squalor, many turned towards mischievous activities such as robbery and dacoity. Over time, in order to curb these activities amongst some such tribes, various colonial acts were formulated to either categorise entire communities as criminal or force them to move into settlement areas that were governed by Christian missionaries with heavy police deployments. Their freedom to commute out of these settlements was

Abstract
Gender discourses have continued to occupy frontiers of engagements
around the globe and its continuity is increasingly becoming a common
discourse in Nigeria. The topic is indeed a long term discourse and there
seemed to be actually nothing new about gender discourses but what
remains paramount is the manner and the predilections that scholars
have engaged with this topic that is worthy of noting. This paper seeks
to traditionally show the circumstances that women go through in
traditional African societies; this is done through an exploratory
journey into the culture of male dominance in Nigeria. In virtually every
traditional African society; women are conscripted into the masculinity
ideology which believes that, women are entirely powerless and should
remain under the dictate of their male counterparts. This paper
explores the role of drama as a psychotherapeutic medium that dives
into the mental psyche of the human being (male in this context) to
dismantle that father son binary ideology which is a total
discriminatory practice against women across the globe, Africa and
Nigeria in particular. To justify the subject under discourse; Emmy
Idegu’s Six and Half a Dozen is analyzed to graphically show that
indeed; drama and dramatists have utilized the Arts medium to
communicate social related discourses that violates the fundamental
human rights of women through stereotyped discriminatory held
dogmas against women. Key Words: Dismantling, Father Son Binary, Girl-child Empowerment
and Psychotherapeutic

Background In 2019, the overwhelming COVID-19 pandemic has stricken the worldwide population, and although virtually all nations have language problem about COVID-19, Igbo southeast Nigeria's problem is significantly different. In Igbo culture area, the pandemic gave rise to speculations and inappropriate language use-'Koro is not in our place', and its various forms to assert that 'Igbo people are not vulnerable to COVID-19'. Obstinate language in this study, is viewed as a stubborn and unreasonable persistence language. During COVID-19 era, indigenous people of Igboland often use inappropriate language to trivialise the coronavirus, adhering to that opinion, in spite of reason, arguments or persuasion.In consequence, their language use and the linguistic perception about COVID are seriously influenced the peoples' behaviours negatively and many people in the area failed to observe the COVID-19 protocols. Such attitude in many ways exposed the people to contact the disease in the area and also led to other multifaceted implicationsas we shall observe in this study. Regrettably, scholars have not paid adequate attention to the inappropriate language problems. This negative impacts are what excited my curiosity about the region group's obstinate language uses in the context of COVID-19. Besides, studies that recorded issues about the language interface and COVID-19 elsewhere, did not analyse how language use can serve as a tool for the spread of the pandemic and its other multifaceted impacts. This study will step further from the critique of the COVID from its impacts on language and individual as has been more commonly advanced by other scholars, to investigate howobstinate language use increases the spread of

Modern corporate management styles appear to undermine the traditional but highly organized management system of indigenous African festivals. Despite lacking organized schools or training outfits, or profit oriented drive, traditional institutions such as the Egungun cults present in Yorubaland have survived through convention and long history of an ancient cult management system. However, little is known of its link and attachment to royalty on which the kingship, culture, and tradition of the people revolve. The Yoruba people are a major ethnic tribe domiciled in the western region of Nigeria, West Africa. This paper examines the Egungun and Sangotimi festivals of an ancient Yoruba town, Ede as performances, with an emphasis on the history, structure, hierarchy, and administration of the cyclic ritual, providing an action plan in terms of committee setup , publicity and media coverage. The study adopted an empirical approach through personal interviews with heads of guilds, community leaders, members of royal descent, and library sources to assert that the modern celebration of Egugun festivals is based on the inherited ancient structure established by the people's ancestors and whose management approaches are in tandem with basic management principles.

The purpose of this article was to analyze the method used to handle communal conflict in Ogbakiri using a descriptive survey. A sample size of 400 was drawn using Taro Yamane from the study's population of 201,901. The respondents' information was gathered using a 33-item questionnaire that was self-designed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data that had been obtained. Result showed that traditional leaders, town criers, vigilante groups, social institutions, eleawerenzi (married women), omereny (adult daughters), the authority of the ancestors, elders, the use of law enforcement personnel, the use of courts, and the constitution of fact-finding committees were the main conflict management systems in Ogbakiri because only the government cannot resolve intercommunal disputes hence, committees comprising of archeologists, historians, and traditional rulers should be set up by the government to put up all historic facts right to avoid twisting of facts.

