Authors:Geraldine Ebele Ojukwu, Tracie Chima Utoh-Ezeajugh Abstract: Over the years, most Nigerian male writers rarely paint positive images of women in their fiction. Hence, the denigration of women not only in non-fictitious Nigeria but also in Nigerian drama. . By way of reframing this narrative, Nigerian female playwrights flip the script of men’s portrayal of women, thereby creating strong women characters, who not only oppose the oppressive patriarchal cultures, but in some cases have been engaged in wittingly or unwittingly oppressing their fellow women who are weaker, poorer, less-privileged or uneducated. This study thus seeks to examine the female gender representation in the works of some Female Nigerian playwrights such as; Zulu Sofola, Felicia Onyewadume, Tracie Utoh-Ezeajugh and Osita Ezenwanebe to see how they have presented issues of female empowerment in Nigeria. Data for the paper was generated using library research, and textual analyses of the qualitative research method. The study is premised on Molare Ogundipe’s Stiwanism. An analyses of the qualitative data concludes that women have not yet attained emancipation. For that reason, the study concludes that Nigerian female playwrights should embody in their works, such narratives that can engage in improving women’s mentality, to fast track emancipation. PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
Authors:Tracie Chima Utoh-Ezeajugh Pages: 1 - 38 Abstract: This work critically examines the practice of indigenous dressing, stage costuming, body designing and make-up, as utilised in African daily life and African performances; in a bid to theorise African adornment practices and articulate a position of enquiry, which will be employed in explaining techniques and methods; describing trends and styles, and explaining design practices and preferences within the African fashion and performance space. Many scholars and practitioners have made significant claims about traditional African dress culture, make-up, body designs and the costumes used in myriad performances spread across the continental landscape, but these claims have mostly been based on Eurocentric categorisations of non-Eurocentric cultural attires as "costumes". Using the analytical, descriptive and interpretative approach of the qualitative research methodology; the study attempts to theorise African dress culture, body designs, costumes and make-up practices, especially as utilised in everyday life, on special occasions, on stage, in films, carnivals, street performances and traditional communal performances. The study exposes the limitations of Eurocentric categorisations, and explores some terrains of indigenous artistic distinctions defined by certain established dress codes, adornment cultures and ethnic orientations. In the course of this engagement, strong claims, assertions, and conceptions capable of generating critical stand -points that may amongst others, define the process and classify the practice, trends and identity of African dress culture, make-up and body designs; are initiated. PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
Authors:Victor Osae Ihidero Pages: 39 - 57 Abstract: Verbatim theatre is still an unexplored area on the Nigerian playwriting scene as well as theatre stage in spite of its popularity and practice in different parts of the world. One of the central spines of verbatim theatre is that it thrives on documentary, the new/social media and journalistic practices involving more than one person who incidentally are co-creators. It is a form of dramaturgy where live interviews, news tit-bits, documented memos, online chat-threads, screenshots, musical lyrics, vox-pop or recorded conversations are creatively edited and used to create drama. One Nigerian playwright whose drama is rooted in verbatim theatre is Bode Ojoniyi. This paper examines the atypical creative energy in the memoir drama of Bode Ojoniyi whose dramatic vision is located within the frame of existentialism, deadness and the undead consciousnesses. This study contends that Ojoniyi’s memoir drama is woven around a delicate and life draining human experience attended by the incursions of mythical afflatuses as live characters in his dramatic oeuvre. It uses For the Love of Sisyphus and A Dance of Beasts!, two play-memoirs on the Uniosun blackmail of the playwright to argue that the premise of Ojoniyi’s memoir dramas is rooted in neo-romanticist aesthetics marked by the intersection between theatre and journalism. The study concludes that Ojoniyi’s verbatim theatre conveys a crosscurrent of three transcendental conditioning, the mythic, the existential and the material. PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
Authors:Chukwuemeka Onuoha, Alex Asigbo Pages: 58 - 74 Abstract: The economic viability of the Theatre ought to have redeemed Educational Theatres in Nigeria from their economic plight and limitations. But surprisingly, the economic potentials of Educational Theatres in most government owned Universities within Nigeria have not been fully harnessed for the generation of funds for their growth and survival. This is conditioned by the focus on theory, instruction and training of artistes within these Educational Theatres with little or no attention paid to the business aspects of the Theatre. The present economic crisis and recession faced in the post pandemic era which has seen poor funding of education by the government and lack of sponsorship of Educational Theatres by the host institutions, should engender the needed attention to the commercial