Nigerian labour management practices involve the interactions between employers and employees within the work environment. These practices are shaped by various factors, including cultural influences, legal frameworks, economic conditions, and organizational structures. For more than three decades,1990 to date, ASUU-federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) have been engaged in prolonged industrial conflict over several issues of importance to the union especially, poor wages and conditions of services, under funding, infrastructural deficit, lack of autonomy and academic freedom. This study is set to discuss the Nigerian labour management practices focusing on the intricacies of implementing labour agreements in Nigeria with reference to ASUU in federal and state universities in Nigeria. The methodology involves a mixed-methods approach, encompassing a comprehensive review of existing literature, and employee relation theory was adopted for the theoretical underpinning of the study. The study revealed that poor funding of the university education; non-compliance to reached agreements after negotiations; refusal of union recognition in major decision making that concerns their welfare, poor conditions of service such as unconducive working environment, inadequate pay packages, poor welfare services, among others; poor and inconsistent payment of salaries and other emoluments such as delay in payment of salaries without a justifiable reason for such delay; failure to collective bargaining; political interference; as well as unpopular, No work No pay rule and harsh public policies exist in the labour relation between Federal government and ASUU. Therefore, labour crises in Nigeria higher education system need to be urgently addressed and checkmated, hence, the study recommended that collective bargaining has to be embedded within the concept of dialogue and all types of negotiation, consultation between, or among, representatives of government.

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Objectives. Determine community needs and perspectives as part of planning health service incorporation into Wanang Conservation Area. Design. Clinical and rapid anthropological assessment (individual primary care assessments, Key Informant [KI] interviews, Focus Groups [FGs], ethnography) with parallel treatment of urgent cases.Setting. Wanang (pop. c189), a village in the rainforests of Madang province, Papua New Guinea.Participants. 129 villagers provided medical histories (54 females (f), 75 males (m); median 19y, range 1mo–73y), 113 had clinical assessments (51f, 62m; median 18y, range 1mo–73y). 26 ≥18y participated in sex-age stratified FGs (f<40y; m<40y; f>40y; m>40y). Five KIs were interviewed (1f, 4m). Data collectors recorded daily ethnographic fieldnotes.Results. Of 113 examined, 11 were ‘well’, 62 (30f, 32m) treated urgently, 31 referred (15f, 16m), indicating considerable unmet need. FGs top-4 ranked health issues concorded with KI views, medical histories, ...

It is observed that most development modalities employed over the years for achieving community development in Africa have not leaved up to expectation in terms of involving the majority of people in the quest for national transformation and development; rather, these modalities tend to complicate the very problems they are set out to solve. The situation is mostly like this because the adopted development strategies have not taken adequate cognizance the essence of effective communication methods and the importance of people's perspectives and peculiarities in these processes. Mostly, the so-called outsiders and experts in development matters who are physically and socially separated from the people think for them and about their development. This situation is inimical to genuine and sustainable development. It is important therefore to note that development can only be meaningful and sustainable when it is people generated; involving people's real needs and their participation in the process of achieving them. It is at this point therefore that community theatre can come handy as it has the potentials to bring people together to discuss issues that disempowered them and participatorily proffer solutions to the negatives. Community theatre can be explored to work with rural and urban people; mostly the rural dwellers who are mostly disempowered. In view of this therefore, this paper posits that community theatre is a method of participatory communication towards achieving social change.

This article examines the African traditional theatre which is interwoven into the daily life of the African. It affirms that festival theatre flourished in Africa in the distant past and has become the bedrock of modern theatrical productions on the African continent. The opulent and robust performance ethos of traditional theatre has continued to provide resources for contemporary African dramatists. It is in this context that we closely look at how Femi Osofisan assertively leans on the aesthetic apparatus of the African traditional theatre to create Morountodun. In Morountodun, the rich elements of the traditional theatre are used as motif(s) to create a vintage and delightful play, which is very aesthetic and scintillating, yet possesses a strong and radical socialist message.

This article explores the role of play and playfulness—as both methodological and analytical tools—in research on social violence. While play may seem antithetical to both discussions on methods and to studying social violence, we found that actually paying attention to such elements was in fact very productive. This article draws on a series of participatory workshops that engaged theater, dance, and comedy, which were held in Sierra Leone in 2021 that explored various social dimensions of sexual and gender-based violence in rural communities. The “fun” components that are so frequently dismissed in favor of more flat and binary research helped us better understand the complex, and often painful, emotions of women in these communities. We pay particular attention to how singing, which was not originally part of the research plan, became critical to engaging these women on discussions of social violence. We argue that researchers should be more aware and open to the prospects that “...

Within the context of development communication, this research examines the role that theatre plays. When it comes to fostering the growth of development procedure, theatre is a technique that is both very effective and very responsive. First, it discusses the history of theatre in both the international and Indian contexts, and then it moves on to discuss the origins and characteristics of development communication from the perspective of the third world. Following that, the study makes an effort to advocate for the connection between theatre and development by utilizing the analysis of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal. Theatrical performances in India served as a tool against political exploitation during the time of British rule. Theatre continues to be relevant after independence because of the participatory and adaptable nature of the art form. Additionally, the anti-fascist theatrical movement and leftist philosophy in theatre are major topics of discussion in this article. A number of topics are emphasized in Indian theatre, including but not limited to: agriculture, literacy campaigns, social harmony, girl trafficking, child labor, gender discrimination, religious tolerance, women's empowerment, prevention of HIV-AIDS, family planning, pulse polio, nutrition, and environmental pollution, among others. Each of the three case studies of Nazariya, Kolkata Creative Art Performer, and Ashokenagar Natyamukh provides a comprehensive overview of the manner in which theatre carries out the dissemination of developmental ideas in various regions of India. The conclusion of this study is that theatre plays an important and effective role in the resolution of conflicts, the identification of cultural identities, the formation of communities, social control, social protest, and the dissemination of public consciousness regarding various social concerns to citizens at the grassroots level.

Within the context of development communication, this research examines the role that theatre plays. When it comes to fostering the growth of development procedure, theatre is a technique that is both very effective and very responsive. First, it discusses the history of theatre in both the international and Indian contexts, and then it moves on to discuss the origins and characteristics of development communication from the perspective of the third world. Following that, the study makes an effort to advocate for the connection between theatre and development by utilizing the analysis of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal. Theatrical performances in India served as a tool against political exploitation during the time of British rule. Theatre continues to be relevant after independence because of the participatory and adaptable nature of the art form. Additionally, the anti-fascist theatrical movement and leftist philosophy in theatre are major topics of discussion in this article. A number of topics are emphasized in Indian theatre, including but not limited to: agriculture, literacy campaigns, social harmony, girl trafficking, child labor, gender discrimination, religious tolerance, women's empowerment, prevention of HIV-AIDS, family planning, pulse polio, nutrition, and environmental pollution, among others. Each of the three case studies of Nazariya, Kolkata Creative Art Performer, and Ashokenagar Natyamukh provides a comprehensive overview of the manner in which theatre carries out the dissemination of developmental ideas in various regions of India. The conclusion of this study is that theatre plays an important and effective role in the resolution of conflicts, the identification of cultural identities, the formation of communities, social control, social protest, and the dissemination of public consciousness regarding various social concerns to citizens at the grassroots level.

This study investigated the relationship between Female Circumcision/Female Genital Mutilation, culture and poverty in three Local Government Areas of Ekiti State in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 146 respondents in three local government areas out of the 16 local government areas in the state. Primary and secondary data were used to accomplish the objectives of the study. Data were collected through the use of detailed questionnaire and focused group discussion. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data collected. The findings revealed that FC/FGM is not caused by poverty but largely by a cultural belief that has been present in these communities for centuries. The findings further confirmed that these communities are not likely to heed the ongoing global advice to discontinue the practice hence their insensitivity to the much-publicized associated risks.

Community participation is a major propeller in Theatre for Development (TFD) processes. This is given that TFD employs a collective approach to community problem identification, analysis of root causes, and creative formation of findings into performance skits to initiate discussion and social action using participatory drama. The performance aspect of TFD exercises is thus pivotal to the entire process and as such, community participation at this aspect is a catalyst for other aspects. This paper assesses community participation in the performance stage of the 2021 Odolu TFD project and examines its implication on the post-performance stage. Using both qualitative and quantitative designs, data is collected from Participant Observation, Key Informant Interview, and Focus Group Discussions and presented with the use of clustered bar charts, pie charts, and a line graph. Using Simple percentage, findings show that community participation in the performance aspect declined by 84% as the process progressed. Among other reasons, the decline is chiefly as a result of modifications in drama storylines, conflict with domestic activities, indisposition of community members, and inadequate use of folk media. The paper submits that there is a need for TFD practitioners to design strategies that enhance community participation as peculiar to respective communities and re-echoes the significance of harnessing available folk media towards desired results.