aspects of the Educational Theatre. The huge creative human and artistic resources available to Educational Theatres in Nigeria if harnessed, will not only help Educational Theatres scale through this economic crisis by creating internally generated revenues for the smooth running of their affairs, without solely depending on whatever sponsorship that comes from the host institutions or the government as the case maybe; but will also raise the economic consciousness of the students within the various Departments of Theatre and Performing Arts to the wide range of opportunities available to them as Performing Artistes, Theatre Managers and Administrators. The content analysis and personal observation approaches of the qualitative research method were adopted for the realization of the objectives of this study. The study seeks to engender needed attention and actions to the economic plight of educational theatres in government owned universities in Nigeria and suggests a blend of theory, practice and commerce in the development and review of the curriculum of educational theatres. PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
Authors:Kester Nnaemeka Dibia Pages: 75 - 96 Abstract: The focus of proletarian drama is on members of the working class and by extension, the masses. The research therefore, explores the ideological contributions, from the leftist perspective, espoused in Irobi’s Nwokedi, Cemetery Road and Nwadigwe’s Udoji. The justification behind this research work is hinged on the fact that not much critical attention has been paid to the selected plays from the standpoint of proletarian ideologies expressed in them. Therefore, this research work aims at contributing to knowledge in this direction. The research is mainly concerned with attempts made by the aforementioned Nigerian playwrights to use art to advance the cause of the downtrodden with a view to sensitizing and mobilizing them to come together and combat an oppressive system that holds them captive. Case study and content analysis approaches of the qualitative research method are adopted by the researcher. Primary sources of data include Nwokedi, Cemetery Road and Udoji. The secondary sources are books, journals, magazines and newspapers. It can be correctly said that the Marxist ideology of a classless society provides the foothold for the thematic and ideological viewpoints of the playwrights whose works have been used in this study. Marxism holds that the masses who Karl Marx refers to as the “exploited class” are “locked inevitably in conflict” with the bourgeoisie who exploit the masses since they own and control the means of production. Finally, the research work recommends responsible leadership as a duty that the leadership class owes the masses in order to bridge the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in the society. The researcher also concludes that drama is an indispensable tool for mass conscientisation, mobilization and transformation . PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
Authors:Alex Roy-Omoni Pages: 97 - 114 Abstract: Stand-up comedy is a sub-genre of oral literature or orality. It involves a comedian standing in front of an audience to crack jokes and tell funny stories in order to make people laugh. It is also a therapeutic tool used to heal wounds through humour and comedy and this eventually leads to mental balance, happiness, peace and tranquility among the people. In line with the above, this paper attempts to explicate the various ways selected Niger Delta standup comedians have achieved this therapeutic or healing function among the people of that region. It also studies the psychological effects this brand of comedy has on the audience especially Niger Deltans of Nigeria. The selected stand-up comedians used in this study include I Go Dye, Gordons and Liki Liki Mouth. It is discovered that in relation to the basic functions of the arts generally, and literature in particular, the selected Niger Delta stand-up comedians have, in no small measure, contributed their quota in bringing peace, harmony and a stable mental health to the people of the region. PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
Authors:Patricia Obiageli Oguegbu, Ephraim Chukwu Pages: 131 - 147 Abstract: Presidential speeches are significant in many ways in that they always touch the lives of the citizens of the country who always pay attention to them. In most cases, the speeches attract formal discussions intended at interpreting and bringing them into proper focus. This study explores the use of conceptual metaphors employed in some Nigerian Presidential inaugural speeches with a view of ascertaining how certain abstract concepts reflected in the speeches can be appropriately understood through the application of more concrete ones using Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory. A qualitative approach is adopted for analysis of the inaugural speeches which constitute the data for the study. The result of the study showed that: abstract and less delineated concepts reflected in the speeches are better understood through the application of concrete ones; and that concrete concepts represented by words are mapped onto abstract concepts which they associate with, towards determining the meaning expressed. The study concluded that these conceptual metaphors are used as linguistic tools which can be manipulated by politicians in order to promote their ideologies and personal interests. PubDate: 2021-09-27 Issue No:Vol. 15, No. 1 (2021)
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