The study critically looks at the socio-political, psychological and conflicts arising from Oil and Gas Operations in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.. This paper therefore aims at (re)presenting theatre side-by-side other disciplines within the context of conflicts and crises management. The fallout of oil and gas operations in the area is a topical and highly volatile issue in the country since 1990s, especially as this resource is the economic mainstay of the nation until late 2014 when the sales and demand for crude oil began to dwindle. In order to proffer solution, the issue has been over-flogged through debates, playlets, seminars, video clips and so on. On one such workshops of crises management with the theme: "the fallout of oil and gas operations in the Niger Delta area: community point of view" this writer was invited as a guest speaker. The first question raised the first year of my attendance borders on "the role of theatre personnel in crises management", especially when they are neither social scientists nor economists?" These questions is a reminder of the arguments on the relevance of theatre to the society during Plato and Socrates" era; which one could have said to be non-consequential today, especially with the advent of films and home videos. The play titled "The Pen" was staged by unskilled performers without rehearsal or knowledge of what was to unfold and it led to a heated discourse that helps to confirm that theatre through drama can be used for conflict resolution. In conclusion this paper is a report and analysis of the "The Pen" as a proof that TfD can be used as tool in handling topical issues as predominant in crises prone areas as the Niger Delta.

This study explores how cultural norms and traditions can serve as vessels for the perpetuation of gender-based violence, specifically, against women. It explores cultural oppression against women within the context of Mabel Evwierhoma's play, The Cut Across, focusing specifically on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Using feminist theory this study contends that female genital mutilation is one of the harmful cultural practices that hemline women. By examining the characters and themes within the play, this study sheds light on harmful cultural practices that contribute to the subjugation of women. This study goes beyond the play itself, engaging with the sociocultural dynamics that sustain FGM. Ultimately, this study seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between culture and the perpetuation of gender-based violence, stimulating debates on how drama challenges systems of oppression. This study argues that women can surmount cultural oppression and achieve freedom by actively working together to champion equality, rather than being passive, waiting for liberation to be granted to them. This study recommends that drama can be used in amplifying the voices of the silenced by employing the transformative potentials of the theatre, which has can be used in addressing sensitive topics.

The Drama of Ahmed Yerima. Studies in Nigerian Theatre gives a detailed development of Nigerian theatre from its ritualistic nature in the 16th Century up to the literary form of the 21st century. It looks at the trajectory movement of the theatre through television to cinema and video film/Nollywood. It explores the aesthetics, thematic preoccupation, recurrent ideologies, language, style and the relevance of the plays of Ahmed Parker Yerima to African socio-cultural milieu from socio-political contextualization point of view. It also reveals how Ahmed Yerima has allowed ideology and style to merge with dramatic technique, and at the same time speaking against various Nigerian governments’ anti-people policies. For emphasis, the work interrogates Yerima’s plays written in the tail end of military regime in Nigeria as well as in the nascent democratic rule (1997-2011). Ahmed Yerima firmly establishes his prese nce on the Nigerian stage during these periods with a succession of theat...

Drama-and-theatre has roots in what Aristotle conceived as mimesis, an imitation of people's life and, therefore, grows and feeds from intrinsic cultural resources. In a conglomerate entity like Nigeria, with about 400 ethnic nationalities, can we therefore, like Ogunbiyi (1981) speak of a truly 'Nigerian' drama and theatre? If we accept the existence and validity of a "third culture" which is what our national culture is, then Nigerian theatre and drama become a mosaic of different ethnic enactments under a unifying national 'motif'.

Southern penal spaces are marked by resemblances and affinities with colonial regimes of control, yet they also reflect quite distinctive postcolonial social and political dynamics found in the global south. Here, legacies of control, forms of exile, status reductions, hierarchical social stratifications and other like forms come together in robust modes of containment suitable for managing ‘marginal’ and ‘suspect’ populations. We draw on ethnographic empirical work with two hunting nomadic groups in India by two of the co-authors who are working with the Kheria Sabar community in Purulia district in West Bengal and Pardhi community in Mumbai. The latter were subject to notification under the notorious Criminal Tribes Act 1871, marking them out as ‘criminal tribes’ until their de-notification shortly after India's independence in 1947, yet the Kheria Sabars too feel its effects. We draw attention here to the continual negotiation and (re)fabrication of both state and citizen at ...

Akomaye Oko gives an introductory review of  'Our Forest Our Future', a collection of 'Green Plays' by Liwhu Betiang, Arikpo Arikpo & Barclays Ayakoroma; based on a Theatre-for-Development Project that covered Cross River and Bayelsa states. The significance of this project was the formation of community-based troupes which continued the work of environmental protection and advocacy. The project was midwived by Living Earth Nigeria Foundation.

In post independent Nigeria, the perception of political leadership by the politicians and the electorates is that of arquiring power and wealth for self aggrandisement. Political office is thus seen as a shortcut to riches to keep poverty and penury at bay from the families and urborn generations of the politicans. In the bid to occumulate the commonwealth, funds meant for social services and infrastructure are diverted to frivolties. The electorates who should constitute effective checks and balances are collaborators by seeking compensation for their votes through sharing of looted funds, political patronages and appointments. Governance without conscience is what the film, Owo Okuta dramatises. Governor Keshinro (Olu Jacobs) in the film is a personification of selfish leader. The governor who ruled amidst bloodshed planned to enjoy the looted funds with his family after his tenure. But in a twist of fate, that could be described as nemesis, disaster strucks immediately. Governor Keshinro completed his tenure, one calamity after the other befell his immediate family. In his period of trial the former governor regretted not serving the people the way his mandate demanded. The rein lies the need to lead with conscience while in political office.

This paper describes a piece of classroom-centred research we did into the extensive reading practices of adult basic literacy learners. The research reported here was part of a larger research project into the 'communicational' teaching of English for beginning learners inspired by the work of Prabhu (1987). Using comics supplied by The Storyteller Group, we experimented with the Prabhu/Krashen 'acquisition' approach and extended the pedagogy through trial and error, documenting the whole process with the help of videorecordings and our own notes. We present four stages in this 'reading for pleasure' course with descriptions of the pedagogy and excerpts of classroom interaction. Important outcomes of this research are the creative use of language promoted by story re-telling and the desire for ownership of books by learners once they experience ownership of the story through task-based activities on the comics. Hierdie artikel handel oor klaskamergesentreerde navorsing oor die uitgebreide leesgewoontes van volwassenes wat met geletterdheidsopleiding besig is. Die projek waaroor dit hier gaan vorm deel van 'n groter navorsingsprojek oor die kommunikasiegebaseerde onderrig van Engels vir beginnerleerders en is deur die werk van Prablu (1987) geinspireer. Met behulp van strokiesverhale wat deur The Storytelling Group verskaf is, het ons met Prablu/Krashen se 'verwerwingsbenadering' geëksperimenteer. Die aanbiedingsprosedures is deur gedurige aanpassings verfyn en verbeter en volledig met behulp van video-opnames en ons eie aantekeninge gedokumenteer. Ons beskryf vier fases van hierdie lees-virplesierkursus, aangevul deur metodologiese aantekeninge en uittreksels uit die klaskamerinteraksie. Belangrike uitkomste van hierdie navorsing is die kreatiewe gebruik van taal wat deur die leerders se oorvertel van die stories bevorder is en hulle begeerte om boeke te besit sodra hulle, as gevolg van die take wat op die strokiesverhale gebaseer is, eienaarskap van die storie aanvaar het.

Street children are common phenomena throughout the world facing a lot of challenges in their life. People especially local community have controversial attitude for this children while the majority perceive them as the trouble and burden to the societies life few of the community have positive attitude.The main objective of this study was identifying the attitude people for street children and the attitude street children for themselves.So, to attain this objective, a cross-sectional study design was utilized. The researchers used mixed approach and both quantitative and qualitative tools of data collection were used. The researcher relied more on qualitative method due to the nature of the issue under investigation. The data was collected from 100 street children and other 10 concerned living in Nekemte Town.The researcher observe the town first and communicate with different people to identify the areas where street children highly concentrated and based  on that three areas name...

The major pivot around which the art of literary creativity revolves is life. A work of art can neither exist in a vacuum nor can it be divorced from the myriad of socio-political factors or social realities that negatively or positively influence the worldview of man. These factors can either be political, historical, biographical, or sociological. What this entails is that literature derives its main essence from life, as the creative writer is provoked to present the losses and gains, the ills and virtues, of a society with a view to highlighting or sensitizing the people to the solutions of these problems. A work of art also entertains as it educates. This confers on literature the ability to influence human beings psychologically, spiritually, and physically depending on the sensitivity and/or the world-view of the writer. This paper explores how Femi Osofisan sees politics as a tool of social organization in his dramaturgy with a critical study of six of his plays: